POG_Weathering, Soil, and Mass Wasting Flashcards
The most influential control of soil formation is
climate
The process responsible for moving material downslope without the aid of running water, wind, or ice is:
mass wasting
When weathering increases the concentration of an economically valuable resource, the process is referred to as:
secondary enrichment
The disintegration and decomposition of rock at or near Earth’s surface is called:
weathering
Compared to the distant past, the current rates of soil erosion are:
faster
A soil in which no single particle size predominates over the other two is called:
loam
Platy, prismatic, blocky, and spheroidal are each a type of:
Soil structure
Chemical weathering will be most rapid in ___________ climates:
warm, wet
Which soil type is most often associated with the wet tropics?
laterite
- When a rock is subjected to _____________ it breaks into smaller pieces having the same characteristics as the original rock.
mechanical weathering
When one of the following sequences is the correct order that water will follow prior to forming a stream channel?
a. gullies, sheet erosion, rills
b. sheet erosion, rills, gullies
c. rills, sheet erosion, gullies
d. sheet erosion, gullies, rills
b. sheet erosion, rills, gullies
- Clay minerals are produced from the chemical weathering of the __________ minerals.
feldspar
The combination of organic matter, rock and mineral fragments, water, and air that covers much of Earth’s surface is referred to as _______________
soil
Which one of the following minerals is most susceptible to chemical weathering?
a. pyroxene
b. biotite
c. quartz
d. potassium feldspar
a. pyroxene
Whenever the characteristics and internal structures of weathered minerals have been altered, they have undergone _____________.
chemical weathering
Which one of the following is LEAST important in mass wasting?
a. gravity
b. slope angle
c. soil water
d. slope orientation
e. vegetation
d. slope orientation
The atmospheric gas that forms a mild acid when dissolved in water is:
carbon dioxide
Soils resting on the bedrock from which they formed are called ____________ soils.
residual
Which of the following is NOT associated with mechanical weathering?
a. frost wedging
b. unloading
c. oxidation
d. biological activity
c. oxidation
The layer of weathered rock and mineral fragments that covers much of Earth’s surface is called ____________.
regolith
The most important agent of chemical weathering is _____________
water
When a mass of material moves downslope along a curved surface, the process is called _____________.
slump
The process of _____________ produces a yellow to reddish-brown surface on iron-rich minerals.
oxidation
The process called ____________ is responsible for the formation of exfoliation domes.
unloading
A soil’s texture is determined by its ______________.
particle sizes
In a well-developed soil profile the __________ horizon is the topmost layer.
O horizon
The accumulation of rock fragments found at the base of many cliffs is referred to as the _____________.
talus slope
Which is the least effective form of mechanical weathering?
a. thermal expansion
b. unloading
c. organic activity
d. frost wedging
a. thermal expansion
The removal of soluble materials from soil by percolating water is called _______________.
leaching
The most widespread form of mass wasting is _____________.
creep
