Chapter 7: Weathering, Erosion and Soil

Question 1

weathering

Answer 1

the process by which rocks on the surface break down and change

Question 2

erosion

Answer 2

the removal and transport of weathered material to another location

Question 3

factors that contribute to mechanical weathering

Answer 3

temperature, water and pressure

Question 4

exfoliation

Answer 4

the process by which outer rock layers are stripped away

Question 5

chemical weathering

Answer 5

the process by which rocks and minerals an undergo changes in their composition as a result of chemical reactions

Question 6

chemical weathering factors

Answer 6

water (dissolves minerals and rocks), oxygen (form reactions with other elements), CO2 (when it reacts with water in the atmosphere it can form a weak acid

Question 7

Where is chemical and mechanical weathering dominant

Answer 7

Chemical- warm climate, abundant rainfall, lush vegitation

Mechanical- cool, dry climates where water undergoes freezing and thawing

Question 8

rill erosion

Answer 8

the erosion by running water in small channels on the side of a slope

Question 9

gully erosion

Answer 9

when a channel becomes wide

Question 10

deposition

Answer 10

when materials are dropped in another location in the final stage of the erosional process

Question 11

gravity and erosion

Answer 11

gravity pulls materials down slope landslides, mudflows, avalanches etc.

Question 12

Where is wind erosion a major issue

Answer 12

in areas with little vegetation, little rain and high temperatures
ex. Death Valley

Question 13

What is soil? What is it made of

Answer 13

loose covering of broken rock particles and decaying organic matter humus overlying the bedrock of the earth’s surface

Question 14

residual vs. transported soil

Answer 14

soil located above parent material vs. soil moved to another location away from its parent bedrock

Question 15

What is a soil profile

Answer 15

vertical sequence of soil layers

Question 16

Horizon A soil

Answer 16

rich in organic mater and humus and is dark coloured

Question 17

Horizon B soil

Answer 17

contains subsoils enriched with clay minerals. have lots of minerals that have been leached out from topsoil can form hard soil that allows little soil to pass thorough

Question 18

Horizon C soil

Answer 18

contains weathered parent material, directly above bedrock

Question 19

Polar soils

Answer 19

form at high latitudes and elevations, very shallow and virtually no horizons

Question 20

temperate soils

Answer 20

able to support diverse environments like forests, grasslands, and parries, fertile

Question 21

desert soils

Answer 21

lots of salts and limited vegetation, lots of salts

Question 22

tropical soils

Answer 22

high temperatures and heavy rainfalls, lots of weathered infertile soil

Question 23

How are soil textures classified

Answer 23

According to size, silt sand or clay being the smallest and with clay the smallest and sand the largest