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Regulations and acts > Soil Fundamentals > Flashcards

Soil Fundamentals Flashcards

1
Q

What is a Pedosphere?

A

is the skin of the Earth and interfaces with the
atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere

the outermost layer of the Earth that is composed of
soil and subject to soil formation processes.

It exists at the interface of
the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

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2
Q

What factors affect the profile of a pedosphere?

A

the dynamic interaction between the
atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere

lithosphere (minerals), biosphere (life), atmosphere
(air), and hydrosphere (water)

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3
Q

What does the lithosphere refer to?

A

minerals

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4
Q

What does the biosphere refer to?

A

life

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5
Q

What does the atmosphere refer to?

A

air

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6
Q

What does the hydrosphere refer to?

A

water

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7
Q

Why is the Pedosphere: a unique
medium

A

An arrangement of solids and pores in soil.
The pores are filled with air and/or water,
while the solids are composed of minerals, living and non living organic matter.

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8
Q

What is the relationship between the Pedosphere and Life

A
  • The soil biota consists of microorganisms, soil fauna, and plants
  • They form a food web in the soil
  • Control decomposition of plant and animal
    residue
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9
Q

What is a Pedon?

A

A soil pedon is a 3D body in a landscape that can be divided into 4 main components:
1. air
2. organics
3. minerals
4, water

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10
Q

Define Pedon

A

is the smallest volume that can be called a soil (1-10m2)

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11
Q

Define Polypedon

A

consists of more than 1 pedon

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12
Q

Define Solum

A

the upper horizon in a soil in which the parent material has been modified and in which most plants roots are contained

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13
Q

Define Aggregate

A

a group of soil particles cohering in such a way that they mechanically behave as a unit

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14
Q

Define Soilscape

A

a pedological portion of the landscape

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15
Q

Define Soil Ped

A

a unit of soil structure such as prism, block, or granule, which is
formed by natural processes

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16
Q

Define Soil Horizon

A

a layer of soil or material approximately parallel to the land
surface (cm in thickness)

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17
Q

Define Soil Profile

A

a vertical section of soil through all its horizons and extending into
the parent material (1-2 m)

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18
Q

How many interactions of spheres creates a pedon?

A

4 (ABHL)
A – Atmosphere
B – Biosphere
H – Hydrosphere
L – Lithosphere

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19
Q

How many interactions of spheres creates a pedosphere?

A

2 (any combo)
A – Atmosphere
B – Biosphere
H – Hydrosphere
L – Lithosphere

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20
Q

Why is the pedosphere important (2)?

A

The pedosphere is an integral component of many cycles: water, carbon, nitrogen

The pedosphere is a complex life support system for the plant

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21
Q

What are the soil forming factors (5)?

A
  1. Parent Material
  2. Climate
  3. Biota
  4. Time
  5. Topography
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22
Q

The process of Decay

A

Over time Plant Material decreases, and through Humification (decay), Humus increases

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23
Q

What are the soil process (3)?

A
  1. Physical (leaching, heat transport)
  2. Chemical (weathering of minerals)
  3. Biological (decomposition, mineralization)
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24
Q

What are the major components of soil (4)?

A
  1. Minerals
  2. Organic matter
  3. Water
  4. Air
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25
Q

List the soil profile

A

O - organics (humus)

A - Topsoil (minerals with humus)

B - Subsoil (deposited minerals and metals)

C - Parent Rock (partially weathered rock)

R - Bedrock (un-weathered rock)

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26
Q

Profile of the O horizon

A

L - leaf litter
F - Fermenting leaf litter
H - Humus

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27
Q

Define Rocks

A

naturally occurring combinations or coherent
aggregates of minerals, fossils or other hard materials

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28
Q

Metamorphic -> Igneous

A

Melting

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29
Q

Metamorphic -> Sedimentary

A

weathering, transportation,
lithification

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30
Q

Igneous -> Metamorphic

A

heat, pressure, ions

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31
Q

Igneous -> Sedimentary

A

weathering, transportation
lithification

32
Q

Sedimentary -> Metamorphic

A

heat, pressure, ions

33
Q

Sedimentary -> Igneous

A

Melting

34
Q

Igneous Rocks

A

They were once molten and
upon cooling, the magma
(molten rock) crystallized
into solid rock.

Igneous rocks may form deep
inside the Earth or at the
Earth’s surface when a
volcano erupts

35
Q

How do Igneous Rocks Form?
Intrusive vs Extrusive

A

Also known as primary rocks (first to be formed)
Intrusive - Slow cooling (of magma)
- Deep beneath the earth’s surface
- large crystals

Extrusive - Rapid cooling (of lava)
- Earths surface
- small crystals (not easily seen with the naked eye)
- cooling can be so rapid that glass forms instead of crystal

36
Q

Examples of Extrusive igneous rocks

A

Pumice (the rapid cooling causes voids)
obsidian

Rhyolite
Andesite
Basalt
Perlite
Tuff
Volcanic Breccia

37
Q

Examples of intrusive igneous rocks

A

Granite
Diorite

Gabbro
Peridotite

(think of granite and diorite counter tops, they have crystals)

38
Q

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS

A

composed of particles derived from pre-existing rocks or by the crystallization of minerals that were held in solutions

39
Q

What is a general characteristic of sedimentary rocks?

A

layering or stratification

40
Q

Describe Fragmental/Clastic in sedimentary rocks

A

composed of pieces of rocks and minerals
These fragments show evidence of transport – rounding of the grains and size sorting.

