Soil Vocabulary

loose layer of earth that covers the surface of our planet

• humus

• soil

• sand

• clay

the decayed remains of plants and animals

• clay

• loam

• humus

• deposition

made of lots of different small rocks

• texture

• soil

• capacity to retain water

• sand

wet and sticky, has the smallest particle size

• clay

• erosion

• sand

• loam

a mixture of sand, silt, and clay with a lot of humus

• weathering

• loam

• texture

• humus

how well the soil keeps in water, it depends on the mixture that makes up the soil

• erosion

• capacity to retain water

• weathering

• deposition

the slow breaking apart or wearing away of rock into smaller pieces

• erosion

• capacity to retain water

• weathering

• deposition

the movement of weathered rock material from one place to another

• weathering

• soil

• deposition

• erosion

the dropping of sediment by wind, water, ice, or gravity

• deposition

• capacity to retain water

• weathering

• erosion

how the soil feels, it depends on how much the pieces of soil have broken down and how much water is in the soil

• weathering

• erosion

• texture

• deposition