SOIL SCIENCE 2025 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
100% CORRECT ANSWERS!!
6 ways soils function in natural and managed landscapes
1. medium for plant growth
2. used as a level for engineers
3. habitat for organisms
4. recycling systems for organic wastes
5. atmosphere modifier
6. system for water supply and purification
soil critters roles
critical for soil physical structure and soil fertility
5 factors that influence soil development
1. time
2. topography
3. climate
4. biodiversity
5. parent materials
soil profile
A soil profile is a vertical section from surface to parent material, showing the soil horizons.
the pedosphere
1. lithosphere (world of rocks)
2. atmosphere (air)
3. hydrosphere (water)
4. biosphere (living organisms)
residual materials
loose and partly weathered mineral materials accumulated by disintegration of consolidated rock
, colluvium
made up of poorly sorted rock fragments detached from the heights above and carried downslope
by gravity
till
is material deposited directly by ice.
how is an outwash plain formed?
the torrents of water gushing forth from melting glaciers in a valley or plain carrying loads of
sediment
how are lacustrine deposits formed?
material deposited in lake water and exposed by lowering of water levels
what is a floodplain?
a river valley that is disturbed during a flood
what are alluvial fans?
A fan-shaped deposit of sediment that forms where a stream drops downward from a higher
elevation and encounters the valley floor as the stream slows down, depositing fine silt, sand, or
other sediments it is carrying.
what are delta deposits?
areas where material that settles near the mouth of a river
what is eolian soil material?
soil material collected by wind
what is loess? (pronounced - "luss")
windblown materials composed of silt sized particles
what is dune sand?
medium and fine grains of sand that are picked up by strong winds and piled into hills
100% CORRECT ANSWERS!!
6 ways soils function in natural and managed landscapes
1. medium for plant growth
2. used as a level for engineers
3. habitat for organisms
4. recycling systems for organic wastes
5. atmosphere modifier
6. system for water supply and purification
soil critters roles
critical for soil physical structure and soil fertility
5 factors that influence soil development
1. time
2. topography
3. climate
4. biodiversity
5. parent materials
soil profile
A soil profile is a vertical section from surface to parent material, showing the soil horizons.
the pedosphere
1. lithosphere (world of rocks)
2. atmosphere (air)
3. hydrosphere (water)
4. biosphere (living organisms)
residual materials
loose and partly weathered mineral materials accumulated by disintegration of consolidated rock
, colluvium
made up of poorly sorted rock fragments detached from the heights above and carried downslope
by gravity
till
is material deposited directly by ice.
how is an outwash plain formed?
the torrents of water gushing forth from melting glaciers in a valley or plain carrying loads of
sediment
how are lacustrine deposits formed?
material deposited in lake water and exposed by lowering of water levels
what is a floodplain?
a river valley that is disturbed during a flood
what are alluvial fans?
A fan-shaped deposit of sediment that forms where a stream drops downward from a higher
elevation and encounters the valley floor as the stream slows down, depositing fine silt, sand, or
other sediments it is carrying.
what are delta deposits?
areas where material that settles near the mouth of a river
what is eolian soil material?
soil material collected by wind
what is loess? (pronounced - "luss")
windblown materials composed of silt sized particles
what is dune sand?
medium and fine grains of sand that are picked up by strong winds and piled into hills
