Name ______________
Date _________
Period _________
Minutes studied _______ for this test
Parent signature _______________________________
Weathering and Soil Study Guide
Test Date: ___________________
1.Soil formation would take place most rapidly with the weathering of limestone in a __warm /wet __________________
climate
2.The geological principle stating that the same processes that operate today also operated in the past is called
_________uniformitarianism_________________________
3.The agent of mechanical weathering in which rock is worn away by the grinding action of other rock particles is called
_________abrasion_______________________
4.The growth of plant roots and animal activity may result in ________mechanical________________ weathering
5.Soil is a valuable resource because it is important to _______all________________________ livings things on land
6.In which soil layer would you find loam that is rich in humus _______A horizon______________________________
7.A hot and wet climate causes weathering to take place at what rate? ____________more
quickly_____________________
8.What kind of weathering causes the mineral composition of rocks to change?
_______________chemical_____________________________
9.Soil formation begins with the weathering of ___________bedrock__________________________
10.How long did it take for the thick, fertile soil of the North American prairies to develop? Approx
__________thousands of___________ years
11.Ice wedging causes mechanical weathering of rock by means of the ____freezing_______________ and
______thawing______________ of water
12.When earthworms add their wastes to the soil, then die and decay in the soil, they are contributing to the formation of
________humus____________________
13.Living organisms in soil help to __________mix soil___________________ and make
__________humus_____________
14.Soil that is rich in humus has high ____fertility____________________________
15.A permeable rock weathers easily because it __________contains many small connected airspaces_______________
16. In which layer of soil in the diagram would you find humus? __1____/ _____A horizon
(topsoil)_________________________
1, 2, 3, 4
A horizon (topsoil), B horizon (subsoil), C horizon, bedrock
17.
Which of the soil horizons forms last? __2____/ ______B horizon
(subsoil)_______________________________________ 1, 2, 3, 4
A horizon (topsoil), B horizon (subsoil), C horizon, bedrock
18. Which layer in the diagram provides the basic material that forms soil?
___4___/ _____bedrock_________________________
1, 2, 3, 4
A horizon (topsoil), B horizon (subsoil), C horizon, bedrock
19.
Where can you find litter in the diagram? ___1___/ ____A horizon__________________________
1, 2, 3, 4
A horizon (topsoil), B horizon (subsoil), C horizon, bedrock
20. Which layer of soil in the diagram is made up only of partly weathered rock?
___3___/ ________C horizon______________________
1, 2, 3, 4
A horizon (topsoil), B horizon (subsoil), C horizon, bedrock