Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Science Pace 1094
Unit test
39
Science
8th Grade
04/12/2011

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Cards

Term
Weathering is the beginning of _______ formation.
Definition
soil
Term
Most ______ nutrients needed for plant growth are in the topsoil.
Definition
mineral
Term
Below the layer of topsoil is the ______ layer, which extends down to solid rock.
Definition
subsoil
Term
Soil transported by water is known as sediment, or ______.
Definition
silt
Term
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria on legume roots change nitrogen in the air into ______ that green plants can use as fertilizer.
Definition
nitrates
Term
____________ that is allowed to decay for several months becomes compost.
Definition
Organic matter
Term
___________ is the thin, dark layer on tip of a soil profile consisting of decaying plants and animals.
Definition
Humus
Term
The _______ of its particles determines how well a topsoil can absorb air and water.
Definition
size
Term
__________ soils, which are a mixture of clay and sandy soils, are the most valuable soils to farmers.
Definition
Loam
Term
The greatest contribution of ______ to soil fertility is the decomposition of dead organisms.
Definition
microorganisms
Term
_______ soil is formed locally,while transported soil is carried by rivers to valleys and coastal regions.
Definition
Residual
Term
Physical and ___________ weathering causes mountains to disintegrate.
Definition
chemical
Term
Mosses and ___________ are the pioneers in weathering rocks.
Definition
lichens
Term
Rocks are chemically weathered by ________, hydration, and acid action.
Definition
oxidation
Term
Iron particles in Dakota red sandstone have united chemically with oxygen and water to form iron _______.
Definition
oxide
Term
Water that seeps into cracks splits large rocks when it ________.
Definition
freezes
Term
Tree ______ exerts a force too powerful to resist when they grow into cracks in rocks.
Definition
roots
Term
Wind blown __________ helps weather rocks, as shown by the hills and mountains around Durango, Colorado.
Definition
sand
Term
Carbonic acid chemically unites with _______ and other calcite formations and causes the stone to crumble.
Definition
limestone
Term
Exfoliation is the weathering process that makes hills and boulders into ______.
Definition
knobs
Term
Rain water washes organic _______ acid down to solid rock where it attacks the rock structure and causes it to crumble.
Definition
nitric
Term
_________ dissolved in water may be redeposited in caves, where it forms stalactites and stalagmites.
Definition
Calcite
Term
Because __________ keeps topsoil in place, it reduces the amount of silt in streams and rivers.
Definition
plant cover
Term
Landslides, mudslides, and creep are examples of _________ erosion.
Definition
mass-movement
Term
A method of soil conservation that prevents water erosion of soil is ______ plowing.
Definition
contour
Term
To prevent erosion on steep hills, farmers use _________.
Definition
terracing
Term
the presence of ______________ in the soil and expense are two factors to be considered in planning irrigation projects.
Definition
salt
Term
Farmers can prevent wind erosion by ______ cropping.
Definition
strip
Term
Crop ________ replaces lost minerals to the soil.
Definition
rotation
Term
Scratch lines called ________ were caused by glaciers scraping against valley walls.
Definition
striations
Term
Frost action on glacier bottoms and sides helped form the _________ valleys characteristic of glacial action.
Definition
U-shaped
Term
A _________ stream carries moraine away from the terminus of a glacier and deposits it, layer upon layer, in an out-wash plain.
Definition
meltwater
Term
Hills shaped like upside-down canoes and formed by advancing glaciers are ______.
Definition
drumlins
Term
Glacial formations with rounded boulders were called ______ by the French.
Definition
roches moutonnees
Term
_________ formed when chunks of ice became covered with glacial debris; later the ice melted and formed a basin.
Definition
Kettles
Term
Glaciers are full of gathered matter, or ground __________.
Definition
moraine
Term
If a ___________ stays in one place for several years, a ridge of deposits called a terminal moraine builds up across its end.
Definition
glacier
Term
A glacier's ___________ is the point where it melts as fast as it advances.
Definition
terminus
Term
__________, or glacial cracks, are a constant threat to explorers and scientists who travel the icy wastes of Antarctica or the North Pole.
Definition
Crevasses
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