Soils and Civilizations exam 1

UTK ESS 120 exam 1

True or False: Class attendance has NO effect on your grade

False

5 Soil Forming Factors:

climate, organisms, relief, parent material, time

What soil order is commonly the site of most disaster cleanups related to water?

Entisols

What are the two most common soil orders found in Tennessee? What is the soil forming factors critical to their development?

Alfisols and Ultisols. Time and Biota

What soil order is the most productive in the world?

Mollisols

Explain two conflicting land uses.

The best landfill sites are the best forming sites. The best forming sites are the best building sites

What caused the shrinking of the Aral Sea? What crop caused it?

There was over-irrigation as a result of attempting to grow cotton.

What soil order will catch fire and why?

Histosols because they store large quantities of organic carbon

Explain how the subsidence post is important to measuring the sustainability of land use.

The subsidence post shows us how much soil we lose to oxidation. The post was level with the top of the soil in the 1920s, and it lost 7 feet of soil due to oxidation. This kind of soil is where our vegetables come from

Explain how land and commodity prices are related as well as land use practices based upon recent commodity practices.

as product price increases, prices will fluctuate with it.

Why are land prices increasing and are somewhat close to land prices here in the US?

Everything is interconnected

The development of agriculture provided the framework for what changes in rural society?

Created permanate villages, increased population, could now feed specialists (inventors, soldiers, kings)

Why can crops move East and West, but not North and South?

If you move North and South, the day length witll change. For East and West, the day length does not change.

Explain why climate change is a fact.

Climate change is proved through the rock records. We can see this in the isotope ratios and through the CO2 concentration in gas bubbles in glacial ice

Describe several attributes of the Bushman

short in stature, classified as hunter-gatherers, used poisoned arrows and spears (innovative), originally from Botswana Africa where it is was very arid and water wasn’t readily available.

Who was Laurens Van Der Post and the significance of his writings?

He grew up in Africa and was a witness to the treatment of the bushmen and the destruction of their culture.

Why was loose skin important as per Lauren’s grandfather?

so they could eat more food

What did the Bushmen celebrate and how did they celebrate?

After the kill of an animal, they would talk/pray to it

Describe some of the methods used by the Bushmen to survive extreme environments.

used poisoned arrow/spear tips, ate as much as they could when they could, followed lions to scavenge food, never totally emptied an ostrich’s nest so that the bird would continue to return and lay more eggs

What is meant when Van Der Post writes that “they never exceeded their portions?”

they only killed when they needed to survive

What was unique about the way the Bushmen hunted?

The bushmen would follow larger predators and 'help' the predator catch the prey, then stole the carcass once the predator ate enough. They used poison arrows, using more potent poison for larger game

What food item did the Bushmen really, really like that they would scale mountains to obtain?

Honey

What insect killed Dr. Eash’s chickens?

African Honeybees

What insect seemed to have no effect on the Bushmen but have limited European movement northward in Africa?

Tsetse fly, honeybee

Be able to describe the transitions in the early Bushmen paintings to the later paintings after European entrance onto the continent

the paintings went to depicting natural scenes to ones of conflict

Explain how the paintings were “cataloged” at Tsodilo Hills

Tsodilo is the place the Bushmen think all humans emanated from. On those bluffs are the best paintings in the world which seem to be organized by type of animal painted as well as colors of paints used... all the ocean animals are found together, birds are more or less in one area, and all the large ungulates and mammals together.

The Bushmen paintings establish the fact that Bushmen were nomadic how?

they showed various species that they could’ve seen across the land, had they not moved so much.

How did Van Der Post get in trouble with the South African government over his view of the Bushmen?

He insisted that the Bushmen had a culture and were who were responsible for the rock paintings

Explain how fanaticism, Calvinism, and other religions and fear contributed to the treatment of the Bushmen.

Europeans tried to domesticate/assimilate them by force instead of learning

Did the Bushmen approve of senicide or geronticide or infanticide?

yes - they would abandon infants/elders if doing so would increase the chances of survival for community. if a mother gave birth to twins, she abandoned one

Who was Levi and why did he hate the white man?

