| Term | Definition |
|---|
| evaporation | changing of a liquid to a gas |
| transpiration | process by which plants that release water into the atmosphere from small pores on their leaves known as stomata |
| sublimation | changing of a solid to a gas |
| condensation | changing of a gas into a liquid |
| precipitation | water released from clouds in the form of rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, or hail |
| infiltration | water that is absorbed by the soil and funneled down to groundwater |
| runoff | water that flows over the surface of the earth into rivers and lakes |
| groundwater | water that is absorbed by the earth |
| weathering | process that breaks down rock into smaller pieces |
| erosion | process of transporting weathered material by natural agents |
| deposition | process of laying the weathered material down in a new location |
| chemical weathering | process by which rock's minerals are changed into different substances |
| mechanical weathering | process by which rock is split or broken into smaller pieces without changing its chemical composition, disintegration |
| abrasion | the collision of rocks with other rocks, resulting in the breaking and wearing away of the rocks. |
| carbonation | carbonic acid reacts with calcite to dissolve limestone |
| oxidation | Oxygen in the atmosphere chemically reacts with minerals |
| regolith | weathered rock fragments |
| soil profile | a cross-section in which layers of the soil and bedrock can be seen. |
| humus | dark soil that contains decaying remains of plants and animals |
| acid rain | rain that is very acidic, formed by pollution, an example of chemical weathering |
| glacier | large mass of ice and snow that moves over land, 68% of the fresh water on earth |
| waves | curving swells of water caused by wind, tides, and earthquakes |
| beach | place where eroded particles are deposited parallel to the shore |
| wind | moving air |
| soil | loose, weathered rock and organic material in which plants with roots can grow |
| A horizon | topsoil horizon that is generally gray to black, contains the remains of living things (humus) |
| B horizon | subsoil horizon the rock has been weathered into fine grains, but no living things are present. |
| C horizon | horizon made of regolith, or partially weathered bedrock. |
| parent material | material from which a soil is formed, determines composition and properties of the soil |
| bedrock | solid rock that lies beneath the soil |
| hydrolysis | any chemical reaction of water with other substances |
| aquifer | body of rock that holds the groundwater |
| zone of aeration | the spaces between the sediments above the water table and are not filled with water |
| permeability | indicates how freely water passes through open spaces |
| porosity | percentage of open space in a given volume of rock or sediment |
| zone of saturation | groundwater forms this zone where water fills all of the open spaces in sediment and rock |
| water table | upper level of the saturation zone |
| pores | holes in the rock |
| cavern | are formed by chemical weathering. Carbonic acid dissolves rocks that contain calcite such as limestone. |
| sinkholes | formed when a cavern loses its support and the ceiling caves in |
| natural bridges | formed when either several sinkholes collapse in a line, or a surface river enters a crack in a rock formation which eventually erodes through the rock |
| stalagmite | rocks that form from the ground in caves |
| stalactite | rocks that hang from the ceiling in caves |
| column | formed when a stalagmite meets a stalactite |
| toglobite | creatures that live only in caves |
| karst topography | regions where groundwater dissolves the rocks and leaves visible traces on Earth's surface. Caverns, sinkholes and natural bridges. |
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