Across
- 6. A soil horizon composed primarily of mineral material
- 7. The most fully decomposed organic matter in the lowest section of O horizon
- 8. Precipitation high in sulfuric acid and nitric acid
- 10. The average concentration of an element in Earths crust
- 11. The least weathered soil horizon
- 16. The mechanical breakdown of rocks and minerals
- 18. Frequently the top layer of soil
- 20. A mining technique in which the entire top of a mountain is removed with explosives
- 22. The process of looking for minerals, metals, and precious stones in river sediment
- 24. A zone of leaching, or eluviation
- 25. The loss of some or all of a soils ability to support plant growth
Down
- 1. The physical removal of rock fragments from a landscape or ecosystem
- 2. The organic horizon at the surface of many soils
- 3. The proportion of soil bases to soil acids
- 4. The breakdown of rocks and minerals by chemical reactions
- 5. In resource management the known quantity of a resource that can be economically recovered
- 9. A concentrated accumulation of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted
- 12. Mining techniques used when the desired resource is more than 100m below the surface of Earth
- 13. An element with properties that allow it to conduct electricity and heat energy
- 14. The underlying rock material from which the inorganic components of a soil are derived
- 15. The removal of strips of soil and rock to expose ore
- 17. Unwanted waste material created during mining including mineral and other residues that are left behind
- 19. The ability of a particular soil to absorb and release cations
- 21. A mining technique that creates a large visible pit or hole in the ground
- 23. A horizontal layer in a soil defined by distinctive physical features such as texture and color