Weathering, Erosion, and Soil

Describe the formation of barrier islands?

When sand continues to be carried, deposited, and moved by ocean currents and wave actions, so sandbars are built into barrier islands.

A major erosion agent in areas with limited precipitation and high temperatures.

Wind

The pH scale is used to measure which of the following?

Acidity

Give two examples of how plants and animals move Earth's surface materials from one place to another as they carry in their life processes.

Animals dig burrow, humans move earth when building, and plants move earth w/ roots.

Barrier islands, which form from offshore sand deposits, can continue to be built up from sediments and form sandbars. T/F

False

The Nile Delta was formed from ocean waves and currents. T/F

False

The movement of soil and other earth materials by humans as they build highways and ridges, is not considered erosion. T/F

False

Unlike water, glaciers do not move materials over a long distance. T/F

False

Wind can always move more materials than water. T/F

False

Winds cannot blow against the force of gravity. T/F

False

Acid precipitation had a pH value "above" 5.6. T/F

False, "Below"

The chemical reaction of "carbon dioxide" with other substances is called oxidation. T/F

False, "Oxygen"

Hydrolysis occurs in the decomposition of "iron ore". T/F

False, "Silicate materials"

Water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, and acids are significant agents of "mechanical" weathering. T/F

False. "Chemical"

Soil __________ is the measure of how well a soil can support the growth of plants.

Fertility

Another agent of chemical weathering is __________ which is caused mainly by emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

Acid precipitation

Buildings and monuments that are made of limestone are greatly damaged by what?

Acid precipitation

An atmospheric gas that contributes to the chemical weathering process is __________, which is produced by living organisms.

Carbon dioxide

When this gas combines with water, is produces a weak acid called ___________.

Carbonic acid

Which of the following factors does NOT exert pressure on rocks that leads to physical weathering.

Carbonic acid

To some extent, the __________ of rocks determines the effects that chemical weathering will have on them.

Composition

The final stage of the erosion process in which materials are dropped in another location is called what?

Deposition

Soils found in areas with less than 25 cm of rainfall that often have a high accumulation of salts are called __________.

Desert soils

In which of the following climates would physical weathering most readily occur?

Dry and cool

The process by which outer layers of rock are stripped away is called what?

Exfoliation

What erodes by scraping, gouging, and picking up large rocks and debris piles.

Glaciers

What is the force that tends to pull all materials apart?

Gravity

A distinct layer, or zone, located within a soil profile is known as a ___________.

Soil horizon

When heavy machinery digs out soil in the process of building a road, a vertical sequence of layers of soil, called a __________ will often be exposed.

Soil profile

Which horizon is the surface layer? Describe it.

Horizon A is the surface layer. It is the layer with the most concentrations of organic matter and humus, it is normally very dark.

Which horizon is the subsoil? Describe it.

Horizon B is the subsoil. It has many soluble materials that have washed down from the topsoil. It is red in color due to the iron oxides.

Which horizon occurs directly above bedrock? Describe it.

Horizon C occurs directly above bedrock. It contains weathered parent materials, and little to no waters can pass through it.

The process by which rocks and minerals break down into smaller pieces is __________ weathering, also called physical weathering.

Mechanical

Coastal areas undergo erosion by __________ and wind.

Ocean waves

The reaction below is an example of which of the following processes? 2FeO4+ ½O2 -> 3Fe203

Oxidation

Soils formed at high latitudes and high elevations that have good drainage but no distinct horizons are classified as __________.

Polar soils

Soil that is located above its parent material is known as __________.

Residential soil

Explain rill erosion and how it differs from gully erosion.

Rill erosion is caused by a small channel of running water on a slope. Gully erosion is when small streams become deeper and wider.

What rock type is most easily weathered? Why?

Sedimentary rocks because they contain calcite and are harder.

The steeper the __________, the greater the potential for flowing water to erode earth materials.

Slope

__________ is the loose covering of weathered rock particles and decaying organic matter overlying the bedrock of earth's surface.

Soil

A __________ is any one of various types of soil that can support a forest, grassland, prairie, or other environments.

Temperate soil

Two factors that play a significant role in this type of weathering are __________ and __________.

Temperature Pressure

The relative proportions of particle sizes make up a soil's __________.

Texture

How does the slope affect the rate of weathering?

The larger the slope, the greater amount of weathering will occur.

How is surface area related to weathering?

The more surface area there is, the higher amount of weathering will occur.

Large amounts of carbonic acid are found in what?

The soil

Soil that has been moved away from its parent material bedrock is called __________.

Transported soil

"Weathering" is the process of by which rocks on or near earth break down and change. T/F

True

A U-shaped valley indicates that glacial erosion has taken place. T/F

True

The constant movements of water and the availability of accumulated weathered materials creates continuous erosion. T/F

True

The continued erosion of rill channels can develop into gully erosion. T/F

True

The removal and transport of weathered materials from one location to another is called "erosion". T/F

True

The repeated thawing and freezing of water in the cracks of rocks is called "frost wedging". T/F

True

Waves, tides, and currents are responsible for erosion of islands. T/F

True

Weathering must take place "before" erosion. T/F

True

When a river enters a large body of water generally slows down and deposits large amounts of sediments. T/F

True

Wind barriers are trees and other vegetation planted perpendicular to the wind direction. T/F

True

Wind is a major erosion agent in areas on earth that have both limited precipitation and high temperatures. T/F

True

What climate conditions promote chemical weathering?

Warm temperatures and high rainfall.

__________ is an important agent in chemical weathering because it can dissolve many kinds of materials.

Water

Put them in order by their ability to transport materials. Wind erosion Water erosion Glacial erosion Plant and animal erosion

Water erosion Glacial erosion Wind erosion Plant and animal erosion

Soils formed as a result of __________ and biological activity that breaks down and changes soil materials over a long period of time.

Weathering