Term
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Definition
| proposed the theory of continental drift |
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Definition
| a blocky, angular surface of a lava flow |
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Term
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Definition
| the upfolded element of folded rock structure |
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Definition
| maximum angle at which a slope of loose sediment can stand without particles tumbling or sliding downslope |
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Definition
| natural flow of groundwater to the surface from below due to pressure |
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Definition
| fan-shaped depositional landform, particularly common in arid regions, occurring where a stream emerges from a mountain canyon and deposits sediment on a plain |
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Definition
| a dark-colored, fine-grained extrusive igneous rock generally associated with the oceanic crust and oceanic volcanoes |
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Definition
| a large, irregular mass of intrusive igneous rock |
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Definition
| elevation below which a stream cannot flow; most humid region streams flow to sea level |
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Definition
| solid particles moved by wind or water by bouncing, rolling, or sliding along the ground or streambed |
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Definition
| stream channel composed of multiple subchannels of simultaneous flow that split and rejoin and frequently shift position |
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Definition
| barren region of soft rock material intensely eroded into ridges and ravines by numerous gullies and washes |
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Term
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Definition
| isolated erosional remnants of a tableland with a flat summit, often bordered by steep-sided escarpments; usually found in arid regions of flat-lying sediments and are somewhat taller than they are wide |
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Term
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Definition
| an extensive intermediate slope of adjacent, coalescing alluvial fans connecting a steep mountain front with a basin or plain |
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Definition
| crescent-shaped sand dune with arms pointing downward |
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Term
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Definition
| extremely hot and dense innermost portion of Earth's interior |
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Term
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Definition
| relatively thin surface layer of Earth |
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Definition
| theory stating that the continents joined, broke apart, and moved on Earth's surface |
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Term
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Definition
| the method whereby heat is transferred to Earth's surface from deep within the mantle (heated material rises, cool material sinks) |
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Term
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Definition
| the fusing together of landmasses as tectonic plates converge |
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Term
| Composite cone (stratovolcano) |
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Definition
| volcano formed from alternating layers of lava and pyroclasitc materials; generally known for violent eruptions |
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Term
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Definition
| hill composed of fragments of volcanic rock erupted from a central vent |
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Term
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Definition
| a large depression formed by a volcanic eruption |
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Term
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Definition
| breakdown of rock material by chemical reactions that changes the rock's mineral composition (decomposition) |
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Term
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Definition
| natural void in rock created by solution that is large enough for people to enter |
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Definition
| the steep slope found on the outside of a bend in a meandering stream channel |
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Term
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Definition
| a resistant horizontal layer of rock that forms the flat top of a landform, such as a butte or a mesa |
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Definition
| slow downslope movement of Earth material involving the lifting and falling action of sediment particles |
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Term
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Definition
| igneous intrusion with a wall-like shape |
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Term
| Drainage basin (watershed) |
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Definition
| the region that provides runoff to a stream |
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Term
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Definition
| the outer boundary of a drainage basin |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| soluble minerals or other chemical constituents carried in water as a solution |
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Definition
| depositional landform constructed where a stream flows into a standing body of water (a lake or the ocean) |
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Definition
| accumulation of Earth materials at a new site after being moved by gravity, water, wind, or glacial ice |
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Term
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Definition
| entrainment and removal of loose surface sediment by the wind |
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Term
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Definition
| a close-fitting mosaic of gravel-sized stones that overlies a deposit of mostly finer-grained sediments |
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Term
| Differential weathering and erosion |
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Definition
| rock types vary in resistance to weathering and erosion, causing the processes to occur at different rates and often producing distinctive landform feature |
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Term
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Definition
| the form of the arrangement of channels in a stream system in a map view |
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Definition
| term used to describe a drainage patter that is treelike with tributaries joining the main stream at acute angles |
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Definition
| series of shock waves set in motion by sudden movement along a fault |
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Definition
| point on Earth's surface directly above the focus of an earthquake |
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Definition
| removal of Earth materials from a site by gravity, water, wind, or glacial ice |
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Term
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Definition
| successive removal of outer rock sheets or slabs broken from the main rock mass by weathering |
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Term
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Definition
| large, smooth, convex mass of exposed rock undergoing exfoliation due to weathering by unloading |
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Term
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Definition
| pertaining to the landforming work of the wind |
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Term
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Definition
| the steep cliff or exposed face of a fault where one crustal block has been displaced vertically relative to another |
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Term
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Definition
| point within Earth's crust or upper mantle where an earthquake originated |
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Term
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Definition
| type of fast mass wasting characterized by Earth material plummeting downward freely through air |
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Term
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Definition
| rapid downslope movement of wet unconsolidated Earth material that experiences considerable mixing |
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Term
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Definition
| the study of streams as landforming agents |
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Term
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Definition
| the low-gradient area adjacent to many stream channels that is subject to flooding and primarily composed of alluvium |
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Term
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Definition
