Weathering & Soil Study Guide Mrs. Hutson

Adding mulch to a landscape helps to control weeds and conserves water. Farmers use crop rotation to help prevent nutrient depletion from the soil. Terracing on a mountainside is a great soil conservation method. Contour plowing will reduce water runoff.

A soil conservation method that requires farmers to move crops around into different fields is called crop rotation. This type of soil conservation method would work in a small home garden also. No-till farming is a method of soil conservation that minimizes disturbances to the soil.

Plowing along the slope of a hill is an example of contour plowing. Soil erosion is the process of wearing away of surface soil by wind and water. Mulch, planting trees and grass are two ways to prevent the soil from eroding. Sewage treatment plants may contribute to water pollution.

Acid rain can cause respiratory problems. Energy production is responsible for generating much of today’s air pollution. Acid rain is responsible for destroying statues and monuments, reducing crop yields, and killing fish in lakes. Acid rain is increasing the rate of chemical weathering on Earth’s land surfaces.

In the layers of the soil, the parent material is found below the subsoil. Soil is composed of weathered rock and organic material. Topsoil can be washed away in a flood. In the desert, the soil is thin, has a high salt content, and has very little humus.

A tropical rainforest has soil that is nutrient poor but has a large amount of humus. Soil is made up of small amounts of clay. Sand contains particles of weathered rock. Humus is a dark, organic material that forms from decayed remains of plants and animals. Topsoil has the most humus; bedrock has the least amount of humus.

Bedrock is the bottom layer on a soil profile. Soil is made mostly of mineral matter. When rocks underground erode, gravity causes the ground to collapse.

The “desert pavement” in the Painted Desert in Arizona was formed by wind removing all of the small, fine particles from between the rocks.

Sea Caves, Sea Arches, and Sea Stacks were created by erosion. Sea Caves are formed from erosion caused by ocean waves. Link to animation: http://my.hrw.com/sh2/sh07_10/student/flash/virtual_investigations/hst/ice/hst_ice_vi.html

A slow form of mass movement is called creep. Link to animation: https://my.hrw.com/sh2/sh07_10/student/flash/visual_concepts/80189.htm

This landform was created by erosion by water.

Chemical weathering would happen at a slow rate in a cold and dry climate. Chemical weathering would happen at a fast rate in a warm and humid climate.

Cover crops help farmers protect the soil from erosion and replenishes nutrients in the soil.

Terracing is a technique used to protect soil from erosion by heavy rains. Farmers use this technique to farm on a field that has a very steep slope.

Chemical weathering is caused by water, air, and weak acids.

Weathering is the process by which rocks are broken down.

The process by which sediment is dropped or laid down is called deposition. Erosion is the process of moving sediment from one place to another.

Gravity causes rocks to fall, tumble, and roll Gravity causes rocks to fall, tumble, and roll. Landslides are a result of the force of gravity.

This beach was formed by erosion and soil deposits.

Sediment A has undergone the most weathering Sediment A has undergone the most weathering. Sediment B is undergone the least.

Ice wedging would most likely happen during process X.