AKLAM

Questions to Answers:
Direction: Answers should be written in bold and italic type.
1.What is meant by the statement, weathering combines the processes of destruction and synthesis? Give
an example of these two processes in the weathering of a primary mineral.
During weathering the original rocks and minerals are destroyed or broken down into smaller
particles or simpler compounds, but these products may also be combined so that new minerals are
synthesized.
ex. orthoclase breaks down to release potassium, aluminum and silicon into the weathering
solution and form these components new minerals, perhaps silicate clays, are formed
2. How is water involved in the main types of chemical weathering reactions?
During hydration reactions intact water molecules bind to the hydrating mineral. during
hydrolysis water molecules split into H+ and OH- ions with the H+ often replacing a metal cation from
a mineral structure. during dissolution, water molecules surround ions from the soluble mineral until
they become dissociated from each other. during carbonation, water dissolves carbon dioxide to form
carbonic acid.
3. Explain the weathering significance of the ratio of silicon to aluminum in soil minerals.
A declining ratio of silicon to aluminum is considered an indicator of more complete

weathering.
4. Give an example of how parent material may vary across large geographic regions on one hand but
may also vary within a small parcel of land on the other.
A great variety of soils occupy the regions covered by residual debris because of the marked
differences in the nature of the rocks from which these materials evolved. The varied soils are also a
reflection of wide differences in other soil-forming factors, such as climate and vegetation.
5. Name the five factors affecting soil formation. With regard to each of these factors of soil
formation, compare a forested Rocky Mountain slope to the semiarid grassland plains far below.
1. Parent materials (geological or organic precursors to the soil) Rocky Mountain:

sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. colluvium. Grassland plain: sedimentary rocks.
2. Climate (primarily precipitation and temperature)
3. Biota (living organisms, especially native vegetation, microbes, soil animals, and
increasingly human beings)
4. Topography (slope, aspect, and landscape position)
5. Time (the period of time since the parent materials began to undergo soil formation.)
6. How do colluvium, glacial till, and alluvium differ in appearance and agency of transport?
Colluviam = transported through gravity and appears as rock fragments.
glacial till = transported though glaciers and appears poorly assorted.
alluvium = transported by rivers/ streams.
7. What is loess, and what are some of its properties as a parent material?
The windblown material composed primarily of silt with some very fine sand and course clay.
Loess deposits tend to form silty soils of rather high fertility and potential productivity
8. Give two specific examples for each of the four broad processes of soil formation.
1. Transformations: occur when soil constituents are chemically or physically modified or

destroyed and others are synthesized from the precursor materials. Ex. physical weathering to smaller
particles
2. Translocations: involve the movement of inorganic and organic materials laterally within a
horizon or vertically from one horizon up or down to another. Ex. incorporation of surface organic
liter into the A and B horizons by certain earthworms, transport of B and C horizon material to the
surface by mound-building termites, and the widespread burrowing actions of rodents.
9. Assuming a level area of granite rock was the parent material in both cases, describe in general terms
how you would expect two soil profiles to differ, one in a warm, semiarid grassland and the other in a
cool, humid pine forest.
Soils in warm arid and semi arid areas are extremely deficient levels of calcium, potassium and
low cation exchange capacity and organic matter while soils in cool humid pine forest areas with
dolomite as the parent material have high carbon content and exchangeable calcium, magnesium and
aluminum.
10. For the two soils described in question 5, make a profile sketch using master horizon symbols and sub
horizon suffixes to show the approximate depths, sequence, and nature of the horizons you would expect
to find in each soil.

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Questions to Answers:

Direction: Answers should be written in bold and italic type.

2. How is water involved in the main types of chemical weathering reactions?

A declining ratio of silicon to aluminum is considered an indicator of more complete

1. Parent materials (geological or organic precursors to the soil) Rocky Mountain:

2. Climate (primarily precipitation and temperature)

4. Topography (slope, aspect, and landscape position)

Colluviam = transported through gravity and appears as rock fragments.

glacial till = transported though glaciers and appears poorly assorted.

alluvium = transported by rivers/ streams.

1. Transformations: occur when soil constituents are chemically or physically modified or

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