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| A weak acid (H2CO3) that forms from the reaction of water and carbon dioxide. Most rain water is a very weak carbonic acid solution formed by the reaction of rain with small amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere |
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| Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is made up of broken rock particles that have been altered by chemical and environmental conditions, affected by processes such as weathering and erosion |
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| A downslope movement of rock and soil over a failure surface and under the influence of gravity. Slumps, earthflows, debris flows and debris slides are examples. |
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| chemical weathering[image] |
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Definition
| The breaking down of surface rock material by solution or chemical alteration. Common alteration processes are oxidation and hydrolysis. |
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A general term used for any downslope movement of rock, soil, snow or ice under the influence of gravity. Includes: landslides, creep, rock falls and avalanches. |
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| Soil erosion by water, wind and tillage affects both agriculture and the natural environment. |
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| to slip or gradually shift position b: to change shape permanently from prolonged stress or exposure to high temperatures. |
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| mechanical weathering[image] |
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Definition
| general term applied to a variety of weathering processes that result in the particle size reduction of rock materials with no change in composition. Frost action, salt crystal growth and pressure relief fracturing are examples. Also known as physical weathering. |
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| A profile is a side view of a person. So a soil profile must be the side view of soil. There are six layers to the soil profile. They are as follows from the top: |
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| A general term applied to the wearing away and movement of earth materials by gravity, wind, water and ice. |
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| A type of mass movement composed mainly of clay-size materials with a high enough water content that it flows readily. |
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| A physical weathering process in which concentric layers of rock are removed from an outcrop. |
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| A chemical reaction in which substances combine with oxygen. For example, the combination of iron with oxygen to form an iron oxide. |
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| Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top 2 to 8 inches. It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs. |
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| A chemical reaction involving water that results in the breakdown of mineral material. |
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| A radioactive element that spontaneously decays into a new substance. The product of this decay is known as a "daughter" element. |
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| Residual soil is soil that stays where it was created. If the boulder is local and has come to the surface through natural processes such as frost heaving and then breaks down into soil that remains in the area, it is residual. |
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| An ice wedge is a crack in the ground formed by a narrow or thin piece of ice that measures anywhere from 3 to 4 meters wide and extends downwards into the ground up to 10 inches. |
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| the part of the earth's surface consisting of humus and disintegrated rock. |
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Definition
Weathering is the decomposition of earth rocks, soils and their minerals through direct contact with the planet's atmosphere[1]. Weathering occurs in situ, or "with no movement", and thus should not to be confused with erosion, which involves the movement of rocks and minerals by agents such as water, ice, wind, and gravity. |
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