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Weathering/Soil
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| weathering | the process that breaks down rock and other substance of Earth's surface |
| erosion | the removal of rock particles by wind, water, ice, or gravity |
| uniformitarianism | the principle that states the same processes that operate today also operated in the past |
| mechanical weathering | the type of weathering in which rick in physically broken into smaller pieces |
| abrasion | refers tot he grinding away of rock by rock particles carried by water, wind, ice, or gravity |
| ice wedging | the repeated freezing and thawing of water which results in the widening of cracks in rocks |
| chemical weathering | the process that breaks down rock through chemical changes |
| oxidation | a process in which iron combines with oxygen in the presence of water (causes rust) |
| permeable | rock that is full of tiny air spaces which allow water to seep into it |
| soil | the loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow |
| bedrock | the solid layer of rock beneath the soil |
| humus | a dark-colored substance that forms as plant and animal remains decay |
| fertility | a measure of how well the soil supports plant growth |
| loam | soil that is made up of about equal parts of clay, sand, and silt |
| soil horizon | a layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it |
| topsoil | a crumbly, dark brown soil that is a mixture of humus, clay, and other minerals |
| subsoil | usually consists of clay and other particles washed down from the A horizon, but little humus |
| litter | the loose layer of leaves that forms on top of the soil |
| decomposer | organisms that break the remains of dead organisms into smaller prices and digest them with chemicals |
| erosion | the process by which natural forces move weathered rock and soil from one place to another |
| sediment | broken down pieces of rock moved by erosion |
| deposition | when the sediments carried by erosion are laid down in a new location |
| gravity | the force that moves rock and other material downhill |
| mass movement | any one of several processes that move sediment downhill |
| landslide | the most destructive type of mass movement which occurs when rock and soil slide quickly down a steep slope |
| mudflow | the rapid downhill movement of a mixture of water, rock, and soil |
| slump | a mass of rock and soil slip suddenly downhill in one large mass |
| creep | very slow downhill movement of rock and soil |
Created by:
sdix
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