Unit 2 Physical Process

3. A community of living organisms and their physical environment.
11. The breaking down of rocks and minerals by physical or chemical processes.
12. Large-scale movements of water in the oceans.
13. The physical breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces without changing their chemical composition.
15. The process by which fertile land becomes desert.
17. A region of little rainfall due to a mountain range blocking moisture-laden winds.
19. Regions of Earth with similar climates.

1. The theory that continents have moved over time.
2. Large, rigid sections of the lithosphere that move and interact with each other.
4. The rigid outermost layer of Earth, composed of the crust and upper mantle.
5. The layer of gases surrounding Earth.
6. The wearing away of Earth's surface by wind, water, ice, or gravity.
7. A sudden, violent shaking of Earth's surface.
8. The part of Earth inhabited by living things.
9. All of Earth's water, including oceans, lakes, rivers, groundwater, and ice.
10. Forces within Earth's crust that cause movement of tectonic plates.
11. Tiny rock particles are moved downstream, and the rock is grinded by transported particles, water dissolves chemical elements in rocks and changes its composition.
14. A layer of permanently frozen ground.
16. The process of soil formation through the weathering of rocks, organic matter decomposition, and other factors.
18. Large-scale ecosystems characterized by their climate and vegetation.