Weathering and Soil Crossword

2. carbon dioxide in rainwater mixes with minerals in rock to create carbonic acid
4. water softens minerals in rock
7. organisms that break the remains of dead organisms into smaller pieces and digest them with chemicals
9. horizon c is made of mostly this
10. falling rocks or debris break rocks
12. rapidly moving water, glaciers, or wind scraping at surface of rock
13. the process that splits rock when water seeps into cracks, then freezes and expands.
14. the area of the Great Plains where wind erosion caused soil loss during the 1930's.
15. soil that is made up of about equal parts of clay, sand, and silt.
18. dark-colored organic substance that forms as plant and animal remains decay.
19. also known as horizon A; made of crumbly, dark brown soil that is a mixture of humus, clay, and other minerals.
21. rock changing from cold to hot causing expansion and contraction which breaks rock

1. a type of weathering in which rock is physically broken into smaller pieces.
3. solid layer of rock beneath the soil.
5. also known as horizon B ; consists mostly of clay and other particles.
6. the process that breaks down rock through chemical changes.
8. plants growing into cracks expanding and breaking the rock
11. loose weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow.
16. this occurs when iron combines with oxygen in the presence of water.
17. animals dig into soil and rock
20. the process that breaks down rock and other substances at Earth's surface.