EXCERCISES

4 Match the words to the correct definition.

1. Subsoil
2. Ground
3. Profile
4. Leaching
5. Top soil
6. Weathered

a. Layer of soil immediately below the surface.
b. A vertical section of soil showing the sequence of the various layers.
c. The upper portion of a soil, dark coloured and rich in organic material.
d. Eroded or altered by the action of water, wind, frost, heat, etc.
e. Process of removal of soluble constituents.
f. The solid surface of the earth.

5 Find the questions to these statements.

1. .................................................................................................................................
A section of soil is made up of different colours, chemical compositions and size of material.
2. ................................................................................................................................
We can evaluate the fertility of soil by examining its profile: the soil is infertile if it contains a lightcoloured layer in the subsurface soil from which nutrients have been removed; it is fertile when it has a deep surface layer containing a high quantity of organic matter
3. ................................................................................................................................
Soil formation is affected by a range of geological, chemical and biological processes that occur over long periods of time.
4. .................................................................................................................................
A soil profile is usually made up of six layers.
5. ................................................................................................................................
There are four basic types of soil: sand, silt, clay and loam.
6. .................................................................................................................................
It is dark and very fertile, and consists of minerals and a large amount of organic matter.
7. .................................................................................................................................
It is composed of mineral materials leached from the upper layers, but is not very rich in humus.
8. .................................................................................................................................
This layer is mostly unaffected by atmospheric agents and is at the base of a soil profile.

6 Complete the table.

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Loam, silt, clay, sand

GLOSSARY

clay: argilla
eluviated: eluviale
floodplain: pianura alluvionale
layer: strato del terreno
to leach away: percolare
leached: lisciviato
loam: terreno a medio impasto
parent rock: roccia madre
silt: limo
unweathered: inalterato dal clima
to weather: deteriorarsi con l’azione dell’acqua, vento o gelo
wetland: palude