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Soils and Biogeography > Lecture 4 > Flashcards

Lecture 4 Flashcards

1
Q

Soil classifications are made based on……

A

properties and behavior of soil

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2
Q

Soil classification is like a language between engineers. True?

A

Yes

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3
Q

The two types of scientific classification systems are ……

A

those based on processes of soil development and those based on quantifiable characteristics of the soils.

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4
Q

Soil classification has elements of both of its types. These are sometimes referred to as ……

A

comprehensive systems

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5
Q

Classification of earth materials for engineering purposes used ………….. which is based on a combination of physical and behavioral properties.

A

Unified Soil Classification Systems (USCS)

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6
Q

An ingenious feature of ………..the differentiation of silts an clays by means of ……….

A

USCS, plasticity chart

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7
Q

American association of state highway and transportation officials is used as a guide for classification of soils and ………

A

soil aggregate mixtures for highway construction purposes.

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8
Q

AASHTO does not classify soul by type but divides them into ……….major groups essentially classifying soils according to their suitability as sub grades.

A

seven

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9
Q

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classification of soils for ………

A

airport construction

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10
Q

Textural soil classification system defined ……….. major soil texture classifications.

A

12

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11
Q

The food and agriculture organization of united nation (FAO) developed ………..classification which offers useful generalizations about ……….in relation to the interactions between mail soil forming factors.

A

supra-national, pedogenesis

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12
Q

Interim Ghana Soil Classification systems was developed in the …….

A

late 1950’s

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13
Q

United States Department of Agriculture Soil Taxonomy first published in ……. provides an elaborate classification of soil types in several levels namely……

A

1975, order, suborder, great group, subgroup, family

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14
Q

The USCS was first developed by …….for the purpose of airfield construction during the……..

A

Professor A Casagrande (1948), WWII

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15
Q

USCS was modified later by Professor Casagrande, the US Bureau of Reclamation and the US Army Corps of Engineers to……

A

enable the system to be applicable to dams, foundations and other construction

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16
Q

Four major divisions of USCS

A
  1. Coarse grained
  2. Fine grained
  3. Organic soils
  4. Peat
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17
Q

Tests required for the classification of soil are…..

A
  1. liquid and plastic limit tests
  2. Particle size analysis test
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18
Q

Broad classification includes two types namely……

A

Fine grained and coarse grained soil

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19
Q

Soil is classified into …….groups

A

15

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20
Q

Each soil classification group is designated a symbol consisting of two capital letters. The first letter is based on ……….. and the second is based on ……… and ……….

A

Main soil type and gradation and plasticity

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21
Q

Major soils of the world are……… based on USDA Soil Taxonomy

A

12

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22
Q

…………. are young soils that do not show any profile development other than the A horizon.

A

Entisols

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23
Q

Entisols are found on …….. slopes

A

steep, rocky

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24
Q

Entisols occur in ……. and ……. regions.

