soil Flashcards
what is soil
a mixture of weathered rock, water, air, bacteria, and humus
what is humus
the organic component of soil composed of decayed plant and animal material
the rock from which soil forms from is called
the parent rock
transported soil is soil that
was formed by material transported by the erosion
good humus has equal amounts of
humus and weathered rock material
horizons are
the recognizable layers formed in soil through weathering and rock growth
mature soil is that which has
developed long enough to have distinct horizons
immature soil has
indistinct or lacking horizons
a soil profile is
a cross-section of the soil from the surface to the bedrock
what horizons compose a soil’s profile
A, B, C,
the A horizon is the ___ layer of soil
top, its called top soil
the A horizon has more ____ than other layers but fewer _____
humus, rocks
the B horizon contains ____ from the A horizon through ______
minerals, leeching
leeching is
the removing of minerals that have been dissolved in one area to another
B horizon is _____ than the A horizon
lighter and and contains less humus
the C horizon is the bottom horizon
true
the C horizon consists of
partially weathered rock(coarse sediments), and the least amount of plant material/humus
the type of soil reflects its
environments
cold climate have
poor developed environment/soil because of frozenness surfaces preventing weathering to occur and lack of protective PLANTS, allowing wind to blow away soil
humid or tropical climates develop
thick soil due to high temperature and abundant rainfall and poor soil to grow crops to grow soil in due to accelerated leeching
erosion is
any process that moves sediments from one place to another
temperate climates have
rich and thick soil good
soil erodes because of
water and wind most likely on steep slopes
humans promote the erosion of soil through
agricultural cultivation, forest harvesting, and overgrazing
agricultural cultivation has
the continual planting of crops draining more nutrients than are added in soil
the nutrient balance
is the difference between the nutrients that are taken away an those that are added in soil
forest harvesting removes
trees exposing soil to more erosion
overgrazing is when
animals like sheep and cows remove vegetation exposing soil to increased erosion
the earth is ___ land
33%
how much land can be farmed
13%
how conserve soil
notill farming, crop rotating, contour farming, terracing, reducing the exposure of exposed soil
notill farming has
stubble of previous crops over the winter in order to protect soil and allow new crops to be planted in between and be protected from the exposure to wind
crop rotating had
refertilizing crops planted after the main harvest
refertilizing plants include
legumes
trees are planted near farms to
shelter and keep soil in place
cover crops are planted after the main harvest to
reduce erosion to soil
contour farming is
the planting of crops along the natural contours of land
Terracing has
steep-sided level topped areas built into steep areas in mountains, reducing the amount of run-down/water flowing off
water is sprayed over soil to prevent
erosion
land reclamation occurs
on strip mining site where vegetation is planted on flattened slopes
