weathering: the breaking down of rock on the surface of the Earth usually by the force of water, win

1

• weathering the breaking down of rock on the
  surface of the Earth usually
  by the force of water, wind, or ice
• erosion the movement of weathered particles by
  water, wind, or ice
• deposition the process in which materials that
  have been eroded are dropped in a new place
• landform a natural structure found on the
  surface of the Earth
• glacier a huge piece of ice that slowly moves
  across the surface of the Earth and remains
  frozen during the entire year
• fault A crack in the Earths crust
• earthquake the shaking of the Earths crust
  caused by large pieces of rock underneath the
  Earths surface moving against
  each other
• volcano a mountain made from hardened lava,
  rocks, and ash that erupted out from underneath
  the Earths surface
• magma melted rock below the Earths surface
• lava magma that has flowed out onto the surface
  of the Earth

2

• lithosphere the rocky surface of the Earth
• atmosphere the pocket of air that surrounds the
  Earth
• hydrosphere all the water on the surface of the
  Earth and underground, including ice and water
  vapor
• axis an imaginary line running from the North
  Pole to the South Pole through the center of the
  Earth
• rotation the spinning of a planet or moon on its
  axis
• orbit the path one object takes around another
  object in space
• tide the rise and fall of the water level of the
  ocean near the shore that is caused by the pull
  of gravity of the moon

3

• source the place where something begins or comes
  from
• sunspot a cool spot on the suns surface that
  occurs for a short time
• solar flare an eruption of flame off of the
  suns surface
• corona the outer edge of the suns atmosphere
• solar energy energy from the sun
• wind moving air

4

• natural resources materials in the environment
  that are useful to people
• fuels material burned to produce heat energy
• nonrenewable resources natural resources such as
  fossil fuels that will eventually be used up and
  can never be
  replaced
• renewable resources natural resources that
  nature can produce again such as trees, plants,
  water, oxygen, and soil
• inexhaustible resources resources that humans
  can use and never use up such as solar energy and
  wind

5

• water cycle the change of water from one state
  to another as it travels from the Earths surface
  to the atmosphere and back
• evaporation the process of changing from a
  liquid to a gas, usually caused by energy from
  the sun
• condensation The process of changing from a gas
  to a liquid, such as water vapor changing into
  water
• precipitation Water falling to the surface of
  the Earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet, or
  snow
• transpiration the process of water vapor leaving
  a plant and entering the atmosphere

6

• soil a material made up of tiny pieces of
  weathered rock
• humus decaying plant and animal material in the
  soil
• loam soil rich in nutrients that is good for
  plant growth
• nitrogen cycle the movement of nitrogen between
  organisms and the environment
• decomposers organisms that break down dead
  materials and wastes

7

• sedimentary rock rock formed when sediments are
  pressed together
• igneous rock rock formed when lava cools
• metamorphic rock rock that formed when another
  kind of rock was squeezed and heated deep inside
  the Earths crust
• fossil the remains of a plant or animal that
  lived long ago

8

• comet a ball of ice and dirt that orbits the sun
• meteor a small rock that burns as it enters
  Earths atmosphere
• asteroid a large rock in outer space
• galaxy a group of stars
• constellation a group of stars that ancient
  people thought formed a picture in the sky
• astronomer a scientist who studies bodies in
  outer space

9

• climate the usual weather in a place
• air pressure the weight of the air pressing on
  everything in the environment
• barometer a device that measures air pressure
• humidity water vapor in the air
• precipitation water falling to the Earth
• nimbus clouds rain clouds
• front the place where one air mass meets another
  air mass
• air mass a large pocket of air