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SOIL 3600 > Soil formation processes and profiles. > Flashcards

Soil formation processes and profiles. Flashcards

1
Q

How do pedologists define soil?

A

A naturally occurring, unconsolidated, mineral or organic material at the earth’s surface that can support plant growth.

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2
Q

What is the meaning of soil?

A

Soil is a complex system. The complex nature of the soil is revealed in its formation, development, application, and the services it lends to us. The more you know about it the more we learn about its complexity.

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3
Q

What are the two types of weathering?

A
  1. Physical weathering
  2. Chemical (Biogeochemical)
    weathering
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4
Q

What are the three types of rocks?

A

Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary.

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5
Q

How are igneous rocks formed?

A

They are formed from molten magma.

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6
Q

What are igneous rocks made up of?

A

They comprise primary minerals (Minerals already present in the magma).

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7
Q

What are the three categories of primary minerals?

A

Quarts, Light-colored minerals, Dark-colored minerals.

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8
Q

What is the difference between dark colored and light colored minerals when it comes to weathering?

A

Dark-colored minerals are more easily weathered compared to light colored minerals.

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9
Q

How are sedimentary rocks formed?

A

They are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth’s surface.

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10
Q

What is the most common type of rock found on earth?

A

Sedimentary rock. It covers about 75% of the earth’s land surface.

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11
Q

What are the three types of sedimentary rocks?

A

Clastic, Biochemical, Chemical.

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12
Q

How are clastic sedimentary rocks formed?

A

They are formed from the joining of pre-existing materials like sand, clay, and silt.

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13
Q

How are biochemical sedimentary rocks formed?

A

Formed from shells and bodies of underwater organisms.

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14
Q

How are chemical sedimentary rocks formed?

A

Water collects minerals and then redeposites somewhere else. Once the water evaporated the mineral residue is left.

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15
Q

How are metamorphic rocks formed?

A

Metamorphic rocks are formed from other rocks (igneous, sedimentary or other metamorphic) that go through a change.

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16
Q

How do metamorphic rocks compare to sedimentary rocks?

A

Metamorphic rocks are usually harder and more strongly crystalline than sedimentary rocks that they form from.

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17
Q

What is physical weathering?

A

The physical breakdown of rocks.

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18
Q

What can cause physical weathering?

A
  1. Intensity of physical weather
  2. Temperature change
  3. Abrasion by water, ice, and wind.
  4. Plants and animals.
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19
Q

What does Chemical (Biochemical) weathering do?

A

It alters the original minerals.

20
Q

How is chemical weathering enhanced?

A

It is enhanced by the presence of water and oxygen and also by the acids produced by microbials and plant-root metabolism.

21
Q

What are the three important characteristics of surface conditions that lead to chemical weathering?

A
  1. Presence of water
  2. Abundance of O2
  3. Presence of CO2
22
Q

What is Hydrolysis?

A

This is when the original mineral becomes altered to a different mineral.

23
Q

What are the 5 factors that influence soil formation and practices?

A
  1. Time
  2. Topography
  3. Parent material
  4. Climate
  5. Plants and animals
24
Q

What kinds of soils do Quarts rich and Quarts poor soils produce?

A

Quarts rich produce lots of sandy soil and Quarts poor produce little sandy soils.

25
Q

What are the two characteristics of soil influenced by the parent material?

A
  1. Soil texture
  2. Chemical and mineralogical composition of soil.
26
Q

What is residual parent material?

A

This is the soil produced from parent material that stays at the same spot as the parent material.

27
Q

What are lacustrine soils?

A

Soils transported by water and deposited in lakes.

28
Q

What are Alluvial soils?

A

Soils transported by water and deposited by streams.

29
Q

What are Marine soils?

A

Soils transported by water and deposited in oceans.

30
Q

What are Colluvial soils?

A

Soils transported by gravity.

31
Q

What are Till and Moraine soils?

A

Soils transported by ice and deposited by ice.

32
Q

What are Outwash soils?

A

Soils transported by ice and deposited by water.

33
Q

What are Eolian soils?

A

Soils transported by wind and deposited by wind.

34
Q

What are the two factors that are a part of climate and influence soil formation? How do they affect soil formation?

A
  1. Effective precipitation
  2. Temperature

They affect the rates of chemical, physical and biological processes.

35
Q

What is meant by effective precipitation?

A

Water that goes through the soil. ~ 80% of water goes through soils that are not compromised.

36
Q

What are two things water must do to promotes soil development?

A
  1. Water must enter the soil profile and participate in weathering reactions.
  2. Water must seep through the profile and translocate soluble weathering products.
37
Q

How does too much or too little water affect the soil?

A

Too much water leads to leaching of the soil making the soil acidic. Too little water results in very little downward chemical transportation and leads to accumulation of salts and minerals on the surface.

38
Q

How does temperature and evaporation influence how much water percolates through the soil?

A

In hot areas with high evaporation water may lead to salt accumulation whereas in cold climates with low evaporation leaching of the soil is likely to occur.

39
Q

How does permeability influence how much water percolates through the soil?

A

For example: Sandy soils will experience more effective penetration because water infiltrates through it more easily. This leads to more rapid soil development.

40
Q

What are the 4 things that influence how much water percolates through the soil?

A
  1. Temperature and evaporation
  2. Precipitation
  3. Permeability
  4. Topography
41
Q

How happens for every 10 degree rise in temp?

A

Biochemical reactions more than double.

42
Q

What four processes are maximized with the rise of temp.?

A
  1. Weathering
  2. Leaching
  3. Biological activities
  4. Plant Growth.
43
Q

What kind of a process is soil development?

A

It is a continuous interactive process.

44
Q

What are the two things weathering is dependent on?

A
  1. What kind of a rock it is
  2. Mineral contained in the rock and it’s resistance to weathering.
45
Q

Are dark-colored minerals or light-colored minerals weathered more easily?

A

Dark-colored minerals because they contain iron and magnesium which are easily weathered.

SOIL 3600 (13 decks)

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