Soil Vocabulary

4. mixture of weathered rocks, mineral fragments,decayed organic matter, and water and air that can take over a thousand of years to developed.
6. wedging mechanical weathering process that occurs when water freezes in the cracks of rocks and expands, causing the rock to break apart.
8. mechanical or chemical processes that break rocks into smaller and smaller pieces.
10. farming planting along natural contours of land to reduce soil erosion.
12. average weather pattern in an area over a long period of time; can be classified by temperature, humidity, precipitation, vegetation.
13. weathering Occurs when chemical reactions dissolve the minerals in rocks or change them into different minerals.
14. farming method for reducing soil erosion; plant stalks are left in the field.

1. dark-colored decayed organic matter that supplies nutrients to plants and is found mainly in topsoil.
2. chemical weathering process that occurs when some minerals are exposed to oxygen and water.
3. weathering physical processes that break rock apart without changing its chemical make up.
5. twigs, leaves, and other organic matter that help prevent erosion and hold water and may be changed into humus.
7. farming method used to reduce erosion on steep slopes.
9. each layer in a soil profile, A horizon, B horizon, C horizon.
11. removal of minerals that have been dissolved in water.