Earth's History Part 1 Vocab

Geology

science dealing with the earth's history as recorded in rocks

Landforms

the natural features of the land's surface

Sediment

small, solid pieces of material that come from rocks or living things

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Deposition

Process in which sediment is laid down in new locations.

Erosion

Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away

Weathering

The breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface.

Minerals

Nutrients that occur naturally in rocks and soil

Abrasion

The grinding away of rock by other rock particles carried in water, ice, or wind

Crystals

solids whose particles are arranged in a lattice structure

Atmosphere

A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon.

igneous rock

a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface

Sedimentary Rock

A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together

Metamorphic Rock

A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.

Crust

Earth's outermost layer.

Cross Section

a two-dimensional vertical slice through the Earth, revealing the arrangement of rock layers, faults, and folds beneath the surface