| A | B |
|---|
| Weathering | The breaking down of rocks and other materials |
| Mechanical weathering | Weathering that does not involve changes in the chemical makeup of rocks |
| Exfoliation | The breaking off of curved sheets parallel to a rock's surface due to weathering |
| Frost action | The breaking apart of rock when water freeze and expand within cracks |
| Root-pry | The breaking apart of rocks by the growth of plant roots |
| Landslide | A large downhill movement of loose rocks and soil by the pull of gravity |
| Abrasion | The wearing away of a substance by solid particles carried by the wind |
| Chemical weathering | Weathering that does not involve changes in the chemical makeup of rocks |
| Oxidation | The process in which oxygen chemically combines with another substance |
| Carbonation | The process by which carbonic acid reacts chemically with other substances |
| Stable rock | Rock composed of minerals that resist chemical weathering |
| Residual soil | Soil that remains on top of the rock from which it was formed |
| Transported soil | Soil that is moved away from its place of orgin |
| Bedrock | The layer of rock beneath the soil |
| Humus | The part of soil formed by decaying organic material |
| Pore space | Space between soil particles |
| Horizon | Soil layer |
| Soil profile | A cross section of soil horizons |
| Leaching | The process in which water washes minerals from the top soil to the subsoil |
| Subsoil | The middle layer of soil |
| Topsoil | The uppermost layer of mature soil |
