DSM Chapters 6–10 – Soil Formation and Weathering Processes Part 1
This flashcard set focuses on soil development processes such as the formation of iron oxide minerals through chemical weathering and the concept of eluviation, where fine particles are removed from upper soil layers. It aids in understanding key mechanisms in soil science.
What process creates finely divided red, brown, and yellow minerals in soils?
Precipitation of iron oxides during the chemical weathering process
Key Terms
What process creates finely divided red, brown, and yellow minerals in soils?
Precipitation of iron oxides during the chemical weathering process
Which of the following best describes the process of mineral subtraction or eluviation?
Mineral subtraction or eluviation is the removal of very fine-sized silt and clay particles from the A and E soil horizons.
Which of the following materials is/are most susceptible to chemical weathering by dissolution?
Calcite
Iron oxides
Quartz
Clay minerals
calcite
During the 1930s, the United States suffered its greatest natural catastrophe. What great natural disaster affected both the farmers and the urbanites and led to the creation of the Soil Conservation Service?
dust bowl
Which one of the following statements concerning soil erosion is not true?
Grasses and other vegetation, windbreaks, and contour cropping will help reduce soil loss from cultivated lands.
Soils form naturally by weathering; if protected from erosion, sound management can maintain or enhance their nutrient levels and textural characteristics.
Sheet erosion, rills, and arroyos or gullies develop mainly during prolonged droughts.
Rates of soil erosion now exceed rates of soil formation in most parts of the world.
Sheet erosion, rills, and arroyos or gullies develop mainly during prolonged droughts.
Which term best describes all the processes that move weathered rock materials and soils downslope?
mass wasting
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
What process creates finely divided red, brown, and yellow minerals in soils? | Precipitation of iron oxides during the chemical weathering process |
Which of the following best describes the process of mineral subtraction or eluviation? | Mineral subtraction or eluviation is the removal of very fine-sized silt and clay particles from the A and E soil horizons. |
Which of the following materials is/are most susceptible to chemical weathering by dissolution? | calcite |
During the 1930s, the United States suffered its greatest natural catastrophe. What great natural disaster affected both the farmers and the urbanites and led to the creation of the Soil Conservation Service? | dust bowl |
Which one of the following statements concerning soil erosion is not true? | Sheet erosion, rills, and arroyos or gullies develop mainly during prolonged droughts. |
Which term best describes all the processes that move weathered rock materials and soils downslope? | mass wasting |
Which regolith material results from frost wedging? | talus slopes |
What portion of an angular, fracture-bounded granitic block shows the highest rate of weathering? | corners |
sheeting | Sheeting occurs when large masses of igneous rock, particularly granite, are exposed by erosion, and concentric slabs begin to break loose. |
rock falling | one type of mass wasting |
Why is the humus layer typically thicker in a cool, temperate forest soil than in a tropical rainforest soil? | Less humus is produced in the cool, temperate forest but the rate of decay and oxidation is slower than in a tropical rainforest. |
Which of the following best describes sets of fractures in relatively fresh bedrock, such as granite, that are roughly parallel to the land surface? | Sheeting fractures |
Which one of the following statements concerning mechanical weathering is not true? | Mechanical weathering involves a major change in the mineral composition of the weathered material. |
Which one of the following statements best describes erosion? | Erosion is the process by which weathered rock and mineral particles are removed from one area and transported elsewhere. |
What two factors speed up rates of chemical reaction and weathering in rocks and soils? | Warm temperatures; abundant moisture |
Which one of the following is an important mechanical weathering process for enlarging fractures and extending them deeper into large boulders and bedrock in temperate and arctic environments? | Frost wedging |
Which of the following statements concerning humus is not true? | Humus is readily leached from the B horizon in weakly acidic soil solutions. |
Which term describes a soil formed by weathering of the underlying bedrock? | residual |
From the land surface downward to the unweathered bedrock, which is the correct order of the different soil horizons in temperate environments? | O, A, E, B, C, bedrock |
Where do coal beds originate? | freshwater coastal swamps and bogs |
What cement produces bright-red and yellow colors in some sandstones? | iron oxide |
What type of sandstone contains abundant feldspar? | arkose |
Of the following list, which common mineral found in igneous rocks is the most abundant mineral in detrital sedimentary rocks? | quartz |
For which of the following sediments does compaction play an important role? | mud |
Which one of the following is not a chemical sedimentary rock or evaporite? | shale |
What is the main difference between a conglomerate and a sedimentary breccia? | Breccia clasts are angular; conglomerate clasts are rounded. |
What is the most common type of chemical sedimentary rock? | limestone |
Which of the following best describes bedded gypsum and halite? | Chemically derived sedimentary rocks |
What is the chemical formula for dolomite, the major mineral in dolostones? | CaMg(CO3)2 |
In what type of depositional environment is oolitic limestone most likely to form? | Shallow, clear marine waters with vigorous current activity and lots of corals |
What is probably the single most important, original, depositional feature in sedimentary rocks? | bedding or stratification |
Which of the following is not a type of limestone? | arkose |
Which of the following descriptions best matches a "greywacke"? | A dark colored sandstone with sand grains embedded in a clay-rich matrix. |
A cherty limestone would most likely contain which major constituents? | Silica and calcite |
chert is mainly made of silica which has the chemical formula of: | SiO2 |
halite's chemical formula | NaCl |
the size of particles in a detrital rock indicates: | indicates the energy of the medium that transported them. |
strata | layers of rock |
chert is a name used for a number of very compact and hard rocks made of ___ | microcrystalline quartz |
phosphate rocks usually result from evaporation of ___ | seawater |
the most abundant detail sedimentary rock | shale, then quartz sandstone |
In which of the following sedimentary rocks are nonclastic textures common? | limestones |
Which of the following is a form of calcium carbonate? | Travertine |
Which of the following minerals is not a common cementing agent for sandstones? | fluorite |
Which of the following sedimentary features would typically be found in shales but not in sandstones? | mud cracks |
What characteristic is used to classify detrital sedimentary rocks? | grain sizes |
What mineral is the building block of microcrystalline flint, chert, and jasper? | Quartz (SiO2) |
Which of the following sedimentary rocks would you expect to have originally been deposited by fast-moving streams? | conglomerate |
Which of the following applies to the basic constituents of halite, gypsum, and sylvite? | All are transported as dissolved ions and then deposited by evaporation. |
What percentage of the continental areas of Earth's surface is covered by sediments and sedimentary rocks? | 75% |
Which one of the following is not likely to be genetically associated with impact of an asteroid or large meteorite? | bluschists |
What is the major source of heat for contact metamorphism? | Heat from a nearby magma body |
Which low-grade metamorphic rock, composed of extremely fine-sized mica and other mineral grains, typically exhibits well developed rock cleavage? | slate |
During metamorphism, what is the major effect of chemically active fluids? | They aid in the movement of dissolved silicate constituents and facilitate growth of the mineral grains. |
What nonfoliated metamorphic rock forms during contact metamorphism of a shale or mudstone? | hornfels |
What metamorphic rock forms during the metamorphism of limestone or dolostone? | marble |