ecology

3. come apart or be shed from a surface in scales or layers
4. a widespread and often dramatic form of soil erosion caused by flowing surface water
7. the process by which water seeps into cracks in a rock, expands on freezing, and thus enlarges the cracks
8. an addition of an oxygen atom to a compound
12. occurs when runoff water forms small channels as it concentrates down a slope
13. process of rocks crumbling due to rain, wind, or other atmospheric conditions
14. a vertical section of the soil that depicts all of its horizons
16. those materials that have been moved from their place of origin, by gravity, wind, water, glaciers, or human activity

1. the erosion or disintegration of rocks, building materials, etc., caused by chemical reactions (chiefly with water and substances dissolved in it) rather than by mechanical processes.
2. the laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea or ice
5. a soil material which is the result of weathering and decomposition of rocks that has not been transported from its original place.
6. the process of wearing or being worn by long exposure to the atmosphere.
9. a distinct layer of soil, approximately parallel with the land surface, whose properties develop from the combined actions of living organisms and percolating water
10. the geological process in which earthen materials are worn away and transported by natural forces such as wind or water
11. a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted
15. the upper layer of earth in which plants grow, a black or dark brown material typically consisting of a mixture of organic remains, clay, and rock particles.