Download Constructive and Destructive Forces Unit

Constructive and
Destructive Forces Unit
5th Grade
constructive process:

the building up of the Earth’s surface including
deposition, earthquakes, volcanoes, and faults
destructive process:

the tearing down of the Earth’s surface
including weathering, erosion, impact of
organisms, earthquakes, and volcanoes
deposition

deposits of material which is added to a
landform
earthquake

underground movement in the Earth’s crust
that may cause change in the lithosphere
erosion

movement of material
by water or wind
weathering

the breakdown, either physical or chemical, of
rocks on the Earth’s surface
fault

a deep crack in the Earth’s surface where
plates slide against each other
volcano

the escape of hot, molten rock and gas from
the Earth’s interior
Video
delta:

an area of new land at the mouth of a river,
formed from sediments carried by the river
sand dunes

a hill of sand, made and shaped by wind
decomposers

organisms that lives by feeding on and
breaking down dead plants and animals
organisms

an individual form of life, such as a plant,
animal, bacterium, or fungus
flood control

the use of tools such as dams and levees to
reduce destruction caused by floods
beach restoration

the process of replacing sand on a beach that
was lost due to erosion and deposition
seismological studies

the study of earthquakes