Indian (Native American) who thought white people stole their land.

What was Yali’s question?

Why do white people have so much cargo?

What percentage of Africans lived on less than 5 dollars a day

a lot

Be able to explain the effect of a linear increase versus a geometric increase. Will the hungry portion of the population increase linearly or geometrically?

Population is geometric. Food is linear

1 billion people go hungry every night. Why?

Food distribution

Why is there such a demand of prime farmland?

Prime land has many uses

Explain the two general timeframes for erosion occurrences

geologic and accelerated

How does erosion impact soil fertility

Erosion decreases intrinsic fertility

Why is erosion prevention important?

Because it’s hard to stop erosion once is starts

Arable land is needed to support large populations. Describe the factors that drive the land available on a per capita basis. Describe current trends.

Population went from 3 billion in 1958 to 8 billion. There is a new billion every decade or so. There is a need for food.

Describe the effects of erosion on soil productivity

decreases productivity

What are some of the off-site effects of erosion? Describe

Siltation of dams, lakes, rivers etc. Floods, soil and water pollution

Describe the three erosion processes

detachment, transport, and deposition

What rainfall and soil factors impact soil erosion rates? What makes soil more erodible?

Rainfall intensity, soil texture. Loess or silt textures erode easiest

Describe means to limit soil erosion by water

keep crop residues on the surface to protect the pores

Which factors in RUSLE can we control? Explain

Farming practices and slope if terraces are constructed.

Describe the factors important to wind erosion

velocity, frictional velocity, turbulence, gustiness, prevailing wind direction.

What is a very practical way to stop wind erosion?

Windbreaks every half mile

Irrigation is used on what percentage of the global food harvest?

35-40%

Where is Mesopotamia? What countries make up ancient Mesopotamia today?

Between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Iraq, Iran, and Turkey

Describe the main rivers that supply water to the region.

Euphrates and Tigris rivers

Describe the importance of the region historically and its initial politics.

First historic civilization, endured for 2500 years, included Sumerians, Akkadians, Amorites, and Assyrians

Why is the area referred to as the Cradle of civilization? What changes in living arrangements occurred here and were unique?

Alluvial South was settled long before the introduction of writing. Began living in cities, and the cities were independent city-states

Describe the political movement of Lower Mesopotamia. Is there a relationship between the developments and the food supply?

Ruled by Monarchs (priest-kings), developed and perfected bureaucracy, invented “law”

What is the importance of the ancient coastline found on the map? Does it give insight into the causes of the downfall?

Soil erosion prevents a civilization from growing food. If a civilization can't grow food, its peoples will have to migrate to another area.

Which 7 wonders of the world is found in this area?

Babylon

Why did the civilization move northward?

pressure from environmental damage, climate change, hostiles, and a loss of trade

What is Diamond's 4 themes that help us understand the collapse of Sumer?

Fail to see a future problem, failure to notice problem, perceive problem, but fail to fix it, perceive problem and fail to fix it

How does silt load of streams impact groundwater levels?

raises water table elevation

How does salinization occur with irrigation?

Water table close to soil surface allows for upward movement of water and salts (evaporation and transpiration)

What three things do we use daily that come from ancient Sumeria?

The wheel, 60 increments on the clock, calendar

What was Lowdermilk’s hypothesis regarding the cause of city depopulation?

Muddy water. Siltation of canals depopulated cities like advancing armies.

Describe what Lowdermilk found when he crossed the Jordan River.

Desolation, Soil on bedrock slopes, On denuded highlands remnants of old villages, terraced areas had some crops

What was Lowdermilk’s assessment of the cause of the 100 dead cities?

Exposed limestone

What ancient texts substantiate deforestation in Lebanon and throughout the region?

Biblical texts, Plato, and Pliny

Regarding the Yellow River and its floodplain, how do rivers get “above” their floodplain?

When they flood, a natural levee is formed

Explain: “In the last reckoning all things are purchased with food…”

Vicksburg

What would a young soil look like?

Thin

What is the significance of the different geologic materials to later soil productivity?

intrinsic soil fertility

What are buried A horizons?

