Across
- 1. ,a mining technique in which the entire top of a mountain is removed with explosives
- 4. ,a mining technique that creates a large visible pit or hole in the ground
- 8. ,the least-weathered soil horizon
- 9. ,a soil horizon composed primarily of mineral material with very little organic matter
- 10. ,the proportion of soil bases to soil acids
- 12. ,the process of looking for minerals, metals and precious stones in river sediments
- 16. ,the breakdown of rocks and minerals by chemical reactions or the dissolving of chemical elements
- 17. ,the most fully decomposed organic matter in the lowest section of the o horizon
- 18. ,precipitation high in sulfuric acid and nitric acid from reactions between water vapor and sulfur and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere
- 21. ,a concentrated accumulation of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted
- 22. ,the mechanical breakdown of rock and minerals
- 23. ,a zone of leaching found in some acidic soils under the o horizon or the a horizon
Down
- 2. ,frequently the top layer of soil
- 3. ,the removal of strips of soil and rock to expose ore
- 5. ,the organic horizon at the surface of many soils
- 6. ,the average concentration of an element in Earth's crust
- 7. ,mining techniques used when the desired resource is more than 100m below the surface of the Earth
- 11. ,the ability of a particular soil to absorb and release cations
- 13. ,unwanted waste material created during mining including mineral and other residues that re left behind after the desired metal or ore is removed
- 14. ,the loss of some or all of a soil's ability to support plant growth
- 15. ,the known quantity of a resource that can be economically recovered
- 19. ,a horizontal layer in a soil defined by distinctive physical features such as texture and color
- 20. ,an element with properties that allow it to conduct electricity and heat energy