Science Chapter 4 Terms: Weathering and Soil

Process that splits rock when water seeps into cracks, then freezes and expands.

• soil horizon

• frost wedging

• weathering

• contour plowing

A chemical change in which a substance combines with oxygen.

• oxidation

• deposition

• erosion

• weathering

The layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it.

• soil horizon

• crop rotation

• sub soil

• abrasion

Anything naturally occurring in the environment that humans use.

• land reclamation

• natural resource

• fertilizer

• contour planning

Dark colored organic material in soil

• humus

• sediment

• fertility

• soil

The process that breaks down rock through chemical changes.

• soil conservation

• mechanical weathering

• land reclamation

• chemical weathering

The situation that arises when more soil nutrients are sued than the decomposers can supply.

• mechanical weathering

• nutrient depletion

• frost wedging

• crop rotation

Any one of several processes by which gravity moves sediment downhill.

• soil horizon

• mass movement

• land reclamation

• frost wedging

The process of restoring land to a more natural, productive state

• chemical weathering

• soil conservation

• land reclamation

• desertification

The very top layer of the fertile soil made of dead leaves and grass.

• gravity

• fertilizer

• litter

• weathering