Which soil process is associated with mineral movement upward due to evaporation?

• A. Leaching
• B. Erosion
• C. Calcification
• D. Weathering

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is calcification, the buildup of minerals near the surface as water moves upward and then evaporates. In dry climates, water from deeper in the soil rises toward the surface by capillary action. When this water reaches the upper layers and leaves as vapor, the dissolved minerals—especially calcium carbonate and other salts—precipitate and accumulate near the surface. This creates a horizon rich in mineral deposits, sometimes forming a caliche layer.

Leaching sends soluble materials downward with percolating water, which is the opposite of what’s described. Erosion is the physical removal of soil by water or wind, not the internal movement and precipitation of minerals. Weathering is the breakdown of rocks and minerals, not the upward transport and deposition of minerals within the soil profile. So the process that matches mineral movement upward due to evaporation is calcification.