Earth Science 3

1. A loose mixture of rock fragments, organic material, water, and air that can support the growth of vegetation.
4. Characteristic of a material that is full of tiny, connected air spaces that water can seep through.
6. A chemical reaction that breaks down compounds into simpler products
7. The solid layer of rock beneath the soil
9. Chemical or physical process that breaks down rocks into smaller pieces.
11. Mixture of humus, clay, and other minerals that forms the crumbly, topmost layer of soil.
12. Process that breaks down rock into smaller pieces
13. A mixture of gravel, sand, silt, clay, and organic matter
16. The layer of soil beneath the topsoil that contains mostly clay and other minerals.
17. Is the idea that the geologic processes that operate today also operated in the past.
20. The process in which rock is broken down by changes in its chemical makeup

2. the loose layer of dead plant leaves and stems on the surface of the soil
3. The type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into smaller pieces
5. An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
8. A chemical change in which a substance combines with oxygen, as when iron oxidizes, forming rust
10. The layer of soil that differs in color and texture from the layers above or below it.
14. A measure of how well soil supports plant growth.
15. the grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried in water, ice, or wind
18. Process that splits rock when water seeps into cracks, then freezes and expands.
19. A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together
21. rich, dark organic material formed by decay of vegetable matter, essential to soil's fertility