Across
- 2. – Average concentration of an element in the crust (16 letters)
- 4. – Breakdown of rocks without chemical change (18 letters)
- 5. – Rain, snow, or fog with a pH lower than normal (17 letters)
- 7. – Topsoil layer with minerals and organic matter (8 letters)
- 8. – Waste material left after ore extraction (12 letters)
- 11. – Soil layer mostly of organic matter (8 letters)
- 13. – Mining underground deposits (16 letters)
- 14. – Removing surface layers to expose ore (11 letters)
- 15. – Original rock or sediment from which soil forms (14 letters)
- 16. – Mixture of minerals, organic matter, air, and water (4 letters)
- 18. – Dark, nutrient-rich organic material (5 letters)
- 20. – Element or alloy with luster and conductivity (5 letters)
- 23. – Breakdown of rocks through chemical reactions (18 letters)
- 24. – Decline in soil quality (11 letters)
- 25. – Large hole dug to extract near-surface ore (13 letters)
Down
- 1. – Rock containing valuable minerals or metals (3 letters)
- 3. – Subsoil where minerals accumulate (8 letters)
- 6. – Layer above bedrock, partially weathered (8 letters)
- 9. – Movement of rock or soil by wind, water, ice, or gravity (7 letters)
- 10. – Blasting the tops off mountains to access coal (18 letters)
- 12. – A common form of acid precipitation (8 letters)
- 17. – Known quantity of a resource that can be mined profitably (7 letters)
- 19. – Extracting minerals from river sediments (12 letters)
- 21. – Distinct layer of soil (7 letters)
- 22. – Leached soil layer, lighter in color (8 letters)