Chapter 14 Final ReviewWeathering and Erosion

By: Britni Surprenant period 4

What is Weathering?

• Weathering is a process that occurs in nature that disintegrates and decomposes rocks

• This happens when the temperature changes or atmospheric and environmental agents change.

• Weathering can change the physical or chemical composition of rock materials.

Mechanical vs. Chemical Weathering

• Mechanical weathering happens by physical means. Examples: ice wedging, abrasion, organic activity

• Chemical happens by chemical interactions in the environment. Examples: oxidation, hydrolysis, carbonation, organic acids, acid precipitation

Soil Composition

• Soil composition is what the materials created specific soils.

• The color of the soil is an important part of soil composition, it can help to identify what minerals are within the soil and the amount of moisture in the soil.

• The parent rock is used in soil composition, a parent rock is what the soil originated from.

What is a Soil Profile?

• A soil profile is a vertical section of soil that show the different layers of the soil

• The layers of soil are called horizons and there are normally 3 main horizons.

• Top soil is on top and has a mixture of small rock and any organic material, subsoil contains minerals that were from the topsoil and some humus, the bedrock is a solid rock layer and is where the first mechanical and chemical changes happen.

The Evolution of Soil

• Over time the soil that is now the top soil will erode and decompose and in a long time become the soil that is located in the lower horizons. The soils chemical balances change with the chemicals that are released and the animals and people that are located by the soil.

Erosion and conservation:

• Erosion is the process where products of weathering are transported. Types of erosion: gullying, sheet, and soil. Things that effect erosion: gravity, weather, animals and landforms

• Types of conservations: contour plowing, strip-cropping, terracing, and crop rotation. Used to save the soil’s composition