Aq Flashcards
What is the A Horizon?
The layer of soil that contains the highest amount of organic matter and is crucial for plant growth.
What is leaching?
The process in which water moves down through the soil, taking with it dissolved minerals and nutrients.
What is clay?
The smallest particle size in soil, with a diameter of less than 0.002 millimeters.
What is laterization?
The soil-forming process that occurs in humid tropical climates and results in iron-rich, reddish soils.
What is hardpan?
A dense layer of soil that restricts root growth and water movement.
What is gravitational water?
A type of water that moves freely through soil due to gravity but is not typically available to plants.
What is a soil profile?
The vertical cross-section of soil from the surface down to the parent material.
What is salinization?
The accumulation of salts in soil, often occurring in arid and semi-arid regions.
What is humus?
The organic component of soil, formed from the decomposition of plant and animal matter.
How is soil acidity or alkalinity measured?
Using the pH scale.
What is soil structure?
The term for soil particles clumping into distinct shapes or structures.
What is the classification of soil with a pH level below 7?
Acidic.
What is soil development?
The process by which soil becomes more mature and develops distinct horizons over time.
What is hygroscopic water?
Water that is tightly bound to soil particles and cannot be accessed by plants.
What is weathering?
The breakdown of rocks into smaller fragments through physical, chemical, or biological processes.
Which component of soil is responsible for providing nutrients and retaining moisture?
B. Organic matter
What term refers to water that moves through soil due to gravity but is not available to plants?
C. Gravitational water
What is the pH range of acidic soils?
A. 0-7
Which soil-forming factor is primarily responsible for breaking down parent material into smaller fragments?
A. Climate
What process involves the accumulation of minerals like calcium carbonate in soil?
C. Calcification
Which soil horizon is rich in organic matter and ideal for plant growth?
C. A Horizon
What is the term for the downward movement of soil and dissolved minerals through the soil profile?
B. Leaching
Which soil texture has particles with a diameter of less than 0.002 millimeters?
C. Clayey
What is the organic component resulting from the decomposition of plant and animal material?
B. Humus
Which type of soil structure promotes good drainage due to small, rounded aggregates?
D. Granular
What term describes the ability of soil to transmit air and water through its spaces?
A. Permeability
Soils with high amounts of iron and aluminum oxides are the result of which soil-forming process?
C. Laterization
Which factor in soil formation influences the types of vegetation present in an area?
C. Climate
What is a dense layer that prevents water from penetrating deep into the soil called?
B. Hardpan
What is the term for the vertical arrangement of soil layers from the surface to the underlying bedrock?
D. Soil profile
What are exogenic processes?
The geological processes that break down rocks and transport their fragments from high-energy to low-energy environments.
What is freeze-thaw?
The process where water repeatedly freezes and thaws in rock cracks, eventually breaking the rock apart.
What is mass wasting?
The movement of rock material downslope due to gravity without the aid of a geomorphic agent.
What is hydrolysis?
The chemical breakdown of rocks due to reactions with water, often producing clay minerals.
What is salt crystal growth?
The type of physical weathering that involves the growth of salt crystals in rock pores.
What is oxidation?
When oxygen combines with minerals in rocks, leading to a chemical change, such as rusting of iron.
What is creep?
A slow and almost imperceptible type of mass wasting that causes soil or rock to move gradually downslope.
What is unloading?
The process by which large sheets of rock peel off due to pressure release as overlying materials are removed.
What is a fall in mass wasting?
When large rock fragments break off and fall freely from a cliff or steep slope.
What is debris flow?
A high-speed flow of rocks, soil, and other debris mixed with water, often triggered by heavy rainfall or volcanic activity.
What is carbonation?
The chemical process where rainwater reacts with carbon dioxide to form carbonic acid, which then dissolves rocks like limestone.
What is thermal expansion and contraction?
The gradual process of rock disintegration caused by changes in temperature.
What is solution?
The process where mineral ions are dissolved and carried away in water.
What is solifluction?
The movement of water-saturated soil over permafrost in high-latitude regions.
What characterizes a high-energy environment?
Fast-moving water or strong winds, leading to rapid erosion and transportation of materials.
What is the term for the downslope movement of rock material due to gravity?
B. Mass wasting
What is freeze-thaw weathering?
B. Freeze-thaw
What is oxidation in rocks?
A. Oxidation
