Unit 5 Vocab Words

Unit 5 Week 6 Vocabulary Words

1.  condensation: water vapor that cools and changes back into a liquid

2.  evaporation: the change of a substance from a liquid to a gas (vapor)

3.  precipitation: any form of water that falls from clouds onto Earth's surface

4.  vapor: liquid in the air in the form of a gas

5.   cirrus: thin, wispy clouds

6.  cumulus: thick, puffy clouds

7.  stratus: layered clouds that produce drizzle

8.  cumulonimbus: big, stormy clouds that produce lots of rain

9.  barometer: an instrument that measures air pressure

10. anemometer: a devise used to measure wind speed

11.  erosion: the movement of rock fragments from one place to another

12.  weathering: the breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces called sediments

13.  sedimentary: rocks formed from sediments that have settled into layers

14.  magma: molten material beneath the Earth’s crust

15.  igneous: rocks that are formed when magma, or melted rock from deep inside the Earth, rises and cools

16.  metamorphic: a rock that has been changed by heat and pressure

17.  rock cycle: the process rocks go through to change into different types of rocks.

18.  soil profile: a side view “slice” of the different layers of Earth

19.  bedrock: solid rock that lies underneath the subsoil that has not yet been broken down

20.  topsoil: the top layer of soil that contains living organisms and nonliving things

21.   fossil: The hardened remains of a plant or animal from long ago.

22.   extinct: No longer living. 


23.  imprint fossil: To create a mark by pressing against a surface. 


24.  prehistoric: Before recorded history. 


25.  preserved: Kept from rotting. 


26.  trilobite: A fossil sea animal. 


27.  organism: Any living thing.

28.  ancient: Having lived or existed a very long time ago. 


29.  trace Fossil: The signs that organisms were once present and can be tracks, footprints, trails, 
burrows, eggs, nests, and leaf impressions.

30.  mammoth: A type of large, hairy elephant that lived in ancient times and that had very long 
tusks that curved. 


31. amber: A hard yellowish to brownish clear substance that is a fossil resin from trees long 
dead

32. biome: a geographic area that has similar climate, plants, and animals.  Utah’s 3 biomes are:  wetland, desert, and forest.

33.  wetland: 20 inches of precipitation each year, covered by water at least part of a year, helps control flooding, home for more living animals than the other biomes.

34. desert:  10 inches or less of precipitation each year, few trees and plants due to extreme temperatures, plants and animals must be able to live with little water in this biome

35.  forest: 30-60 inches of precipitation each year, higher elevations which have 4 distinct seasons, many deciduous and evergreen trees, animals in this biome eat different foods during each season.