Why is it that rocks containing calcite occur all over the United States, yet soils containing calcite are restricted to the southwestern region?

What will be an ideal response?


Calcite forms in soil when there is a high concentration of calcium and carbonate ions in the soil solution. The high ion concentrations only occur when the evaporation of soil solution is high. In humid regions there is always enough water to keep concentrations low and the ions are flushed through the soil into deeper ground water. In places that are warm and dry, the soils get dried out, leaving behind a precipitate of calcite and other minerals like gypsum and halite.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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A pollutant such as oil can be broken down by organisms into carbon dioxide and water through a process called

____________. Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

Running water is referred to as a(an) ________ process in terms of being a landform creator

A) insignificant B) aeolian C) fluvial D) localized E) weak

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

The thermocline defines the ___________, and the pycnocline defines the ___________

a) Area where the water density rapidly changes; area where the temperature rapidly changes b) Area where the water temperature rapidly changes; area where the water density rapidly changes c) Area where the temperature of the water is at equilibrium; the density of the water is at equilibrium d) Area where salt concentration rapidly changes; area where oxygen rapidly changes

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences