Origin and Composition of Soil

12345678910111213141516171819
Across
  1. 2. Organic component of soil that is formed when dead plant and animal matter is decomposed.
  2. 5. Has the largest particle size, is characterized by lots of space between particles and minimal water retention.
  3. 6. Another word for plowing. A practice that is typically used in agriculture, and involves loosening and mixing soil.
  4. 9. Biome that has very shallow A horizons due to their low productivity.
  5. 12. When water or any liquid moves through the soil
  6. 14. Molecular nature of rock is changed due to reactions with water, oxygen, etc.
  7. 17. Biome that has acidic soil due to the needles they drop.
  8. 19. The highest level of soil that consists of non-decomposed plant matter
Down
  1. 1. Physical breakdown of rock by wind, water, cold, and heat
  2. 3. Considered to be the greatest ecological disaster in US history, this occurred in the Great Plains, and was characterized by a series of dust storms.
  3. 4. Biome that has very shallow O and A horizons due to rapid plant growth and leaching.
  4. 7. A tool used to classify soil based on relative amounts of each particle
  5. 8. Biome that is the best for farming, and has the deepest topsoil.
  6. 10. Topsoil. It consists of organic matter mixed with weathered rock particles
  7. 11. Subsoil. It consists of tiny rock particles that leach down from the topsoil.
  8. 13. Bedrock. It consists of unweathered, solid rock.
  9. 14. Has the smallest particle size, little space between particles, and water is retained because it moves very slowly through small spaces.
  10. 15. Parent Material. It consists of rock that has undergone very little weathering because it is deep underground.
  11. 16. Soil made up of roughly equal parts of clay, sand, and silt; considered the best kind of soil for plant growth.
  12. 18. Type of soil particle that has intermediate size, space, and retention.