Terms

Question 1

Pedosphere

Answer 1

The outer most layer of the earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil forming processes

Question 2

Atmosphere

Answer 2

Layer or set of layers composed of gases that surrounds the earth

Question 3

Hydrosphere

Answer 3

all of the water on the planet. Surface, underground, and airborne.

Question 4

Biosphere

Answer 4

Part of the Earth that has life.

Question 5

Lithosphere

Answer 5

the solid outer part of the earth

Question 6

Topsoil

Answer 6

Colloquial term to describe the nutrient rich upper layer of the soil. Commonly the A horizon.

Question 7

Subsoil

Answer 7

Colloquial term to describe what is beneath the topsoil, less nutrient rich. Commonly the b horizon.

Question 8

Plant Macronutrients

Answer 8

Nutrients used in relatively large amounts, >.1% of dry plant tissue

Question 9

Plant Micronutrients

Answer 9

Nutrients that are used in relatively small amounts,

Question 10

List of Macronutrients (11)

Answer 10

Carbon (CO2) Hydrogen (H2O) Oxygen (H20 and O2) Calcium (Ca2+) Magnesium (Mg2+) Nitrogen (NH4+ cation, NO3- anion) Potassium (K+) Phosphorus (H2PO4- and HPO4 2-) Sulfur (SO4 2-) SIlicon

Question 11

List of Micronutrients (10)

Answer 11

Copper Cobalt Iron Manganese Nickel Sodium Zinc Chlorine Boron molybdenum

Question 12

Solum

Answer 12

Area of the regolith where plant growth happens, commonly A and B horizons, sometimes the top of the C horizon.

Question 13

Regolith

Answer 13

The exposed rock at the earth’s surface that has crumbled and decayed to produce a layer of unconsolidated debris overlaying the hard, unweathered bedrock

Question 14

Bedrock

Answer 14

The unweathered material beneath the soil

Question 15

Saprolite

Answer 15

When the underlying bedrock has weathered to the point where it can be removed with a spade, commonly part of the C horizon

Question 16

Weathering

Answer 16

the process of breaking up rocks and minerals, modifying or destroying their physical and chemical characteristics and carrying the finer fragments and soluble products.

Question 17

Base Flow

Answer 17

water that makes its way through the soil into a water system over the course of months or years.

Question 18

Root Interception

Answer 18

When roots grow into undepleted soil space

Question 19

Mass Flow

Answer 19

When dissolved nutrients move along with water being absorbed by a plant.

Question 20

Diffusion

Answer 20

When nutrients move from areas of high concentrations to areas of low concentration.

Question 21

Soil Solution

Answer 21

water within soil that carries dissolved nutrients.

Question 22

Pedon

Answer 22

the smallest sampling unit that displays the full range of properties characteristic of a particular soil. Generally 1 to 10m2 of land area.

Question 23

polypedon

Answer 23

a group of similar pedons in a given landscape. enogh uniformity of polypedons to be recognized as a landscape component lead to a soil individual