Vocab
What is a Horizon?
a layer in a soil profile
What are the three types of soil particles?
Sand, Clay, Silt
True or False - The A horizon is also known as topsoil and Why
True
True or False - Sand particles are smaller than clay particles and Why
False. Sand particles are larger than clay particles
Which organism has a better opportunity of becoming a fossil after it dies? A. Clam B. Flower C. Jellyfish
A. Clam
What is soil that is rich in minerals that have drained from the topsoil?
subsoil
What type of Soil do plants grow better in? Acidic or Alkaline Soil.
Plants thrive better in Acidic soil
What does the O stand for in the O horizon?
Organic
What components of soil are organic? What components are inorganic?
organic: microorganisms, decaying plant and animal material, living plant roots; inorganic: rock particles, water, gases
What rock are most fossils are found in?
Sedimentary
What is a large mass of igneous rock forced between or through layers of existing rock?
Intrusion
True or False - Water seeping downward through the horizons dissolves and carries minerals into lower horizons by the process called filtration and why?
False. Water seeping downward through the horizons dissolves and carries minerals into lower horizons by the process called leaching.
Name 2 Regional Soil Profiles
Grassland Soil, Temperate deciduous Soil, Desert Soil, Tropical rain forest soil. Coniferous forest soil
What are the most difficult type of unconformity for scientists to identify are...
disconformities
What is a fossil of a track, trail, or burrow
Trace fossil
What is a fossil that is useful for dating and correlating the strata in which it is found?
Index fossil
Name 2 Acidic and 2 Alkaline Substances
HCL, Battery Acid, Lemons, Tomatoes, Rain Milk / Eggs Hand Soap, Ammonia, Bleach
Plant roots do not extend past the _____ horizon.
B Horizon
According to the ________ , rock fragments found in nearby rock layers must be older than the rock layers that contain them.
Principle of inclusions
True or False - Soft tissues decay much faster than hard substances, such as bone and teeth and Why
What is true
What is a type of fossilization where the organic material becomes dehydrated?
desiccation
Describe in detail two reasons why soil is so important to life on Earth
Soil is essential to the ecosystem. Scientists have found that the world’s soil is one of the largest reservoirs of biodiversity. It contains almost one-third of Earth’s life. Soil provides nutrients to plants.
Why are A horizons darker than B or C horizons?
The A horizon contains organic material that eventually leads to the formation of Humus, which is dark in color.
Explain why an unconformity is a gap in the geologic record
. An unconformity is a break in the geologic record where layers of rock are missing because of erosion. The eroded surface that lies between two groups of strata is an unconformity. Unconformities occur when movements in the earth’s crust lift buried rock layers to the surface, exposing the layers to the effects of weathering and erosion. These eroded layers are eventually buried again under newly formed sedimentary layers. The portion of rock that was eroded leaves a gap of missing information
How are fossils used to interpret Earth’s physical history?
Scientists use fossils to explain different events in Earth’s history. They can theorize what the climate was like, how organisms interacted with one another, and what plants grew in a particular area by examining what fossils are found in a layer of soil. Scientists also use fossils to assign relative ages for different strata where the fossils are found