CHAPTER 12

Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dangerous dissolved materials such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from mines into nearby lakes and streams.

A method of cultivation in which residues from previous crops are left in the soil, partially covering it and helping to hold it in place until the newly planted seeds are established.

Plowing that matches the natural contour of the land.

The planting of a series of different crops in the same field over a period of years.

Elements or compounds of elements that occur naturally in Earth’s crust.

The pathway of various nutrient minerals or elements from the environment through organisms and back to the environment.

Soil and rock overlying a useful mineral deposit.

The study of the processes by which the lithospheric plates move over the asthenosphere.

A row of trees planted as a windbreak to reduce soil erosion of agricultural land.

A blast furnace is used to create chemical reactions take place throughout the furnace as the ore moves downward.

The uppermost layer of Earth’s crust, which supports terrestrial plants, animals, and microorganisms.

The wearing away or removal of soil from the land.

Horizontal layers into which many soils are organized, from the surface to the underlying parent material.

A hill of loose rock created when the overburden from a new trench is put into the already excavated trench during strip mining.

The extraction of mineral and energy resources from deep underground deposits.

The extraction of mineral and energy resources near Earth’s surface by first removing the soil, subsoil, and overlying rock strata.

The wise use of soil resources, without a reduction in the amount or fertility of soil, so it is productive for future generations.