Download Chapter 14 Final Review Weathering and Erosion

Chapter 14 Final Review
Weathering and Erosion
By: Britni Surprenant period 4
What is Weathering?
• Weathering is a process that occurs in nature
that disintegrates and decomposes rocks
• This happens when the temperature changes
or atmospheric and environmental agents
change.
• Weathering can change the physical or
chemical composition of rock materials.
Mechanical vs. Chemical Weathering
• Mechanical weathering happens by physical
means. Examples: ice wedging, abrasion,
organic activity
• Chemical happens by chemical interactions in
the environment. Examples: oxidation,
hydrolysis, carbonation, organic acids, acid
precipitation
Soil Composition
• Soil composition is what the materials created
specific soils.
• The color of the soil is an important part of
soil composition, it can help to identify what
minerals are within the soil and the amount
of moisture in the soil.
• The parent rock is used in soil composition, a
parent rock is what the soil originated from.
What is a Soil Profile?
• A soil profile is a vertical section of soil that show
the different layers of the soil
• The layers of soil are called horizons and there
are normally 3 main horizons.
• Top soil is on top and has a mixture of small rock
and any organic material, subsoil contains
minerals that were from the topsoil and some
humus, the bedrock is a solid rock layer and is
where the first mechanical and chemical changes
happen.
The Evolution of Soil
• Over time the soil that is now the top soil will
erode and decompose and in a long time
become the soil that is located in the lower
horizons. The soils chemical balances change
with the chemicals that are released and the
animals and people that are located by the
soil.
Erosion and conservation:
• Erosion is the process where products of
weathering are transported. Types of erosion:
gullying, sheet, and soil. Things that effect
erosion: gravity, weather, animals and
landforms
• Types of conservations: contour plowing,
strip-cropping, terracing, and crop rotation.
Used to save the soil’s composition