1. Constructive and Destructive Forces Unit
5th Grade

2. constructive process:
the building up of the Earth’s surface including deposition, earthquakes, volcanoes, and faults

3. destructive process:
the tearing down of the Earth’s surface including weathering, erosion, impact of organisms, earthquakes, and volcanoes

4. deposition
deposits of material which is added to a landform

5. earthquake
underground movement in the Earth’s crust that may cause change in the lithosphere

6. erosion
movement of material by water or wind

8. weathering
the breakdown, either physical or chemical, of rocks on the Earth’s surface

9. fault
a deep crack in the Earth’s surface where plates slide against each other

10. volcano
the escape of hot, molten rock and gas from the Earth’s interior
Video

11. delta:
an area of new land at the mouth of a river, formed from sediments carried by the river

12. sand dunes
a hill of sand, made and shaped by wind

13. decomposers
organisms that lives by feeding on and breaking down dead plants and animals

14. organisms
an individual form of life, such as a plant, animal, bacterium, or fungus

15. flood control
the use of tools such as dams and levees to reduce destruction caused by floods

16. beach restoration
the process of replacing sand on a beach that was lost due to erosion and deposition

17. seismological studies
the study of earthquakes