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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 |