Dirt on Dirt

Asthenosphere- below the lithosphere

Lithosphere- outermost shell

Plate Tectonics- large scale-motion of the lithosphere

Tectonic Cycle- the rock cycle, mountains and other forms

Divergent Plate Boundaries- magma rises as the plates separate 

Convergent Plate Boundaries- lowered under another

Transform Fault Boundary- earthquakes occur here, where it glides across

Physical Weathering- erosion through wind, water, and air

Chemical Weathering- erosion through chemicals

Erosion- the weathering of things

Deposition- materials being added to a land mass

Cation Exchange Capacity- the amount of cations soil is capable of holding at dry weight

Base Saturation- basic cations held in soil

Soil Degradation- the worsening of soil over time

Ores-rock that contains minerals

Human Impact: Humans have a large effect on soil and land masses. They can create faults or plates that glide across one another through certain things like fracking. Fracking can cause earthquakes to occur. Also their effect on soil is huge. Soil is degraded through human usage of it. They can overuse the land and cause bad chemicals to be soaked down into it. Along with soil degradation the chemicals can runoff into streams and lakes and create bad environments for the sea-life. Some humans can cause the pH levels to drop into really bad conditions and cause the levels of certain concentrations to exceed the best point.

Environmental Impact: The effect of the bad soil can cause bad situations for plant growth. It can inhibit and stop the community from growing. Also the bad chemicals can runoff to the streams nearby and cause the aquatic life to suffer greatly. It can be harmful to the environment around it and cause a chain reaction. Earthquakes and Tsunamis are also an environmental issue because they can cause certain species to be wiped out. They also effect the plant ecosystems and cause harm to them. Volcanoes are another impact that can wipe out civilizations. Also the magma spurred out can cause inefficient soil for plants to grow.

Economic Impact: When soil is degraded or overused plants have a hard time growing in that area. This can be harmful to farmers if they do not use a specified technique that can be harmful to the soil. It can make them suffer greatly in their farming techniques. Also earthquakes cause buildings to break and fall and can cause a large impact on the pockets of many people in order to recuperate. Along with earthquakes, volcanoes cause civilizations to be wiped out and people have to rebuild from nothing. With the runoff of chemicals from soil into streams and lakes, can cause the fishing industry to suffer because environments will be killed off and that will hurt the industry.

Government Legislation: One act that was passed to promote fertility was the Soil Conservation Act. This act made people use the soil and conserve it in such a way that it allowed improved fertility. It also was made to promote economic use and stop the soil resources from being diminished. The EPA has protection measures for people living in the range of a volcano explosion. It helps people prevent loss and helps for their safety.