Soil Formation

Constantly changing resource made from rock and mineral fragments, humus, air, and water

Soil Constantly changing resource made from rock and mineral fragments, humus, air, and water

Decayed plant and animal material in the ground

Humus Decayed plant and animal material in the ground

A change in the chemical composition of rock that helps break it down into smaller pieces

Chemical Weathering A change in the chemical composition of rock that helps break it down into smaller pieces http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1202/es1202page01.cfm?chapter_no=visualization

The physical breakdown of rock into smaller pieces

Mechanical Weathering The physical breakdown of rock into smaller pieces

The transportation of sediment from one place to another by wind, flowing water, ice, or gravity

Erosion The transportation of sediment from one place to another by wind, flowing water, ice, or gravity

The dropping of sediment by flowing water, wind, or glaciers when their movement slows

Deposition The dropping of sediment by flowing water, wind, or glaciers when their movement slows

A mound of sand deposited by wind erosion

Dune A mound of sand deposited by wind erosion

A huge mass of slowly moving ice

Glacier A huge mass of slowly moving ice

The sliding of huge amounts of rocks and sediment down a hill or a mountain

Landslide http://www.wimp.com/massivelandslide/ The sliding of huge amounts of rocks and sediment down a hill or a mountain http://www.wimp.com/massivelandslide/

Rich fertile soil that is made up of about equal parts of clay, sand, and silt

Loam Rich fertile soil that is made up of about equal parts of clay, sand, and silt

A measure of how well soil supports plant growth

Fertility A measure of how well soil supports plant growth

An organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms into smaller pieces

Decomposer An organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms into smaller pieces

A layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it humus topsoil subsoil bedrock

Soil horizon A layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it humus topsoil subsoil bedrock

The crumbly, top most layer of soil made up of clay, other minerals and humus.

Topsoil The crumbly, top most layer of soil made up of clay, other minerals and humus.

The layer of soil below topsoil that has less plant and animal matter than topsoil and contains mostly clay and other minerals

Subsoil The layer of soil below topsoil that has less plant and animal matter than topsoil and contains mostly clay and other minerals

The solid layer of rock beneath the soil.

Bedrock The solid layer of rock beneath the soil.