Weathering and Erosion

3. the ability of a particular soil to absorb and release cations
6. Frequently the top layer of soil, a zone of organic matter and minerals that have been mixed together. Also known as topsoil
7. the breakdown of rocks and minerals by chemical reactions
10. A soil horizon composed primarily of mineral material with very little organic matter
13. The loss of some or all of a soils ability to support plant growth
15. The process of looking for minerals, metals, and precious stones in river sediments
16. Unwanted waste material created during mining including mineral and other residues that are left behind after the the desired metal or ore is removed
17. The average concentration of an element in earths crust
19. mining techniques used when the desired resource is more than 100m below the surface of the earth
20. The underlying rock material from which the inorganic components of a soil are derived
22. The removal of soil and rock to expose ore
24. the mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals
25. Precipitation high in sulfuric acid and nitric acid from reactions between water vapor and sulfur and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere

1. a mining technique that creates a large visible pit or hole in the ground
2. In resource management, the known quality of a resource that can be economically recovered
4. The breaking down of rock.
5. The least weathered soil horizon, bed rock
8. The most fully decomposed organic matter in the lowest section of the O horizion
9. a mining technique in which the entire top of a mountain is removed with explosives
11. organic horizon at the surface of many soils, composed of organic detritus in various stages of decomposition
12. The proportion of soil bases to soil acids, expressed as a %
14. a zone of leaching, or evaluation, found in some acid soils under the O horizon or, less often, the A horizon
18. A concentrated accumulation of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted
21. The physical removal of rock fragments from a landscape or ecosystem
23. An element with properties that allow it to conduct electricity and heat energy, and to perform other important functions.