Formation of Soil

Rock is broken into smaller and smaller pieces over time by all of the following forces EXCEPT –

• flowing water

• cooling sand

• blowing wind

• moving ice

One component of soil is decayed plant and animal remains, but the major component of soil is –

• fossil fuels

• iron ore

• weathered rocks

• salt water

All of the following are plant remains EXCEPT—

• dead leaves

• dried twigs

• sand particles

• seed covers

Plants and animals become part of soil when they –

• die and decay

• produce offspring

• grow and develop

• take in nutrients

Students wanted to learn more about how soil is formed, so they conducted an investigation of how rocks weather. They shook jars of rocks with water and without water. What question could the students be trying to answer?

• How does water affect the weathering of rocks?

• What kinds of rocks are found at the bottom of lakes?

• Are rocks and water composed of the same materials?

• Does salt water heat more quickly than fresh water?

The weathering of rocks into small pieces forms what natural resource?

• mineral

• water

• coal

• soil

How would the soil be different in an area that gets very little rainfall?  The soil would contain –

• much smaller pieces of rock

• a greater variety of plants

• many insects and worms

• less water and organic material

How do plants contribute to the formation of soil? Plants –

• cover the soil and shade it from the sunlight

• die, decompose and become part of the soil.

• use soil to grow and develop over time

• support the animal life in the soil.

A student made a mixture of sand, tiny rocks, small twigs, and some leaves.  This student has modeled —

• how rocks change over time

• the life cycle of plants

• the formation of soil

• how landforms are created

A student exploring the formation of soil put rocks in a plastic jar of water and shook it.  Afterwards, there were small pieces of broken rock in the water.  What process in the formation of soil does this model?

• weathering of Earth materials

• decay of plant matter

• formation of various minerals

• mixing of water and air