| A | B |
|---|
| Abrasion | The grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried in wind, water, or ice. |
| Bedrock | The solid layer of rock beneath the soil |
| Chemical Weathering | The process that breaks down rock through chemical changes |
| conservation plowing | Soil conservation method in which the dead stalks are left in the ground to hold the soil in place |
| contour plowing | Plowing fields along curves of a slope in order to prevent loss |
| crop rotation | The planting of different crops in a field each year. |
| Decomposers | An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms |
| desertification | The advance of desertlike conditions into areas that previously were fertile. |
| development | The construction of buildings, roads, dams, and other structures. |
| Dust Bowl | The area of the Great Plains where wind erosion caused soil loss |
| Erosion | the process by which water, ice, wind and/or gravity MOVES fragments of rock and soil. |
| fallow | land left unplanted to rest and renew with nutrients |
| hazardous waste | A material that can be harmful if it is not properly disposed of |
| Humus | A dark colored substance that forms as plant and animal remains decay |
| Ice Wedging | Edges in rocks widen and deepen cracks |
| incineration | The burning of solid waste |
| land reclamation | The process of restoring land to a more natural state |
| leachate | water that has passed through buried wastes in a landfill |
| Litter | in nature: the loose layer of dead plant leaves and stems on the surface of the soil |
| Loam | A rich, fertile soil that is made of approximately equal parts of clay, sand, and silt. |
| Mechanical Weathering | The type of weathering in which rock is physically broken down into smaller pieces |
| municipal solid waste | Waste produced in homes, businesses, and schools |
| Permeable | A material is full of tiny, connected air spaces that allow water to seep through it. |
| recycling | The process of reclaiming and reusing raw materials |
| sanitary landfill | A landfill that holds nonhazardous waste such as municipal solid waste and construction debris |
| sod | A thick mass of grass roots and soil |
| Soil | The loose, weathered material on Earth’s surface in which plants grow |
| Soil conservation | the management of soil to prevent its destruction |
| Soil Horizon | A layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it |
| Subsoil | Usually consists of clay and other particles washed down from the A horizon, but little humus |
| Topsoil | A crumbly, |
| Weathering | The process that breaks down rock and other substances at Earth’s surface |
