9

Question 1

describe the soil composition

Answer 1

Minerals
OM
Micro orgs
Gas
Liquid

Question 2

how mater phases are in soil

Answer 2

all 3 phases: solid, liquid and gas

Question 3

recognize kaolinite

Answer 3

layering of clay

K= silica sheets and aliumia are together, but each sheet is held via string HB

Question 4

what are the physical properties of soil

Answer 4

particle size
texture
permeability and permebility

Question 5

general pathways by which rocks get transformed into the soil (3)

Answer 5

physical
chemical
biological

Question 6

what are the components of soil organic matter

Answer 6

4 main components are
finely divided material
various lvl of OG matter
water
air

Question 7

what are the chemical properties of soil

Answer 7

OM
pH
available elements
cation exchange capacity

Question 8

what are 2 characteristics of colloids

Answer 8

large SA and high cation exchange capacity

Question 9

what are colloids

Answer 9

molecule that are larger than atoms but small enough to be undetected by the unaided eye. (1 nano-1 micro)

they do not settle in solution

they still have a lrg SA and are neg charged (clays and humic mat)

Question 10

base saturation

Answer 10

The # of occupied sites by Ca Na K or Mg/ total sites. Looks to show how saturated the surface of a soil particle is by cations

Question 11

what is the land composed of

Answer 11

rock and soil

Question 12

what is soil

Answer 12

the producut of the weathering of rocks which is able to support plant growth

Question 13

what are the soil horizons

Answer 13

O- humus
A- top soil (minerals and OM)
B- sub soil (minerals but low OM)
C- parent mat
D- bed rock

Question 14

which minerals are most abundant in the soil

Answer 14

oxygen and silicon

Question 15

what are the subcategories of finely divided mineral matter

Answer 15

primary
- minerals from their source (quartz)
secondary
-post weathering processes (silicate clays)

Question 16

what is the size of clay

Answer 16

anything less than 2 micro meters

Question 17

montmorillonite

Answer 17

M= aluminum layers sandwiched between silica layers. each group is held together via a mix of Ca, Mg and K iconic bonds (via neg clay surface).
this loose bonding allows for the penetration of water easily. this clay will swell and shrink with ease.

Question 18

illite (differences)

Answer 18

aluminum layers sandwhiched between silica. Each group is healed together bia ioninc bonds by K only (and the neg clay surface). this is tight, and not water is able to pass

Question 19

what type of “hedron” do silicas form?

Answer 19

tetrahedron

Question 20

what type of “hedron” do aluminum form

Answer 20

octahedrons

Question 21

physical weathering

Answer 21

by temp
erosion via water or wind
plant or animals contribute too

Question 22

chemical weathering

Answer 22

hydration
A and B rxn- via CO2 dissolving in H2o
hydrolysis
complexation rxn
redox

Question 23

hydration

Answer 23

a chemical weathering porecess where water moles are incorporated into minerals. common is secondary min.

minerals will swell and become deforemd

Question 24

hydrolysis

Answer 24

water reactswith a mineral in the presence of an acid, realising ions assaioated ith OG mineral identiy

Question 25

complexation

Answer 25

removal of Fe3+ and Al3+ via the formation of soluble complexed while in soil. water will carry away.

Question 26

complexation

Answer 26

removal of Fe3+ and Al3+ via the formation of soluble complexes while in soil. water will carry away.

Question 27

biological weathering

Answer 27

the weakening od disintegration of rocks by plants, animals, and microbes -burrowing animals -root growth -a symbiotic relationship that microbes have with rocks, promoting the breakdown

Question 28

how can particle size impact soil

Answer 28

those that have alot of sand are well drained but have a poor source of nutrients though those with lots of clay are very dense and don't drain well. but they have goof nutrient retention best soilds are a combo

Question 29

soil texture

Answer 29

a physical property the defintion of the type of soil by the proportion of different sized particles

Question 30

permeability

Answer 30

a physical property that decrsibes the interconnectedness of the pore of a soil. how well water is male to drain through the soil

Question 31

total elements

Answer 31

chemical property just a list of all elements found in sample

Question 32

OM

Answer 32

a chemical property also described as humus and is composed of three layers Humin(black) Humic acids (grey/brown) Fulvic acids (yellow)

Question 33

available elements

Answer 33

those that can be absorbed to taken up by a plant. determined by mixing soil with an aq solution containing chemicals to displace certain target elements that are supposed to be ready for plants

Question 34

cation exchange capacity

Answer 34

most messured property how well is soil able to hold positively charged nutrients the absorption of cations to the surface of the soil via electrostatic interactions

Question 35

soil pH

Answer 35

basic of they are rich in dolomite (8.7) acidic if they are rich in humic materials (4.6)

Question 36

problems with soil erosion

Answer 36

loss of nut and arable land. diff to reverse

Question 37

water imbalance problems

Answer 37

difficult to sustain productivity -ehter too dry or water clogging

Question 38

nutrient leaching problems

Answer 38

via fluxes of water, soil texture and overall plant cover can be avoided by plant uptake, high CEC, and soils containing clay

Question 39

acidification problems

Answer 39

source from excess Al3+ and Fe2+, microorgs (via resp CO2) and anthropogenic (acid rain) can be avoided with carbonate buffering

Question 40

salinity issues

Answer 40

salts can accumulate near the surface when in regions with low precip and high evap

Question 41

metal contamination issues

Answer 41

not Ca, Mg, K or Na sourced from ore or mining deposited note that the retention of the pos metals will be determined by the CEC of the soil (common that pH7-8 will retain metals the most, but is the pH drops to 7-4 then the metals can be leached into water systems) this can contribute to acid mine drainage as a positive feed back loop is often formed via the release of Fe (OH)3 and H2SO4