1. Vocabulary Chapter 4: Lesson 1
Litter
Topsoil
Subsoil
Bedrock
Erosion
Nutrient depletion
Fertilizer
Desertification
Drought
Land reclamation

2. Litter
The top layer of dead leaves and grass.

3. topsoil
Mixture of rock fragments, water, air and decaying animal and plant matter.
Ex. This is where the roots absorb the water.

4. subsoil
This layer also contains rock fragments and air and water, but it doesn’t as much animal and plant matter.

5. Bedrock
The rock that makes up the earth’s crust.

6. erosion
The process that water, wind, or ice moves particles or rocks and soil

7. Nutrient depletion
Soil becomes less fertile

8. fertilizers
Substances that farmers use to put nutrients back into the soil to help crops grow better

9. desertification
When a once fertile area becomes depleted of nutrients and moisture, it becomes like a desert

10. drought
A period when less rain than normal falls

11. Land reclamation
The process of restoring land to a more productive state.