GEOG 106 Chapter Notes - Chapter 5: Ion Exchange, Soil Structure, Frock
Document Summary
Soil: complex plant- supporting system; disintegrated rock, organic matter, wastes, gases, nutrients & microorganisms. Parent materials: base geological material in a given location. Bedrock: continuous mass of solid frock; makes up earth"s crust. Weathering: physical, chemical, biological processes that break down rocks and minerals (regolith) Physical/mechanical weathering: breaks rocks without triggering a chemical change (ex. temperature, wind, rain, ice) Chemical weathering: water or other substances chemically interact with parent material (ex. rust) Biological weathering: living things break down parent material by physical or chemical means ex. lichens, decomposition, etc) Humus: dark, spongy, crumbly mass of material made up of complex organic compounds. Peat: soils dominated by partially decayed compressed organic material. Erosion: movement of particles from one location to another. Sediment: soil or regolith transported by wind, water, ice, deposited somewhere else. Soil profile: cross section of layers from surface to bedrock. Leaching: process where materials suspended or dissolved in liquid are transported through the subsurface.
