Earth Systems and Resources Quiz 2 ( soil, watersheds, seasons, geology)

Crust

solid matter

Mantle

Lower part is solid matter, upper part is liquid [ convection currents ]
Upper liquid part = asthenosphere

outer core

liquid matter

convection currents…

drive movement of plants based on density differences and magma

Describe movement of convection currents

Magma in asthenosphere rises as heated up, cools down and expands and falls. Cycle Between hot and cold and warm and cool is what drives movement of convection currents.

soil horizon

O - Humus

• most susceptible to weathering

• surface litter like leaves and other decaying matter

A - top soil

• phosphorus and nitrogen are examples of some of the limiting nutrients that are found

• unrenewable

• mineral soil with most organic material accumulation and soil life(worms)

E - eluviation layer

• sand and silt

• infiltration

• mostly containing of silicates

• zone of leaching ( nutrients from upper horizons seep into lower horizons)

• minerals are washed away by leaching so lack of minerals like clay or iron

B - subsoil

• zone of accumulation = minerals like iron, clay, aluminum and organic material and other nutrients accumulate a process referred to as eluviation

• little to no organic matter

C - parent material

• gives soil rest of its characteristics

• large layer of unbroken rocks

• materials that is broken down to give soil

• least weathered

R - Bed rock

• Solid rock

• not weathered at all

Weathering

Breakdown of rock to form soil

ex: lichen and moss can breakdown / primary successores

ex: wind and water, ice, animals , growing plants

Erosion

Movement of soil someplace else

ex: wind, agriculture, ice, gravity , water

Deposition

The dropping of sediment in a new place

ex: sand dunes , formation of an island

Particle sizes +characteristics

Sand - largest

• highest permeability and porosity

Silt - medium

Clay - smallest

• Lowest permeability and porosity

• Highest fertility / nutrient level

• negative charge and nutrients are positive so clay attracts nutrients

• high water holding capacity

characteristics of particles

permeability = ability of air/liquid to go through

Porosity = pores / spaces between particles

fertility = how much nutrients ( fertile ) the soil has

Farmers want soil to be

loam because its a mixture of sand silt and clay so has the best of each component

soils with smaller particles have a ___ water holding capacity

higher

Chemical weathering

acid rain, rust on rocks

Biological weathering

plants growing in rocks, human activity , animal burrowing

Watershed Characteristics, these characteristics influence what

1. Area

2. Length

3. Slope

4. soil

5. vegetation

6. divides ( boundary with other watershed )

Watershed characteristics influence rainwater flow through the watershed

runoff often causes what

erosion and picks up and carries elsewhere

watershed characteristics and classifications are influenced by

runoff and infiltration

Water table

the ground below which the ground is saturated with water, usually below infiltration

Aquifer

a body of porous rock and sediment saturated with groundwater, usually below water table

Recharge process

water infiltrates into soil and then percolates deeper into ground to replenish underground aquifers

Watershed classification differ based on runoff and infiltration rates, provide examples

urban - high runoff , low infiltration

forested = high infiltration and low runoff

Riparian Zones

important component of watersheds with vegetation. Can trap and filter certain types of pollutants

Pollution enters watersheds from

1. Agricultural runoff

2. industrial dumping

3. urban runoff

4. erosion

5. solid waste

   Due to runoff and infiltration some of these pollutants can enter into groundwater

Factors affecting the amount of solar radiation reaching the earth

• rotation ( 1×24 hrs )

• revolution ( 1 per 365 days )

• tilt of axis(23,5 degrees )

• atmospheric conditions

What causes seasons

summer happens in the northern hemisphere when it is tilted towards the sun so that it gets the most direct rays. Sun rises higher and stays above the horizon longer and its rays strike the ground most directly.

Albedo

Proportion of light that is reflected by a surface, mostly determined by a color

• surfaces with a high albedo reflect more light and thus gain less heat

  • like ice snow

• surfaces with low albedo absorb light and heat

  • pavement

Weather

short term atmospheric conditions for the area

Climate

An area’s general pattern of weather or atmospheric conditions over a long period of time

front

boundary between two air masses

Cold front ___ warm fronts by creating a ___, how does this work

displaces, wedge, cold air is denser than warm air so the warm air is pushed upwards