| Term | Definition |
| the natural process by which atmospheric and environmental agents, such as wind, rain, and temperature changes | weathering |
| the process by which rock breaks down into smaller | mechanical weathering |
| the grinding and wearing away of rock surfaces through the mechanical action of other rock or sand particles | abrasion |
| process by which rock breaks down as a result of chemical reactions | chemical weathering |
| reaction that removes one or more electrons from a substance such that the substance's valence state increase | oxidation |
| a chemical reaction between water and another substance to form two or more new substances | hydrolysis |
| rain,sleet,or snow that contain concentration of acids due to pollution of the atmosphere | acid precipitation |
| a lose mixture of rock, fragments, organic material that can suppoet growth of vegetation | soil |
| a horizontal layer of soil that can be distinguished from layers above or below it | horizons |
| dark, organic material formed in soil from decayed remains of plants and animals | humus |
| materials of the earth's surface are loosened, dissolved, or worn away and transported from one place to another by a natural agent such as wind, water, ice, or gravity | erosion |
| water flows over a layer of soil and removes topsoil | sheet erosion |
| movement of large mass of sediment or a section of land down a slope | mass movement |
| the slow downhill movement of weathered rock material | creep |
| fallen leaves and partially decomposed organic matter | surface litter |
| organic matter, living organisms, and rock particles | topsoil |
| dissolved or suspended materials moving downward | zone of leaching |
| larger rock particles with organic matter, and inorganic matter | subsoil |
| rock that has undergone weathering | rock particles |
| solid rock layer | bedrock |