A

desert and tundra

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25
Some ……. are found on fresh deposits from rivers, glaciers and sand dunes.
Entisols
26
May be difficult for plants to obtain nutrients from entisols true or false?
true
27
Entisols of …….. are good for crop cultivation.
Large river valleys and associated shore deposits.
28
……….are more developed than entisols but still lack most of the features of older soils.
Inceptisols
29
Inceptisols contain enough moisture to support plant for at least ……..
Three months of the year
30
Inceptisols are found on ………….
fairly steep slopes and resistant parent materials
31
Some inceptisols are found on floodplains……true?
yes
32
Inceptisols developed on floodplains can support the the cultivation of crops while those found in mountainous areas are ……..
often used for forestry, watershed and recreation.
33
………… are wet soils that contain high levels of organic matter.
Histosols
34
Histosols are often referred to as ……
peats
35
……….. are extremely weathered soils that occur in the tropical moist climate zones and under the tropical rainforest.
Oxisols
36
Oxisols are heavily leached. True or false?
True
37
……….are highly leached acid forest soils found in humid temperate and tropical areas of the world.
Ultisols
38
Without the use of fertilizer and lime, ultisols are poorly suited for continuous agriculture due to ……
high acidity and relatively low quantities of nutrients.
39
Soils with very high content of clay are called ……..
Vertisols
40
Vertisols often develop under …………..
savannah vegetation in tropical and subtropical climates.
41
Vertisols during the dry season ……….while in the wet season it is ………..
shrinks and deep wide cracks occurs, sticky and swells or expands
42
Vertisols look like they occur during…….
drought
43
When irrigation is available, vertisols can supports the cultivation of ……..
rice
44
This type of soil is moderately leached and is primarily found in temperate humid and subhumid regions of the world. What is it??
Alfisols
45
Alfisols develop under ……….
forests and moved forest-grassland
46
Alfisols are very productive soils for agriculture. True?
Yes
47
I have a light-colored E horizon and B horizon contains an accumulation of illuminated humus, iron and aluminum. Who am I?
Spodosols
48
Spodosols often occur under……
coniferous forest in cool moist climates.
49
Spodosols are ………and…….. in nutrients
acidic and low
50
Mollisols develop on ……..
loess, limestone and wind-blown sand
51
Mollisols are commonly found under ….
grassland vegetation
52
Aridisols are …..
dry soils with distinct horizon
53
Andisols are …….
young soils formed on fresh deposits of volcanic ash
54
……. are very fertile and support intensive cropping.
Andisols
55
Andisol areas are often used for the cultivation of …….
fruits, tea, maize, coffee, tobacco
56
………. are soils of extremely cold climates that contain permafrost within 2 meters of the surface.
Gelisols
57
Gelisols are commonly found in ……
Alaska, Canada and Siberia PS; obviously found in cold regions
58
Low temperatures causes decomposition of organic materials to proceed very slowly in
Gelisols
59
Organic matter accumulates in the upper layer of gelisols giving it a ……………. color.
black or dark brown
60
Gelisols are very fertile. True?
No
61
Ghana Soil Classification System recognizes the following levels….
order, suborder, soil group family, Great soil group, great soil subgroup and soil series
62
Forest Oxysols are found under the …..
rainforest in South Western part of Ghana.
63
Forest oxysols are formed over wide range of highly weathered parent materials notably ……….
Granite, Tarkwaian and Birimian rocks.
64
Oxysols have matured profiles and their color ranges from……
brown to orange
65
Most oxysols are ……..
loamy and well drained
66
Organic matter content of Oxysols is lower than those of ………
forest ochrosols
67
Forest oxysols are ……..
strongly acidic
68
Forest oxysols are only good for the cultivation of acid tolerant tree crops such as ……
coconut, coffee, oil palm and rubber
69
Forest ochrosols are the main soils found under the ……..
moist semi-deciduous forest.
70
Forest Ochrosols are also going in portions of forest-savannah transition afro-ecological zones. True?
Yes
71
The characteristics of Forest Oxysols are similar to forest ochrosols. True or false?
True
72
Rainfall in regions with forest ochrosols are not as high as those with forest oxysols. True or false.
True
73
Ochrosols are not as highly leached as oxysols. True or false.
True
74
Forest ochrosols tend to contain higher quantities of nutrients and are also relatively less…..
acidic
75
Since Forest Ochrosols are relatively less acidic, what is the suitability for cultivation?
They are suitable for the cultivation of wide range of crops.
76
Common tree crops that can be cultivated on ochrosols are ……
cocoa, oil palm, rubber, and citrus.
77
Ochrosols can also support food crops such as ….
cassava, plantain, yams, maize
78
The term intergrade means ……
intermediate in grade
79
The Ochrosol-Oxysol inter grades occupy areas between the ……
Forest Ochrosol and forest oxysol
80
Rubrisol-Ochrosol intergrades are found within the ……..
forest ochrosol region
81
Rubrisol-ochrosol intergrades are among the best soils in Ghana. True?
Yes
82
Savanna Ochrosols are similar to forest ochrosols except……
they are found in savanna areas with semi-arid climatic conditions.
83
What is the main difference between Savanna ochrosols and forest ochrosols?
SO have less nutrient levels and are less acidic than FO.
84
Savanna Ochrosols can be divided into …..
Red and Yellow Savanna Ochrosols
85
Savanna Ochrosols are good for cultivation although their nutrient levels aren’t as high as the forest ochrosols. True or false?
True
86
Savanna Ochrosols are ………… acidic.
less
87
The bulk of Ghana’s food crops are grown on……
Savanna Ochrosols
88
The major factors that militate against crop production on Savanna Ochrosols are
low nutrients and moisture levels
89
The most extensive soil group in the interior wooded savanna zone is ……..
Groundwater laterite
90
Groundwater laterite cover about ……… of the interior wooded savanna zone.
75%
91
Groundwater laterites are developed over ………
Voltaian Shales and Granites
92
The cemented layer of ironstone below the the surface of ground water laterites is referred to as ……
Iron pan
93
Iron pan is a hard layer which makes it difficult for water to pass through the soil. True ?
yes
94
The color of soil in groundwater laterites ranges from……..
pale brown to pale grey.
95
Groundwater laterites are generally poor in nutrients and in…..
organic matter
96
The agricultural potential of groundwater laterite is ………..
limited by the abundance of iron pan
97
Crops cultivated on groundwater laterites are ……
millet, maize, groundnut and cowpea
98
Tropical Black Clays are also known as
Akuse soils
99
Tropical black clays are mostly found in …….
Coastal Savanna Zone.
100
Tropical black clays are developed over ……
basic gneiss in the Accra-Ho-Keta plains.
101
Tropical black clays are generally……during the rainy season.
wet and sticky
102
Tropical black clays become …….. in the dry season.
hard and develop wide cracks
103
Sugar cane and rice are the main crops on the ……
tropical black clays
104
Tropical grey earths are commonly found in the ……… of Ghana
coastal savanna zone
105
Topical grey earths develop in ……..slopes.
lower
106
Tropical grey earths consists of a thin layer of ………
grey sand overlying clay plan (very hard clay)
107
Tropical grey earths are similar to tropical black clays to some extent. The main difference is that …..
the grey soils are slightly acid
108
The topsoils of tropical grey earths are very low in nutrients and the subsoils which are richer in nutrients………
are not accessible to plant roots
109
Tropical Grey earths are mostly used as
open grazing fields
110
Sodium Vleisols are alkaline soils found in areas around …….
salty coastal lagoons and creeks of lower end of the Volta River
111
Sodium Vleisols are ………….in color
black or dark grey
112
Sodium Vleisols are clayey soils that necked sticky in the rainy season. True?
yes
113
Sodium Vleisols are not very suitable for crop production. True?
yes
114
Sugarcane is cultivated on ……..
sodium vleisols around the lower volta basin
115
Lithosols are …….
very shallow soils formed on steep slopes.
116
Lithosols have very little agricultural value. True?
yes
117
Alluviosols develop along the borders of ……
rivers and streams
118
The top soils of alluviosols are generally….
sandy, loamy or clayey
119
Sugarcane is also cultivated on alluviosols. False?
no
120
Alluviosols are locally used for ……
wetland rice
121
Organic matter content of oxysols are …… than those of forest ochrosols
lower

Soils and Biogeography (9 decks)

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