| A | B |
|---|
| bedrock | The solid, unbroken layer that lies underneath the loose surface layer of soil |
| permeable | capable of being passed through, especially by liquids and gases. |
| impermeable | not capable of being passed through or permeated. |
| soil | a mixture of rock particles, humus, water, and air |
| soil formers | anything that helps soil form by chemically weathering larger rocks and breaking them into smaller pieces-ex. lichen and moss |
| litter | with soil it refers to the top layer and is made up of mainly organic material like leaves, twigs, pine needles, pine cones, etc. syn-detritus |
| humus | the dark organic material in soils, produced by the decomposition of vegetables or animal matter-essential to the fertility of the earth |
| decomposer | an organism usually a bacterium or fungus, that break down cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances. |
| soil horizon | A layer of soil whose physical characteristics differ from the layers above and beneath. |
| sediment | a naturally occuring materials that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion. |
| leaching | the loss of water soluble plant nutrients from the soil. |
| gravity | the force of attraction by objects on Earth tend to fall toward the center of the earth |
| erosion | the process by which the surface of earth is worn awar by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc. |
| mass movement | this happens when gravity causes section cliffs and hills to move down slope. |
| deposition | The geological process by which sediments, soil, and rocks are added to landform or land mass. |
| runoff | something that drains or flows off, as rain that flows off from the land in streams |
| deflation | The removal of loose rock material, sand and dust by the wind |
| groundwater | the water beneath the surface of the ground, consisting largely of surface water that has seeped down. |
| abrasion | the affect of mechanical weathering of rock, by rock fragments scratching and scraping it |
| topography | the land forms or surface shapes of a region |
| weathering | is the process that breaks down rock and other substances at Earth's surface |
