chapter 6 terms
Terms
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- dissolution
- a common form of chemical weathering, it is the process of dissolving into a homogenous solution, as when an acidic solution dissolves limestone
- Soil Taxonomy
- a soil classification system consisting of six hierarchical categories based on observable soil characteristics. The system recognizes 12 soil orders.
- oxidation
- the removal of one or more electrons from an atom or ion. So named because elements commonly combine with oxygen
- regolith
- the layer of rock and mineral fragments that nearly everywhere covers Earth's land surface
- humus
- organic matter in soil produced by the decomposition of plants and animals
- internal process
- a process such as mountain building or volcanism that derives its energy from Earth's interior and elevates Earth's surface
- soil
- a combination of mineral and organic matter, water, and air; that portion of the regolith that supports plant growth
- parent material
- the rock from which a metamorphic rock formed
- differential weathering
- the variation in the rate and degree of weathering caused by such factors as mineral makeup, degree of jointing, and climate
- talus slope
- an accumulation of rock debris at the base of a cliff
- weathering
- the disintegration and decomposition of rock at or near the surface of Earth
- mass wasting
- the downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity.
- solum
- The O,A, and B horizons in a soil profile. Living roots and other plant and animal life are largely confined to this zone
- spheriodical weathering
- any weathering process that tends to produce a spherical shape from an initially blocky shape
- exfoliation dome
- large, dome-shaped structure, usually composed of granite, formed by sheeting
- external process
- process such as weathering, mass wasting, or erosion that is powered by the Sun and contributes to the transformation of solid rock into sediment
- erosion
- the incorporation and transportation of material by a mobile agent, such as water, wind, or ice
- leaching
- the depletion of soluble materials from the upper soil by downward-percolating water
- frost wedging
- the mechanical breakup of rock caused by the expansion of freezing water in cracks and crevices
- horizon
- a layer in a soil profile
- mechanical weathering
- the physical disintegration of rock, resulting in smaller fragments
- eluviation
- the washing out of fine soil components from the A horizon by downward-percolating water
- soil profile
- a vertical section through a soil, showing its succession of horizons and the underlying parent material
- sheeting
- a mechanical weathering process characterized by the splitting off of slablike sheets of rock
- hydrolysis
- a chemical weathering process in which minerals are altered by chemically reacting with water and acids
- chemical weathering
- the processes by which the internal structure of a mineral is altered by the removal and/or addition elements