Memory Game Mixtures and Soil MemoryOnline version Match the vocabulary word to the definition. by Michael Porter topsoil Particles of rock that are smaller than sand but larger than clay weathering To be slowly broken down by the natural processes that destroy a plant or body The breaking down of rocks on Earth’s surface into smaller pieces The upper layer of soil in which plants have most of their roots sand a combination of two or more different substances that keep their identities humus The largest particles of rock that make up soil silt decay clay A mixture of water, air, tiny pieces of rock, and humus The smallest particles of rock that make up soil mixture the remains of decayed plants or animals in the soil soil physical property A characteristic of matter that you can observe or measure directly