Unit 5 Planet Earth Key Terms

4. The light reflecting properties of a mineral.
5. The tendency of a mineral to break with rough or jagged surfaces.
11. Loose material such as bits of rocks, minerals and plant and animal remains.
12. The dark-colored part of soil that is rich in nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulphur.
14. A principle or law stating that within a sequence of undisturbed sedimentary rocks, the oldest layers are on the bottom and the youngest on the top.
15. The middle layer of the Earth, often divided into two parts; upper and lower.
16. The process by which sedimentary rock is formed from sediment, through weight and pressure.
18. The name of the second supercontinent thought to have existed approximately 350 million years ago and to have included all the present continents.

1. A heavy, almost solid form of petroleum.
2. An inorganic, naturally occurring solid material which may be either an element or a compound.
3. A downfold of a rock layer in mountain formation.
6. The arrangement of sedimentary rock into visible layers.
7. An upfold of rock layers in mountain formation.
8. The process by which materials from soil are dissolved and carried away by water.
9. A sensitive machine that is attached to bedrock in order to measure the strength of earthquakes.
10. The place deep in the crust where the earthquake begins.
13. The process of moving soil and rock from one place to another.
14. The color of a mineral in powered form.
17. The tendency of a mineral to break along a smooth flat surface.