Soil Erosion
Terms
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- soil
- Loose rock material that covers much of the Earth's land surface.
- Geologists
- Scientists who study Earth materials such as soil.
- Topsoil
- Mature surface soil that has an organic (living) layer in which plants have their roots.
- natural resource
- soil is a natural resource of the world. Why?
- What % of topsoil in the world is lost to erosion?
- 7%
- Farmers are adding more and more __________ to the topsoil to makeup for the loss of plant nutrients.
- fertilizers
- ____________ is any useful material that comes from the Earth. (trees, coal, air, water)
- natural resource
- The greatest cause of soil loss is __________ by running water.
- erosion
- ____________ is the wise use (not wasting) of natural resources.
- Conservation
- There are 5 things people can do in order to conserve our soil:
-
1. leave plants alone
2. contour plowing
3. strip cropping
4. dam building
5. terracing - ___________ is a mixture of weathered rocks and ____________.
- Topsoil; humus
- _________ is decayed (dead) plant and animal matter, which provides the nutrients to the soil.
- Topsoil
- _________ lies under the topsoil and is largely made of _______ ____________.
- Subsoil; clay particles
- _________________ _________ is the last layer of soil.
- Weathered rock
- What property of flint makes it so very useful?
- perfect for tools
- Explain what is "mineral soup," and tell where I would find it?
-
Magma is a mineral soup.
You would find it in the inner core. - According to the video, what are minerals?
- Minerals are content recycled and turns into solid.
- Mt. Rushmore is made from this rock:
- granite
- renewable resource
- A resource that can be replaced, like trees.
- nonrenewable resource
- A natural resource that can't be replaced, such as metallic ores.
- rock
- A solid material made up of one or more minerals.
- ore
- A rock that can be mined for the minerals is contains.
- mineral
- A natural solid that has a definite chemical makeup, found in Earth's crust.
- terracing
- the building of steplike ridges to prevent water runoff.
- gullies
- miniature river valleys.
- Contour plowing and terracing are:
- soil conservation practices.
- Coal and crude oil are __________ resources or fossil fuels.
- nonrenewable
- Flower roots and tree roots:
- hold soil in place.
- If your job were to conserve Earth's soil, what would you say to farmers to convince them that contour plowing, strip cropping, and terracing help prevent soil erosion?
- Following the shape of the land, like contour plowing, helps slow down erosion by rainwater. Planting a cover crop helps absorb rainwater and keeps soil in place. Constructing steplike ridges, or terraces, helps reduce runoff.
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Choose one:
Wind-blown sand can (erode, harden) rock surfaces. - harden
-
Choose one:
(Plants, Valleys) can act as windbreaks, which slow down the wind. - Plants
-
Choose one:
A glacier moves rock and soil like a (wheelbarrow, bulldozer). - bulldozer
-
Choose one:
Where winds blow steadily in the same direction, (dunes, glaciers) move. - glaciers
- Moraines are deposited as glaciers (move, melt).
- move
-
Order the steps for the formation of a sand dune (they are not in right order):
___ The wind slows down when it striks an object.
___ Wind removes loose sand and silt from an area.
___ Over time a sand dune forms.
___ Wind deposits se -
2
1
4
3
5 - ______ is the main contributor to the cause of erosion, where as wind is a contributor to ____________.
- Water; weathering
- In dry regions, sand helps create teh ______ _______.
- sand dunes
- _______ and snow helps create _________ in the polar regions.
- Ice; glaciers
- Fossils, which tell us about the past, can be found in rocks. _______ ________ tell us the direction or movement of a glacier and gives an idea of its _____.
- Glacier grooves; size
- ___________ such as trees, shrubs, fences, and grass help reduce or prevent wind erosion.
- Windbreaks
- The speed of a glacier are affected by 3 factors, which are weight of the glacier, the terrain or landscape that a glacier is moving across, and the temperature of a glacier. But the main force that moves glaciers is ________.
- gravity
- fossil fuels
- natural gas, coal, petroleum (also called crude oil) are fuels made from the remains of once-living things.
- peat
- A fossil fuel that comes from the remains of ancient swamp plants.
- weathering
- the process by which rock is broken into smaller pieces.
- river system
- A river and the waterways that drain into it.
- sediments
- The materials carried by moving water.
- delta
- A flat plain that is formed from sediments from when a river empties into an ocean.
- headland
- A natural piece of land that extends out into the water.
- bay
- A body of water that is partly enclosed by land but has an opening, called a mouth, connecting the water to the ocean.
- sand dunes
- Piles of sand that are deposited in one place.
- moraine
- Rock materials carried by glaciers.