Name: _________________ Class Period: _____
Earth Science Vocabulary
Directions: Using the words & definitions below, to practice the vocabulary words
for our new science unit. Use the example below that shows exactly how your
vocabulary words should look on notebook paper. For each vocabulary word you
will need provide the word, the definition, a picture, and a sentence that uses the
word properly. All pictures should be colored.
Example
Definition:
Term:
Bedrock
Put the word into a sentence:
The bottom layer of soil,
made mostly of solid
rock.
Picture:
The miners finally hit
bedrock while looking
for gold.
1.
Soil- a mixture of weathered rock & organic matter that usually covers bedrock.
2.
Parent Material- material from which soil forms.
3.
Bedrock- the bottom layer of soil, made mostly of solid rock.
4.
Topsoil- the top layer of soil, made in part from broken-up piece of lower layers of rock
5.
Loam- is made up of a few different types of soil, with varying amounts if clay, silt, and
sand mixed together. This type of soil is ideal for gardening.
6.
Soil Horizon- soil is made up of distinct horizontal layers; these layers are called horizons.
They range from rich, organic upper layers (humus and topsoil) to underlying rocky layers
(subsoil, regolith and bedrock).
7.
Minerals- a natural, solid substance that has a definite chemical composition and physical
structure.
8.
Luster- refers to how light is reflected from the surface of a mineral. Can be classified as
metallic or nonmetallic.
Marshall in the Middle © 2014
9.
Streak- the color of powder left behind when a mineral is rubbed on a piece of unglazed tile
called a streak plate.
10.
Cleavage- the ability of a mineral to break along preferred planes..
11.
Crystal Shape- used to identify a mineral in a specific pattern
12.
Igneous Rock-. Rock formed when melted rock hardens
13.
Intrusive- igneous rocks that cool underground, deep within Earth’s crust.
14.
Extrusive- igneous rocks that cool on the Earth’s surface.
15.
Magma- melted rock within Earth
16.
Lava- Magma that is exposed at Earth’s surface
17.
Sedimentary Rock- Rock formed when layers of sediment settle and are cemented together.
18.
Metamorphic Rock- Rock made from igneous or sedimentary rock that has been changed by
pressure, high temperature, very hot water, or combination of these factors.
19.
Metamorphism- the process by which metamorphic rock is formed.
20.
Rock Cycle- processes that change rock from one type to another.
Marshall in the Middle © 2014