APES 4.2: Soil Formation and Erosion

soil

A mixture of mineral particles and organic material that covers the land, and in which terrestrial plants grow.

erosion

Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away (i.e. weathering, glaciation)

cover crops

Plants, such as rye, alfalfa, or clover, that can be planted immediately after harvest to hold and protect the soil.

vegetative buffers

A strip of trees and shrubs next to a body of water.

parent material

the rock material from which the inorganic components of a soil are derived

weathering

The breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface.

deposition

Process in which sediment is laid down in new locations.

soil horizons

horizontal layers that reveal a soil's history, characteristics, and usefulness

composition

the chemical makeup of a rock; describes either the minerals or other materials in the rock

organic material

material primarily derived from living organisms

filter

soil filters contaminates and nutrients naturally

organic

of, relating to, or derived from living matter.

cultivate

to nurture, improve, refine