Hydrologic cycle: precipitation, runoff, infiltration, evaporation, transpiration, respiration

Soil Components: soil, regolith, bedrock; inorganic, affects composition and texture (grain size), residual soil, transported soil, mineral deposits (accumulated as part of soil); organic material - bacterial decay forms humus; pore space, air - less O, more CO₂ than atmosphere, water - mineral rich and often acidic

Soil Structure: porosity, permeability

Processes: downward percolation of gravitational water, eluviation - removal of clay and silt, leaching - dissolving and removing elements; upward movement of capillary water (evaporation), illuviation - deposit clay and silt (hardpan), accumulation - precipitation of minerals (caliche)

Soil Profile: Horizons, O - organic , A, E- zone of eluviation and leaching (more intense in E; A has more organic left), B - zone of illuviation and accumulation, C - transition zone, bedrock

Climate effects: arid environment, much evaporation, large B horizon, caliche; wet tropics, high rainfall, much leaching and eluviation, large A horizon, laterite

What are the main components of a soil? How are they affected by the parent material?

Draw and explain the hydrologic cycle.

Draw a typical soil profile showing the O, E & A, B, C horizons. Describe each horizon. What processes are dominant in each horizon? Discuss two examples where climate has a major effect on the soil profile.

Define porosity and permeability. How are they similar? How are they different? Give an example of a material with high porosity and permeability. What is a material that has low permeability?

Describe the changes in our local granite as it gets increasingly weathered.