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Chapter 4
Weathering and Soil Formation
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Abrasion | the process of wearing something down by friction |
Chemical weathering | the breakdown or decomposition of rock that takes place when minerals change through chemical process |
Desertification | the expansion of desert conditions in areas where the natural plant cover has been destroyed |
Exfoliation | in geology, the process in which layers or sheets of rock gradually break off |
Humus | the decayed organic matter in soil |
Mechanical weathering | the breakdown of rock into smaller pieces of the same material without any change in its composition |
Soil horizon | a soil layer with physical and chemical properties that differ from those of soil layers above or below it |
Soil profile | the soil horizons in a specific location; a cross section of soil layers that display all soil horizons |
Weathering | the process by which natural forces break down rocks |