Weathering Vocabulary

the breaking down of rocks, soil, and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, water, and biological organisms.

• weathering

• erosion

• deposition

• sediment

the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transport it away to another location.

• weathering

• erosion

• deposition

• eruption

the process where material being transported by a river is deposited.

• erosion

• weathering

• deposition

• formation

natural forces that change Earth's physical features, including forces that build up and wear down Earth's surface. You have a thorough understanding of how four physical processes—tectonic movement,volcanic activity, erosion, and glaciation—have shaped Earth's surface.

• processes

• variable

• cotinent

• sediment

a rock unit.

• landscape

• landform

• rock layer

• formation

the visible features of an area of land, its landforms and how they integrate with natural or man-made features.

• landform

• rock layer

• landscape

• formation

a specific geomorphic feature on the surface of the earth, ranging from large-scale features such as plains, plateaus, and mountains to minor features such as hills, valleys, and alluvial fans.

• volcano

• formation

• landscape

• landform

a mineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice.

• deposition

• sediment

• variable

• glacier

the remains or impression of a prehistoric organism preserved in petrified form or as a mold or cast in rock.

• rock layer

• fossil

• sediment

• earthquake

a layer of material, naturally or artificially formed, often formed one upon another.

• sediment

• rock layer

• formation

• landform