| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| weathering | mechanical and chemical surface processes that breaks rocks into smaller and smaller pieces |
| mechanical weathering | physical process that breaks rocks apart without changing the chemical make up; can be caused by ice wedging, animals, and plat roots |
| ice wedging | mechanical weathering process that occurs when water freezes cracks of rocks and expands causing the rock to break apart |
| chemical weathering | occurs when chemical reactions dissolved minerals in rocks or change them into different minerals |
| oxidation | chemical weathering process that occurs when a metallic material is exposed to oxygen and water over time |
| climate | average weather pattern in area over a long period of time can be classified by temperature, humidity, precipitation, and vegatation |
| soil | mixture of weathered rock, decayed organic matter,mineral fragments, water, and air that can take thousands of years to develop |
| humus | dark colored decayed organic mater that supplies nutrients to plants and is found mainly in top soil |
| horizon | each layer in a soil profile |
| soil profile | vertical sections each of what is horizon |
| litter | twigs leaves and other organic matter that it help prevent erosion hold water and eventually might be change into humus by decomposing organisms |
| leaching | removal of minerals that have been dissolved in water |
| terracing | farming method used to reduce erosion on steep slopes |
