Rocks and Soil

Question 1

Soil composition

Answer 1

consists of weathered rock, decayed organic matter, mineral fragments, water, air and organic matter

Question 2

Humus

Answer 2

dark material made from organic matter, provides nutrients

Question 3

Loam

Answer 3

soil with equally mixed proportions of sand, silt, and clay

Question 4

steep slopes

Answer 4

causes dirt, rock and water to slide cause of gravity

Question 5

little vegetation

Answer 5

causes loose rocks and dirt to blow around cause of the lack of roots/plants

Question 6

water

Answer 6

washes away loose soil/rock

Question 7

wind

Answer 7

blows away loose soil and rocks

Question 8

Agriculture

Answer 8

topsoil erodes when crops are removed and fields are left without plants, nutrients gets depleted from the same plants being planted every year

Question 9

Forest Harvesting

Answer 9

cutting down trees, exposes the soil, soil is thin and topsoil doesn’t last long

Question 10

Overgrazing

Answer 10

livestock are left on the same field too long, they eat all the vegetation

Question 11

strip mining

Answer 11

leaves rock exposed, topsoil is discarded

Question 12

No till farming

Answer 12

the stacks of the crop are left over winter, new crops are planted without tilling the stocks under

Question 13

Contour farming

Answer 13

Planted on the natural relief of the land

Question 14

Terracing

Answer 14

on steep slopes, stairs are carved out to slow down water run-off

Question 15

Cover crop

Answer 15

planting a winter crop, no only reduces erosion but using the right plants can put nutrients back into the soil

Question 16

Pasture Rotation

Answer 16

livestock graze on a field for a short period, they are moved to a different field to give time for the other field to recover

Question 17

Crop rotation

Answer 17

planting specific types of crops in a different spot each year, this helps the nutrients of the soil

Question 18

soil profile

Answer 18

is made up of all the layers of soil

Question 19

A horizon

Answer 19

topsoil, top layer, may be covered with litter

Question 20

B horizon

Answer 20

middle layer, lighter in color, less fertile, has the most leached material

Question 21

C horizon

Answer 21

bottom horizon, made from weathered rock, contains little leaching and organic matter

Question 22

Igneous

Answer 22

formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock, contains large crystals. Ex: basalt, granite, and obsidian

Question 23

Metamorphic

Answer 23

starts out as some other type of rock.
forms when rocks are subject to high heat, high pressure, hot fluids with minerals or any combination of those factors
tough with curved or straight layers
Ex: Quartzite, slate, and marble

Question 24

Sedimentary

Answer 24

starts as sediment, normally carried by a river, then dumped into a large body of water.
forms by accumulation of sediment, then cementation occurs and forms a sedimentary rock
most often have distinctive layers.
Ex: Sandstone, limestone, and shale