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| The zone in permafrost that is subject to seasonal freezing and thawing. |
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| The use of microbes to clean hydrocarbon residues from contaminated soils. |
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| In arid regions, a sediment or soil that is cemented by calcium carbonate (CaCO3). |
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| The weathering and transportation of the materials of the earth’s surface. |
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| A large rounded dome resulting from exfoliation; e.g., Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. |
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| Clayey soils that expand when they absorb water and shrink when they dry out. |
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| The opening of joints and cracks by the freezing and thawing of water. |
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| The cutting of channels into the landscape by running water. When extreme, it renders farmland useless. |
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| Impervious layer just below the land surface produced by calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the B horizon (see claypan). |
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| highly weathered brick-red soil characteristic of tropical and subtropical rainy climates. These are rich in oxides or iron and aluminum and have some clay minerals and silica. Bauxite is an A1-rich deposit of a similar origin. |
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| A blanket deposit of buff-colored calcareous silt that is porous and shows little or no stratifi-cation. It covers wide areas in Europe, eastern China, and the Mississippi valley. It is generally considered to be windblown dust of Pleistocene age. |
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| Soil of arid or semiarid regions that is rich in calcium carbonate. |
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| A person who studies soils. |
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| Permanently frozen ground, with or without water, occurring in arctic, sub-artic, and alpine regions. |
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| The upper limit of permafrost. |
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| The use of plants to remove soil contaminants, particularly excess salt. |
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| Unconsolidated rock and mineral fragments at the surface of the earth. |
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| Soil formed in place by decomposition of the rocks upon which it lies. |
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| The carving of small channels, up to 25 cm (10 in) deep, in soil by running water. |
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| The removal of thin layers of surface rock or soil from an area of gently sloping land by broad continuous sheets of running water (sheet flow), rather than by channelized streams. |
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| Cracks more or less parallel to the ground surface that result from expansion due to deep erosion and the unloading of overburden pressure. |
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A. Loose material at the surface of the earth that supports the growth of plants (pedological definition).
B. All loose surficial earth material resting on coherent bedrock (engineering definition). |
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| A layer of soil that is distinguishable from adjacent layers by properties such as color, texture, structure, or chemical composition |
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| A vertical section of soil that exposes all of its horizons or zones. |
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| Weathering of rock surfaces that creates a rounded or spherical shape as the corners of the rock mass are weathered faster than its flat faces |
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| An element that occurs in minute quantities in rocks or plant or animal tissue. Some are essential for human health. |
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| A treeless plain characteristic of arctic regions with organic rich, poorly drained tundra soils and permanently frozen ground |
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| The use of vacuum pumps placed in shallow bore holes to remove vaporized organic contaminants in the soil such as gasoline or TCE. |
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| : The physical and chemical breakdown of materials of the earth’s crust by interaction with the atmosphere and biosphere. |
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