| A | B |
|---|
| Mechanical weathering | the erosion or breakdown of rock into smaller fragments by natural physical agents with no chemicals involved |
| Chemical weathering | the process, by which rocks are decomposed, dissolved or loosened by chemical processes to form residual materials |
| Oxidation | the deposit that forms on the surface of a metal as it oxidizes |
| Erosion | the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc |
| Geology | the science that deals with the dynamics and physical history of the earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the physical, chemical, and biological changes that the earth has undergone or is undergoing |
| Meteorology | the science dealing with the atmosphere and its phenomena, including weather and climate |
| Hydration | the process of combining with water |
| Carbonation | saturation with carbon dioxide |
| Desertification | the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, usually caused by a combination of drought and the overexploitation of grasses and other vegetation by people |
| Deforestation | the removal of trees |
| Placer deposit | an accumulation of valuable minerals formed by deposition of dense mineral phases in a trap site |
| Abrasion | the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice |
| Weathering | the various mechanical and chemical processes that cause exposed rock to decompose |
| Hydrolysis | chemical decomposition in which a compound is split into other compounds by reacting with water |