41
Q

describe CHEMICAL sedimentary

A

rocks are the result of either precipitation of solids from solutions
(like salt from water) or,

by organic process, like shells from marine organisms.

42
Q

Examples of Fragmental Sedimentary Rocks

A

Conglomerate
sandstone
shale

43
Q

How are sedimentary rocks formed

A

weathering, transportation
lithification

44
Q

How are igneous rocks formed

A

melting

45
Q

How are metamorphic rocks formed

A

heat, pressure, ions

46
Q

Examples of chemical sedimentary Rocks

A

coal
chert
gypsum
diatomite

47
Q

METAMORPHIC ROCKS

A

have changed (meta) their form (morphic).

Under the influence of heat, pressure and fluids, pre-existing rocks are modified in form and even in internal atomic structure to produce new rocks stable at the new conditions

done within the solid state, i.e. without melting

48
Q

Describe foliated rocks

A

Metamorphic rocks that exhibit parallel alignments of minerals

the minerals all line up perpendicular to the exerted pressure.

49
Q

Describe non-foliated rocks

A

Metamorphic rocks composed of minerals that are not elongated or flat, do not exhibit parallel alignments

50
Q

Examples of foliated rocksMETAMORPHIC ROCKS

A

Slate
Gneiss

phyllite
schist

51
Q

Examples of non-foliated rocks METAMORPHIC ROCKS

A

marble
quartzite
serpentinite
meta conglomerate

52
Q

what are the characteristics of METAMORPHIC ROCKS?

A

non-foliated and foliated

53
Q

what are the characteristics of SEDIMENTARY ROCKS?

A

Fragmental and chemical

54
Q

what are the characteristics of IGNEOUS ROCKS?

A

Intrusive and Extrusive

55
Q

What factors influence transportation (4)?

A
  1. Gravity
  2. Running water
  3. Glaciers
  4. wind
56
Q

Gravity

A

includes landslides, forms loosely compacted host rock and is of minor importance

57
Q

Alluvial

A

transported by moving water. Greater velocity = greater particle size

58
Q

Glacial Deposits

A

action of glaciers-ice age

       direct glacial deposits = moraines
59
Q

Eskers

A

ridges or mounds of boulders, gravel and sand formed when such materials flowing in streams on, within, or beneath glaciers deposited as the streams bed load

60
Q

Wind Deposits

A

also known as Aeolian deposits have wind as the transporting agent.

61
Q

3 major groups of soil

A
  1. Non Cohesive
  2. Cohesive
  3. Organic
62
Q

Define Non Cohesive soil

A

Soil particles do not tend to stick together
Excellent engineering properties; high bearing capacities
Examples: gravel, sand, silt

63
Q

Define Cohesive soil

A

Very small particle size that tend to stick together
Water-particle interaction
Attractive forces between particles
These soils are sticky and plastic
Example: clay

64
Q

Define organic soil

A

Typically spongy, crumbly, compressible
Low shear strengths
Undesirable for Civil Engineering applications
Example: use as a top soil for rehabilitation projects, ground cover for gravel pits

65
Q

What is Atterburg limits

A

The addition of water greatly affects the plasticity of cohesive soils

Atterburg (1911,1912) defined four states of consistency for cohesive soils
1. Liquid
2. Plastic
3. Semisolid
4. Solid

66
Q

What are the 4 stages of consistancy for cohesive soils defined by atterburg limits

A
  1. Liquid
  2. Plastic
  3. Semisolid
  4. Solid
67
Q

liquid limit

A

The dividing line between liquid and plastic states

68
Q

plastic limit

A

The dividing line between plastic and semisolid states

69
Q

shrinkage limit

A

The dividing line between semisolid and solid states

70
Q

Permeability

A

the movement of water within soil.

Water moves through soils with large voids(sand) which are more permeable than those with smaller voids (clay).

71
Q

Capillarity

A

the rise of water (or other liquids) in a small-diameter tube inserted into the water, the rise being caused by both cohesion of the water’s molecules (surface tension) and adhesion of the water to the tube’s wall.

72
Q

Frost Heave

A

When water in a soils mass drops below the freezing point, water in voids freeze, expands. This vertical expansion of soil caused by the freezing water within is known as frost heave

73
Q

Shear strength

A

its ability to resist shear stresses. Shear stresses exist in a sloping hillside or result from filled land, weight of footings, and so on

If a given soil does not have sufficient shear strength to resist shear stresses, failures in the forms of landslides and footing failures will occur

frictional resistance to sliding, interlocking between adjacent solid particles in the soil, and cohesion between adjacent soil particles.

74
Q

Mechanical Weathering

A

no change in chemical composition–just disintegration into smaller pieces disintegrates rocks into small particles by means of

- temperature changes
- frost action
- rainfall
- running water
- wind
- ice 
- abrasion All of these actions involve breaking, grinding, and crushing
75
Q

Chemical weathering

A

breakdown as a result of chemical reactions. Causes chemical decomposition of rock which can drastically change its physical and chemical characteristics.

This type of weathering results from;
- reactions of rock minerals with oxygen, water, acids, salts

This results in such processes as;
- oxidation, solution, carbonation, leaching, hydrolysis
76
Q

Chemical weathering process cause actions that can;

A

1 increase volume of materials resulting in subsequent material breakdown

2 dissolve parts of rock matter

3 react with cementing material

77
Q

weathering vs erosion

A

Weathering is the process of breaking down rocks and minerals, while erosion is the process of moving the weathered material

Regulations and acts (2 decks)

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