Soil
On average, how much air does soil consist of?
25%
On average, how much water does soil consist of?
25%
On average, how much mineral does soil consist of?
45%
On average, how much organic matter does soil consist of?
5%
What layer is the topsoil; which is the layer with mineral matter mixed with humus (organic matter), is loosely bound, and normally the most productive layer of the soil?
A horizon
What layer is the subsoil layer; which is usually lighter in color, dense, and low in organic matter, is the layer of accumulation, and consists of clay, iron, and minerals?
B horizon
What layer is the transition layer; which is almost completely void of organic material and is made up of partially weathered parent material?
C horizon
What layer is the leeching layer (eluviation); and is found between A and B horizons, is mostly clay and minerals have been leeched out, and consists of sand and silt?
E horizon
What layer is the organic layer; which consists of leaf litter and other loose and partly decayed organic material and is also on the surface of the soil?
O horizon
What layer is the furthest most layer and is unweathered?
bedrock
Carbonation, oxidation (rust), acid rain (sulfuric), and plant acid fall under which weathering category?
chemical
What factor can have a huge influence on the rate of soil formation in different regions?
climate
True or False: Soil forms from the top down
false
True or False: Younger soils have more defined layers
false
What factor has both plants and animals that help create soil?
living organisms
Organic activity, gravity, frost action, and abrasion fall under which weathering category?
mechanical
What are the two types of weathering?
mechanical and chemical
What refers to the minerals and organic materials present during the soil's formation?
parent material
What are five factors that influence the specific soil that develops?
parent material, climate, living organisms, topography, and time
What are the three noticeable parts in the rock material in soil?
sand, clay, and silt
What is soil?
soil is made of loose weathered rock and organic material
What factor would best fit the following phrase: It takes hundreds of years to form one inch of soil from parent material.
time
What factor consists of slope or hilliness that can have a major influence on the moisture and erosion of soils?
topography
True or False: Older soils have more defined layers
true
True or False: Soil forms from the bottom up
true
Where does most of our parent material come from?
we are mostly marine sediment (ocean in origin) or produced by stream-river action