Unit 5 Vocabulary Check

Definition: an area of wetland dominated by plants such as grasses, sedges, and rushes

• swamp

• delta

• marsh

• dream

Definition: a series of processes in which a rock forms, changes from one type to another, is broken down or melted, and forms again by geological processes

• weathering

• soil profile

• rock cycle

• oxidation

Definition: a mass of material deposited in a triangular or fan shape at the mouth of a river or stream

• delta

• deposition

• shoreline

• floodplain

Definition: a chemical reaction in which a material combines with oxygen to form new material; in geology, oxidation is a form of chemical weathering

• oxidation

• reduction

• deposition

• respiration

Definition: the way in which a mineral reflects light

• matter

• streak

• luster

• creep

Definition: the boundary between land and a body of water

• coast

• coastline

• shoreline

• beach

Definition: an area along a river that forms from sediments deposited when the river overflows its banks

• deposition

• delta

• drainage basin

• floodplain

Definition: the natural process by which atmospheric and environmental agents, such as wind, rain, and temperature changes, disintegrate and decompose rocks

• weathering

• marsh

• erosion

• deposition

Definition: a substance that cannot be separated or broken down into simpler substances by chemical means

• delta

• cleavage

• element

• texture

Definition: a vertical section of soil that shows the layers, or horizon

• composition

• soil horizon

• soil profile

• sedimentary rock