Soil Review

Ms. Sanderson

The gradual rounding of the corners and edges of angular

blocks of rock is called __

a. Unloading

b. Exfoliation

c. Mechanical weathering

d. Spheroidal weathering

Spheroidal weathering

Which of the following is NOT a major component of soil?

a. Mineral matter

b. Air

c. Earthworms

d. humus

earthworms

The process responsible for moving material downslope under the influence of gravity is called __

a. Weathering

b. Soil formation

c. Erosion

d. Mass movement

Mass movement

A mass movement that involves the sudden movement of a block of

material along a flat, incline surface is called __

a. Slide

b. Rockfall

c. Flow

d. slump

slide

The atmospheric gas that forms acid rain when dissolved in water is

__.

a. Carbon dioxide

b. Sulfur

c. Oxygen

d. aluminum

Carbon dioxide

Why can the removal of vegetation trigger mass movement?

a. The plant roots lubricate the loose sediment

b. The plant roots bind the soil & regolith together

c. The soil loses nutrients and begins to crumble

d. The shaking triggers mass movements

The plant roots bind the soil and regolith together

The downward movement of a block of material along a curved

surface is called a(n) ___.

Slump

In the process of ___, water freezes and expands, enlarging

cracks in rocks.

Frost wedging

The process that occurs when physical forces break rock into

smaller pieces without changing the rock’s chemical composition is

called __.a. Chemical weathering

b. Differential weathering

c. Mechanical weathering

d. erosion

Mechanical weathering

Which of the following is the result of chemical weathering?

a. A rock that has been split in two

b. A rock that has been changed into one or more new compounds

c. A rock that has been broken into tiny pieces

d. A rock that has lost its outer layers

A rock that has been changed into one or more new compounds

In a well-developed soil profile, which horizon is the uppermost

layer?

a. The A horizon

b. The B horizon

c. The C horizon

d. The parent horizon

A horizon

The process called __ involved physical forces that break rock into

smaller pieces.

Mechanical weathering

What is the force behind mass movement?

a. Gravity

b. Moving ice

c. Flowing water

d. The sun’s energy

gravity

One of the most dramatic triggers of sudden mass movement is a(n)

__.

Earthquake

When a block of material moves downslope along a curved surface,

the type of mass movement is called ___.

a. Creep

b. A rockslide

c. A rockfall

d. A slump

slump

Which of the following weathering processes involves the constant freezing and thawing of water?

a. Exfoliation

b. Spheroidal weathering

c. Unloading

d. Frost wedging

Frost wedging

A large pile of debris that forms at the base of a slope is called __.

talus

The layer of rock and mineral fragments produced by weathering,

and covering nearly all of Earth’s land surface, is called __.

regolith

What factor commonly triggers mass movement?

a. Removal of vegetation

b. Earthquakes

c. Saturation of the surface materials with water

d. All of the above

All of the above

How are the soil horizons ordered from the top of the profile to the

bottom?

a. A, B, C

b. C, B, A

c. A, C, B

d. B, C, A

A, B, C

The B horizon is also called the __

a. Partially altered parent material

b. Topsoil

c. Subsoil

d. Unaltered parent material

subsoil

The downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity is called a(n)

___.

Mass movement

The process that changes rock into one or more new compounds is

called _____.

Chemical weathering

A soil’s texture is determined by __

a. Particle size

b. Water content

c. Type of humus

d. Mineral composition

Particle size

Which of the following is NOT associated with mechanical

weathering?a. Biological activity

b. Frost wedging

c. Unloading

d. Reactions with oxygen

Reactions with oxygen

The factor that has the greatest effect on soil formation is __

a. Climate

b. Slope orientation

c. Time

d. Parent material

Climate

What is the correct order for water eroding soil?

a. rills, sheet erosion, gullies

b. Sheet erosion, gullies, rills

c. Sheet erosion, rills, gullies

d. Gullies, rills, sheet erosion

Sheet erosion, rills, gullies

Soils are divided into zones known as _____

horizons

The most important agent of chemical weathering is ___

water

Whenever the characteristics and chemical composition of weathered materials have been altered, they

have undergone __.

a. Frost wedging

b. Mass movement

c. Chemical weathering

d. Mechanical weathering

Chemical weathering

What is responsible for the formation of exfoliation domes?

a. Reaction with oxygen

b. Frost wedging

c. Biological activity

d. unloading

unloading

A soil associated with the hot and wet tropics is __.

a. Pedalfer

b. Pedocal

c. Laterite

d. Bedrock soil

laterite