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Swift soils keyterms
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| litter | the loose layer of dead plant leaves and stems on the surface of the soil |
| decomposer | an organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms |
| Dust Bowl | the area of the Great Plains where wind erosion caused soil loss during the 1930s |
| soil conservation | the management of soil to prevent its destruction |
| contour plowing | plowing fields along the curves of a slope to prevent soil loss |
| conservation plowing | – soil conservation method in which the dead stalks from the previous year’s crop are left in the ground to hold the soil in place |
| crop rotation | the planting of different crops in a field each year to maintain the soil’s fertility |
| erosion | – the process by which water, wind, ice or gravity moves weathered rock and soil |
| sediment | small solid pieces of material that come from rocks or organisms |
| deposition | the process by which sediment settles out of the water or wind that is carrying it |
| mass movement | any one of several processes by which gravity moves sediment downhill |
| weathering | the chemical and physical processes that break down rock at Earth’s surface |
| erosion | the process by which water, wind, ice, or gavity moves weathered rock and soil |
| mechanical weathering | the type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into smaller pieces |
| abrasion | the grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried in water, ice, or wind |
| ice wedging | process that splits rock when water seeps into cracks, then freezes and expands |
| chemical weathering | the process that breaks down rock through chemical change |
| oxidation | a chemical change in which a substance combines with oxygen, as when iron oxidizes (rusts) |
| soil | the loose weathered material on Earth’s surface in which plants can grow |
| bedrock | the solid layer of rock beneath the soil |
| humus | dark-colored organic material in soil |
| fertility | a measure of how well soil supports plant growth |
| soil horizon | the layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it |
| topsoil | an upper layer of soil consisting of rock fragments, nutrients, water, air, and decaying plant and animal matter |
| subsoil | the layer of soil beneath the topsoil that contains mostly clay and other minerals |
Created by:
dswift
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