Exam 10: Weathering, Soil, and Erosion

Volcanic activity may initiate slides by melting snow and ice near the tops of volcanoes.

During a rockslide (or rock avalanche), bedrock slides downslope over a fracture plane.

The alternate shrinking and swelling of humus tightens soil and prevents roots from growing easily.

__________ is a hard crust on the soil that forms when calcium carbonate precipitates in soil.

Erosion involves little or no movement of the decomposed rocks and minerals.

Wind, flowing water, glaciers, and gravity are agents of __________.

__________ is the orientation of a slope with respect to the Sun.

During a __________, a coherent block of material fractures and moves downslope.

The __________ is the maximum slope or steepness at which loose material remains stable.

The combined O and A soil horizons are also called __________.

Soils with B horizons rich in accumulated aluminum, iron, and silicon are called __________.

Trees on a hill affected by slump:

In a moist tropical climate, dissolved ions may be leached out of the soil, forming __________.

During __________, water dissolves a mineral to form a solution.

The removal of weathered material is __________.

A __________ accumulates beneath many cliffs as the result of frost wedging.

Hydrolysis is an example of chemical weathering.

The process whereby granite fractures in large plates or shells like the layers of an onion is called __________.

Alteration of the composition of rocks and minerals by the interaction of air and water at the Earth's surface is __________ __________.

Vegetation has a great influence on the probability of landslides.