Across
- 3. The process by which weathered rock, soil, and sediments are moved from one location to another by wind, water, ice, or gravity.
- 5. The uneven distribution of electrical charge in a water molecule, giving it a slight positive charge on one side and a negative charge on the other.
- 7. The ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
- 12. The downslope movement of rock, regolith, and soil under the direct influence of gravity.
- 15. The physical breakdown of rocks into smaller fragments without changing their chemical composition.
Down
- 1. The underlying geological material (usually bedrock or superficial drift) from which soil horizons form.
- 2. The continuous process by which rocks are created, destroyed, and transformed into different types over geological time.
- 4. The mechanical weathering process where water enters cracks in rock, expands upon freezing, and breaks the rock apart.
- 6. The slow process of rock breaking down and mixing with organic matter, regulated by climate, organisms, and time.
- 8. The decomposition of rock resulting from chemical reactions that change the mineral composition.
- 9. Rock formed from the cooling and solidification of molten magma or lava.
- 10. Living organisms, such as plants, animals, and microbes, that interact with and affect their environment or soil development.
- 11. Rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution, typically caused by industrial burning of coal and other fossil fuels.
- 13. The shape and features of the land surface, including slope and elevation, which influence drainage and soil development.
- 14. Rock formed from the accumulation, compaction, and cementation of mineral and organic particles.
- 15. Rock altered from its original form by intense heat, pressure, or chemically active fluids without melting.