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Rocks And Weathering
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Uniformitarianism | The geological principal that same process that operate today operated in the past to change Earths surface. |
Erosion | The process of wearing down and carrying away rocks. |
Weathering | Is the process that breaks down rocks and other substances. |
Mechanical Weathering | A type of weathering where rock is physically broken. |
Chemical Weathering | Is the process that breaks down rock through chemical changes. |
Abrasion | Refers to the weathering away rock by rock particles carried by water, ice, wind or gravity. |
Frost Wedging | When ice melts, water seeps deeper through the cracks. With repeated freezing and thawing, the cracks slowly expand until pieces of rock wear off. |
Oxidation | Iron combines with oxygen in the presence of water causing rust. |
Permeable | A material that is full of tiny connected air spaces to seep through it. |
Soil | Soil is the loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow. |
Bedrock | Bedrock is the solid layer of rock beneath the soil. |
Humus | Humus is a dark-colored substance that forms as plant and animal remain decay. |
Fertility | The fertility of soil is a measure of how well the soil supports plant growth. |
Loam | Loam is the best soil for growing most plants. |
pH scale | The pH scale measures acidity. |
Soil Horizon | Soil horizon is a layer of soil that differs in color, texture, and composition from the layers above it or below it. |
Topsoil | Is a crumbly, dark brown soil that is a mixture of humus, clay, and other materials. |
Subsoil | Subsoil, usually consists of clay and other particles of rock, but little humus. |
Decomposer | Decomposers are the organisms that break the remains of dead organisms into smaller pieces and digest them with chemicals . |
Natural Resource | A natural resource is anything in the environment that humans use. |
Soil Conservation | Soil conservation is the management of soil to limit its destruction. |
Crop Rotation | In a crop rotation, a farmer plants different crops in a field each year. |
Contour Plowing | In contour plowing, farmers plow their fields along the curves of a slope instead of straight rows. |
Conservation Plowing | In conservation plowing, dead weeds and stalks of the previous year's crop are plowed into the ground to help return soil nutrients, retain moisture, and hold soil in place. |