Science Study Guide
Chapter 6 Using Earth’s Resources
Vocabulary
Sediment- tiny bits of weathered rock or once-living animals or plants.
Soil- mixture of minerals, weathered rock and other things.
Humus- adds nutrients to soil.
Loam- soil made from a mixture of sand, silt and clay.
Natural Resource- material on Earth that is necessary or useful to people,
for example soil and crops.
Fossil- the trace or remains of something that lived long ago, for
example shells, bones, skin, leaves and footprints.
Fuel- material burned for its energy.
Fossil Fuel- fuel that forms from the remains of ancient plants and
animals. It can be used to make electricity. Some examples of fossil fuels
are coal, oil, and natural gas.
Renewable resource- a resource that can be replaced or used again and
again, for example plants, animals, water and air.
Nonrenewable resource- a resource that can not be replaced or reused
easily, for example fossil fuels.
Pollution- when harmful things get into water, air and land.
Minerals- a solid, non-living substance found in nature.
They can be found underground, in soil, in the ocean and the ocean
floor.
Examples of minerals are: table salt, gold, iron, graphite
Properties are used to tell minerals apart. You can use:
Color- most minerals are only one color, but some come in many colors.
Streak- the color of the powder left when the mineral is rubbed across a
white tile.
Luster- describes how light bounces off a mineral.
Hardness- describes how easily it can be scratched.
Texture- describes how it feels. Rocks that have large grains that can be
easily seen, have a coarse (rough) texture. Rocks that have grains that are
too small to see have a fine (smooth) texture.
Rocks- non-living material made of one or more minerals.
Three Types of RocksA) Igneous- forms when melted rock cools and hardens. (Granite
and Basalt are examples of igneous rocks.)
B) Sedimentary- forms from layers of sediment and broken down
rock. (Examples- sandstone, shale, limestone)
C) Metamorphic- rock that has been changed by heating and
squeezing, thus changing the properties that are different from the
original rock. (Examples; Gneiss forms from granite, slate forms
from shale, phyllite forms from slate)
Uses of Minerals and Rocks
Rock/Mineral
Used For
Graphite*************
Pencils
Halite ****************
table salt
Copper**************
Telephone Wires
Aluminum*********
Baseball Bats
Limestone**********
Cement
Coal******************
Burned for Heat
Soil- helps plants grow.
 Water, air, minerals, and living things are found in soil.
 Plant’s roots hold soil in place and help slow erosion.
 Soil is formed when weathering causes rocks to break down into
smaller and smaller pieces. This weathered rock builds into layers
and mixes with once-living things to become humus. This
combination forms the different layers of soil.
 It takes up to 1,000 years to form 1 cm of soil.
 Adding minerals and humus keeps soil healthy.
Three Layers of Soil
A) Topsoil- dark, has the most humus and minerals.
B) Subsoil- lighter in color/less humus.
C) Bedrock- solid rock.
Soils with thick layers of topsoil= rich in humus and are great for growing
plants.
Soils with thin layers of topsoil= little humus and are not good for
growing plants.
The materials in soil determine what color the soil will be.
Soil rich in humus= dark brown, black.
Soil with a lot of calcite= lighter in color
Soil with hematite= reddish color.
Sandy soil has lots of small grains called sand. It holds very little water.
Silty soil is made of grains that are smaller than sand called silt.
Clay soil- has smallest grains called clay. It holds a lot of water.
How Does Coal Form?
Step 1- Swamp plants died,
Step 2- The layers of decayed plants formed a fuel called peat,
Step 3- The peat was buried under sediment,
Step 4- The sediment turned into sedimentary rock,
Step 5- Slowly the peat changed into the sedimentary rock Coal.
Facts to Know
Glaciers, icebergs, rivers, ponds, streams and sea ice are fresh water.
Aqueducts carry water to where it’s needed.