Our Natural World Vocabulary

a process by which discarded materials are broken down and later formed into something new

giant pieces of Earth's crust that move and shift under Earth's surface

an event in which a large mass of soil and rock suddenly moves down the slope of a steep surface

the process by which waste and dead plants and animals are broken down into simpler substances

a crack or weakness on the Earth's surface caused by the shifting of tectonic plates

an opening in Earth's crust through which magma flows up and spews lava onto Earth's surface during an eruption

a resource that comes from the Earth and is not man made; humans depend on these for survival

the loose material that rests on top of Earth's surface; contains air, water, hummus, and rock

the process by which rocks are broken into smaller and smaller pieces by natural events such as wind, rain, and changing temperatures

an event that causes the Earth to tremble and shake at the surface as energy is released due to the shifting of Earth's tectonic plates

hot melted rock that spews out of a volcano during an eruption

a part of the soil made up of dead plants and animals that have been decomposed