1. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
Weathering
I. Introduction
a. Weathering - __________________________________________
b. Weathering breaks ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________
c. These loose pieces are called __________________.
i. ____________________
ii. ____________________
iii. ____________________
1. ___________________________________________
d. Weathering has caused
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
e. Weathering also produces ( makes)
_____________________________________________________
f. There are two different types of weathering
i. ___________________
ii. ___________________
II. Mechanical Weathering
a. Mechanical weathering ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________
b. This means that the general ______________________________
_____________________________________________________
i. Each fragment has ________________________________
ii. There are three main processes of mechanical weathering
each in its own way ______________________________.
1

2. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
c. Plants and animals
i. Plants –
1. Water and nutrients _________________________
2. This helps _________________________________
3. As the roots grow ___________________________
_________________________________________
ii. Animals –
1. _________________________________________
__________________________________________
2. As these animals ____________________________
__________________________________________
3. Once the sediments are pushed _______________
__________________________________________
d. Ice wedges
i. Ice wedging occurs ________________________________
________________________________________________
ii. Since water ______________________________________
________________________________________________
iii. This pressure _____________________________________
________________________________________________
iv. The Ice then melts _________________________________
________________________________________________
v. Ice wedging is more noticeable in the mountains where
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
1. This process causes _________________________
2. This process also effects ______________________
__________________________________________
a. This causes ___________________________
2

3. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
e. Surface Area
i. Mechanical weathering by ___________________________
breaks _________________________________________.
ii. These pieces cover more ___________________________
iii. This allows chemical weathering to ___________________
III. Chemical Weathering
a. Chemical Weathering occurs ______________________________
_____________________________________________________
b. This type of weathering changes __________________________
_____________________________________________________
c. Natural Acid
i. Naturally formed _________________________________
_______________________________________________
ii. When water reacts with _____________________________
________________________________________________
iii. This carbonic acid _________________________________
________________________________________________
iv. Over thousands of years so much limestone has been
weathered that __________________________________
v. Chemical weathering also occurs when _______________
_______________________________________________
vi. Over a long period of time ___________________________
________________________________________________
1. Clay is _____________________________________
3

4. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
d. Plant Acids
i. Some roots and ___________________________________
that also _________________________________________
ii. When these minerals _______________________________
________________________________________________
iii. Eventually the rocks will ____________________________
________________________________________________
iv. As the rock weathers _______________________________
e. Oxygen
i. Causes chemical weathering.
ii. rust is caused by ______________________
iii. Oxidation occurs when ____________________
___________________________________________
1. For example when iron is _________________
_____________________________________
2. Another common example ___________________
________________________________________
iv. Oxidation of minerals _____________________________
IV. Effects of weathering
a. Climate is ________________________________________
_________________________________________________
b. Climate effects ____________________________________
4

5. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
i. Mechanical weathering is faster in places ___________
_____________________________________________
ii. Chemical Weathering is more rapid in ________________
_______________________________________________
iii. So a place like the rain forest _______________________
V. Effects of rock Type
a. Rock Type also ________________________________________
b. In wet climates ___________________ _____________________
5

6. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
Soil
I. The nature of soil
a. Formation of Soil
i. As we stated above weathering
___________________________
______________________________________________
ii. These fragments
form___________________________________
________________________________________________
iii. However, they don’t
_____________________________________
iv. Plants and animals add organic _____________________
______________________________________________
v. Soil is
_______________________________________________
________________________________________________
vi. What effects the form of soil
1. _________________________________
2. _________________________________
3. _________________________________
4. _________________________________
a. Different soil form in ___________
____________________________
b. Soils that develop in _____________
_____________________________
b. Composition of soil
6

7. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
i. Soil as we just learned is made of __________________
_____________________________________________
ii. Most of these fragments are _______________________
iii. However, some ________________________________
iv. Most organic __________________________________
_____________________________________________
1. ___________________
2. ___________________
3. ___________________
v. Animals and ____________________________________
vi. After plants and animals get into the soil ________________
________________________________________________
vii. The dark colored , decayed organic matter is called _______
viii. This humus provides _______________________________
ix. As _____________________________________________
________________________________________________
x. Good Quality _____________________________________
xi. Soil had many ____________________________________
1. during a drought ________________________
2. When there is water ______________________
c. Soil Profile
i. If you ever dug a deep hole in the soil you have seen
_______________________________________________
1. You probably also observed that ________________
__________________________________________
2. the top layer is also _________________________
ii. These different layers are called ____________________
iii. All the Horizons_____________________________
1. Most soils have __________________________
a. _______________________
b. ______________________
7

8. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
c. _______________________
iv. A horizon
1. This is the ________________________________
2. In a forest the ______________________________
a. Litter
-_________________________________
b. The litter helps ________________________
_____________________________________
3. The A horizons also known as ________________
a. It is usually __________________ &
_____________________________________
i. The darkness is formed by the
_________________________
v. B Horizon
1. the b Horizon ______________________________
2. Due to the fact _____________________________
_________________________________________
3. The B horizon contains material from the A horizon by
a process called ______________________.
a. Leaching is ____________________________
_____________________________________
i. Here water seeps thru the
_____________
ii. Water then reacts with the humus
________________________________
________________________________
_______________________________.
vi. The C Horizon
1. This consists of _________________________
_________________________________________
2. It is usually the ______________________________
8

9. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
3. It doesn’t ___________________________________
4. It is usually made of ________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
a. If you would dig down to the bottom of the C
horizon you will find _____________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
d. Glacier deposits
i. During the Ice age ________________________________
________________________________________________
ii. When the glacier melted it left ________________________
________________________________________________
1. This material covers ________________________
iii. The soil that developed from this is
________________________________________________
iv. However, if you would dig __________________________
________________________________________________
II. Soil Types
a. The soil here in New York ________________________________
i. Some are _________________________________
1. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________
ii. Soil types reflect climate
1. desert soil
a. ________________________
b. ______________________________
c. _______________________________
2. Forest soil
a. ____________________________
9

10. Earth Science Weathering and Soil
Rabbi Goldberg Unit 10
b. ____________________________
c. ____________________________
iii. Other factors
1. The parent material ______________________
______________________________________
a. Clay soil often ___________________
_______________________________
2. Rock Types also ________________________
______________________________________
3. Time affects ____________________________
4. Slope ____________________________________
___________________________________________
__________________________________________.
10