|
 Abiotic | nonliving material |
| Bedrock | solid rock |
| Biotic | living material |
| Clay | type of soil with very small particles that "gum" together |
| Compost | man made humus |
| Horizon | layer of soil |
| Humus | decaying plant and animal material |
| Infiltration | when water travels through the soil |
| Leaching | process where minerals dissolve in water that travels through the soil |
| Litter | leaves and other organic material that are found at the surface of the soil |
| Loam | soil that is a mixture of the different types and organic material |
| Regolith | layer of weathered rock |
| Sand | soil with large particles that does not hold water or nutrients well |
| Silt | Soil with medium sized particles that feels powdery |
| Topsoil | Layer of soil from which plants take most of their nutrients |
| Weathering | breaking down of rock by water, freezing , thawing, chemicals etc. to form soil |
| Chemical Weathering | Changes the minerals in soil |
| Physical weathering | Rain, ice and wind break rock into smaller pieces |
| Desertification | Process that makes fertile soil unusable and can lead to erosion |
| Erosion | Loss of soil |
| Parent Material | Material soil is made from |