Across
- 2. The percolation of rainwater through the soil.
- 4. Slope of the land and the position on the landscape, such as the top of a hill, a hillside, or the foot of a slope.
- 6. The arrangement of primary soil particles into compound particles or aggregates that are separated from adjoining aggregates. Size, shape, and distinctness are used to describe soil structure. Farmers often describe soil structure with words, such as crumbly or cloddy.
- 8. The change in elevation for a given horizontal distance of the surface of the Earth, often expressed as a percentage.
- 9. The capacity of soil or rock for transmitting a fluid. Degree of permeability depends upon the size and shape of the pores, the size, and shape of their interconnections, and the extent of the latter.
- 10. The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.
- 12. Matter found in, or produced by, living animals and plants, which contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and often nitrogen and sulfur.
- 15. Refers to the extent of voids or openings in the soil that exist between soil particles and soil peds or clods. These pores hold water and air for absorption by plant roots. A porosity of 50% is excellent for plant growth.
- 16. The group of processes whereby Earth or rock material is worn away, loosened, or dissolved and removed from any part of the Earth’s surface.
- 17. The many soil particles held together in a small mass.
- 19. Through the movement of wind or water, or uptake by plants, soil particles (sand, silt, clay, and OM) or chemical compounds can be eroded, leached, or harvested from the soil, altering the chemical and physical makeup of the soil.
- 20. Soil that consists of less than 52 percent sand, 28 to 50 percent silt, and 7 to 27 percent clay, resulting in a soil texture ideal for gardening.
Down
- 1. The long-term average weather conditions.
- 3. The relative proportion in a soil of the various size groups of individual soil grains.
- 5. A layer of soil, approximately parallel to the surface, having distinct characteristics produced by soil-forming processes.
- 7. The horizon of weathered rock or partially weathered soil material from which the soil is formed.
- 11. Atmospheric action on rock surfaces producing decomposition, disintegration, or alteration of rock.
- 13. Unweathered hard rock that lies directly beneath the soil layers or beneath superficial geological deposits, such as glacial drift.
- 14. A size term denoting particles, regardless of mineral composition, with diameter less than two microns.
- 18. Materials added to the soil, such as decomposing vegetation and organisms (organic matter--OM), or new mineral materials deposited by wind or water.