| A | B |
|---|
| chemical weathering | processes by which the materials in a rock are changed into new materials |
| mechanical weathering | processes by which rock is broken into smaller pieces |
| oxidation | cause of chemical weathering; combines the element oxygen with other elements or molecules |
| weathering | mechanical and chemical processes that change objects on Earth’s surface over time |
| biota | all the organisms living in a region |
| climate | average weather of an area |
| decomposition | process that changes once-living material into organic matter |
| horizon | layer of soil formed from the movement of the products of weathering |
| organic matter | remains of something that was once alive |
| parent material | starting material—rock or sediment—that weathers and forms soil |
| pore | small hole or space in soil |
| soil | mixture of weathered rock, rock fragments, decayed organic matter, water, and air |
| topography | shape and steepness of the landscape |