A topsoil that was covered up, usually by an erosional event

Which soil forming factor includes humans?

biota

What would an old soil look like?

Thick, deep (more than a couple meters thick)

Understand the path of the Nile

it flows northward, being fed by Blue Nile Ethiopia and White Nile Lake Victoria in Uganda

Could one call the Nile Delta the gift of Ethiopia? Why?

yes, the sediment carried by the Nile provided "free" nutrients for crop production

Is there value in the sediment carried by the Nile? Why was flooding important?

yes, it helped replace the damaged soil with nutrients that were removed during farming season. Silt deposits made the land fertile, so they needed flooding to deposit the silt where they planted

Be able to explain the changes that occurred once agriculture provided the basis for the civilization

agriculture causes surplus, which allows more time to develop culture, politics, etc

Who were the Nubians?

ethic group that inhabited modern day sudan and egypt near nasser. they were conquered by the Egyptians and their ruins are now covered in water.

What were the advantages/disadvantages of the Aswan Dam

advantages: hydro-power, increased irrigation
disadvantages: people are displaced, increased water borne illnesses, erosion downstream, increased salinity, decreased sediment

In many countries, crop residues are valuable. Explain

The people use the straw (etc.) to feed their cows.
This material provides crops protection from soil erosion.

What are agricultural terraces and what is their purpose? How do rock pavements form?

Method of farming that uses "steps" that are built into the side of a mountain or hill. On each level various crops are planted, when it rains instead of washing away all the nutrients in the soil, the nutrients are carried down the next level.

through gradual removal of sand, dust, and other fine-grained material by wind and rain, leaving larger fragments behind

Describe the history of Easter Island, its soils, landscape, and geographic location. Describe the conditions of the islanders when “discovered”

Belongs to Chile, Gentle topography, Mild climate, fertile soils, windy, porous volcanic rock, 50 inches of rainfall per year, Limited fresh water, ponds and bogs at the bottom of craters, Poor fishing resources, no coral reefs.

Explain the impact of “discovery” on the islanders.

Jacob Roggoveen wrote that:
Several thousand people malnourished, islanders lived on sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, chicken, little fish, NO wildlife, taro, paper mulberry, and sugarcane, after discovery, many islanders died from smallpox

Describe the statues, their construction, and their purpose.

"Ahu" is the base, stone platform 1-15 statues per Ahu, statues are about 12 feet tall, Tallest 32, ranged in mass from 10-75 tons, started in basalt and eventually to tuff which was easier to work with.
"Pukao" is the hat what was put on top of the flat head, took a lot of energy and tools to do this type of work.

From what location did the Easter Islanders probably originate?

Appeared to come from Mangareva, Pitcairn, or Henderson islands

The islanders used “rock mulch.” What was the purpose?

to help substrate retain water and nutrients for crops. also prevented erosion and rapid temperature fluctuations

The Easter Islanders had a society comprised of chiefs and commoners and were quite religious.

Chiefs lived near coast and commoners lived further inland

What does this tell us about food production and food security?

Food production had to be enough to have a middle and upper class

The real story about Easter Island is one about vanished resources. Explain.

21 species of trees were burned for firewood and cut down for other uses.
Deforestation peaked at 1400 AD
Crop yields decreased.

What evidence is there that the diet shifted?

the teeth in skeletons of people had tooth decay from sugary substances which = diet shifted to more sugary food

What evidence is there that suggests a peaceful existence turned violent?

starvation (moai kavkana statues), population crash, over-thrown rulers, civil war, cannibalism, moved to costal zones

While many suggest that the demise was completely self-inflicted, describe other potential factors that could have impacted their demise?

unrecorded European visitors before 1722, natural climate change, rats eating seeds

How could rats have impacted the outcome?

once the rats took over, the rat population exploded to millions within a few years.

Describe the effects of deforestation on various types of islands.

It is more severe on dry islands, cold high latitude islands, old volcanic islands, islands without aerial ash fallout, islands far from Central Asia’s dust plume, Islands without makatea, low islands, remote islands, and small islands