Know Soil, Know Life Terms

Unconsolidated, weathered, or partly weathered mineral material that accumulates by disintegration of bedrock in place.

A particular type of momentum-dependent transport involving: (i) the rolling, bouncing or jumping action of soil particles 0.1 to 0.5 mm in diameter by wind, usually at a height ?15 cm above the soil surface, for relatively short distances. (ii) The rolling, bouncing or jumping action of mineral grains, gravel, stones, or soil aggregates effected by the energy of flowing water. (iii) The bouncing or jumping movement of material downslope in response to gravity.

Chemically weathered rock that has not lost its original rock fabric or changed its volume but has lost some of its original mass—in other words it looks like rock but has a lower bulk density than unweathered rock and can be dug with a shovel.

Any organism living upon dead or decaying organic matter.

All the soil pores are filled with water.

A soil map compiled from scant knowledge of the soils of new and undeveloped regions by the application of available information about the soil-formation factors of the area.

Method used by scientists involving powers of 10 to work with very large or very small numbers.

The removal of a relatively uniform thin layer of soil from the land surface by rainfall and largely unchanneled surface runoff (sheet flow).

Agricultural systems similar to long-term rotations, in which areas are cultivated for a few years until nutrients are depleted, then abandoned to be reclaimed by native vegetation. Cultivation moves to an adjacent area. Native vegetation restores some fertility so the area can be cultivated again ten or more years later.

Clay minerals that expand greatly when wet or saturated, e.g., montmorillinite, bentonite.

An erosion control practice installed on the perimeter of construction sites to limit movement of eroded soil sediments off the construction site.

Practices that combine management of livestock, forage crops and tree production in an integrated pasture system.

A structureless soil condition where the particles are not aggregated. Non-cohesive materials.

Fungus-like protists that during part of their life cycle when food is short can move in a gelatinous trail or “slime” pathway.

Solids remaining after effluent (liquids) is removed during the wastewater treatment process. With additional treatment, sludges may be treated further to become biosolids.