Weathering, Erosion, and Decomposition Crossword

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