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| the process that breaks down rock and other substances at Earth's surface. Heat, cold, water, ice, oxygen, and carbon dioxide all contribute to it. There are two types. |
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| the movement of rock particles by wind, water, ice, or gravity |
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| Mechanical weathering or physical weathering |
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| the type of weathering in which rock is physically broken down into smaller pieces. It breaks rocks into pieces by freezing and thawing, release of pressure, growth of plants, and actions of animals. |
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| refers to the grinding away of rocks by rock particles carried by water, ice, wind, or gravity. |
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| the process that splits rock when water seeps into cracks, then freezes and expands. |
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| the process that breaks down rock through chemical changes. The agents of chemical weathering include oxygen, carbon dioxide, living organisms, and acid rain. |
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| means that a material is full of tiny, connected air spaces that allow water to seep through it. |
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| the loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow. Soil forms as rock is broken down by weathering and mixes with other materials on the surface. It is a mixture of rock particles, minerals, decayed organic material, air, and water. |
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| the solid layer of rock beneath the soil. Once exposed at the surface, it gradually weathers into smaller and smaller particles that are the basic materials of soil. |
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| a dark-colored substance that forms as plant and animal remains decay. |
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| soil that is made up of about equal parts of clay, sand, and silt. |
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| a layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it. |
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| the A horizon, made up of a crumbly, dark brown soil that is amixture of humus, clay, and other minerals. |
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| the B horizon, usually consists of clay and other particles washed down from the A horizon but has little humus. |
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| as plants shed leaves, they form a loose layer. |
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| organisms that break the remains of dead organisms into smallr pieces and digest them with chemicals. |
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| the thich mass of tough roots at the surface of the soil, kept the soil in place and held onto the moisture. |
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| one that is naturally replaced in a relatvely short amout of time. |
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| was an area where wind erosion caused a severe loss of topsoil during the 1930's. |
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| is the management of soil to prevent its destruction |
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| the practice of plowin feilds along the curves of the slope. This helps slow the runoff of excess rainfall and prevents it fromm washing the soil away. |
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Term
conservation plowing
also called low-till or no-till plowing |
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Definition
| disturbs the soil and its plant cover as little as possible. Dead weeds and stalks of the previous year's crop are left in the ground to help return soil nutrients, retain moisture, and hold soil in place. |
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