| the bending or wrinkling of Earth's crust due to compressional tectonic forces |
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Term
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Definition
| a coarse-grained intrusive igneous rock generally associated with continental crust |
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Term
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Definition
| water in the saturated zone below the water table |
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Term
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Definition
| a term for slope often used to describe the angle of a streambed |
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Term
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Definition
| a mass of hot molten rock material at a fixed location beneath a lithospheric plate |
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Term
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Definition
| crustal block between two parallel normal faults that has slid upward relative to adjacent blocks |
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Term
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Definition
| block of crustal rocks between two parallel normal faults that has slid downward relative to adjacent blocks |
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Term
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Definition
| remnant hills of soluble rock remaining after adjacent rock has been dissolved away in karst areas |
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Term
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Definition
| gullying and valley cutting that extends a stream channel in an upstream direction |
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Term
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Definition
| one of the three major categories of rock; formed from the cooling and solidification of molten rock matter |
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Term
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Definition
| a chain of volcanic islands along a deep oceanic trench; found near tectonic plate boundaries where subjection is occuring |
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Term
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Definition
| processes related to the solidification and eruption of molten rock matter |
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Term
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Definition
| the process of water seeping downward into the soil or other surface materials |
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Term
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Definition
| streams and stream systems that flow within a closed basis and thus do not reach the ocean |
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Term
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Definition
| remnant bedrock hill rising above a stream-eroded plain or pediment in an arid or semiarid region |
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Term
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Definition
| unique landforms and landscapes derived by the solution of soluble rocks, particularly limestone |
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Term
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Definition
| a general term for the solid (rock) part of the Earth system; rigid and brittle outer layer of Earth consisting of the crust and uppermost mantle |
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Term
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Definition
| Earth's exterior is broken into several of these large regions of rigid and brittle crust and upper mantle |
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Term
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Definition
| thick, plastic layer within Earth's mantle that flows in response to convection, instigating plate tectonic motion |
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Term
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Definition
| the study of the origin and development of landforms |
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Term
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Definition
| a terrain feature, such as a mountain, valley, plateau, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
| erupted molten rock matter that oozed over the landscape and solidified |
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Term
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Definition
| a linear ridge-like sand dune that is oriented parallel to the prevailing wind direction |
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Term
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Definition
| wind-deposited silt; usually transported in dust storms and derived from arid or glaciated regions |
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Term
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Definition
| moderately dense middle layer of Earth's interior that separates the crust from the outer core |
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Term
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Definition
| gravity-induced downslope movement of Earth material |
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Term
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Definition
| a broad, sweeping bend in a river or stream |
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Term
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Definition
| bend of a meandering stream that has become isolated from the active channel |
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Term
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Definition
| flat-topped, steep-sided erosional remnant of a tableland, roughly as broad as tall, characteristic of arid regions with flat-lying sedimentary rocks |
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Term
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Definition
| breakage zone with rocks on one side sliding down relative to rocks on the other side because of tensional forces |
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Term
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Definition
| a lake or pond found in a meander cutoff on a floodplain |
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Term
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Definition
| ancient continent that consisted of all of today's continental landmasses |
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Term
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Definition
| Study of the past geographical distribution of environments |
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Term
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Definition
| theory based on the idea that the lithosphere is composed of a number of segments or plates that move independently of one another over Earth's surface at varying speeds |
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Term
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Definition
| pieces of volcanic rock, including cinders and ash, solidified from molten material erupted into the air |
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Term
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Definition
| a smooth, ropy surface of lava flow |
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Term
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Definition
| a steep-sided, explosive type of volcano with its central vent or vents plugged by the rapid congealing of its highly acidic lava |
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Term
| Physical (mechanical) weathering |
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Definition
| breakdown of rocks into smaller fragments by physical forces without chemical change |
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Term
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Definition
| characteristic of soil or bedrock that relates to the amount of pore space between individual peds or soil and rock particles and that determines the water storage capacity of Earth materia |
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Term
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Definition
| characteristic of soil or bedrock that determines the ease with which water moves through Earth material |
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Term
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Definition
| dry lake bed in a desert basin; typically fine-grained clastic or saline |
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Term
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Definition
| a temporary lake that forms on a playa from runoff after a rainstorm or during a wet season |
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Term
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Definition
| gently sloping surface of eroded bedrock, thinly covered with fluvial sediments, found at the base of an arid-region mountain |
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Term
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Definition
| a time in geologic history when the south magnetic pole became the north magnetic pole and vice versa |
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Term
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Definition
| deposit of alluvium found on the inside of a bend in a meandering stream channel |
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Term
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Definition
| bank of a stream channel raised by deposition from flood deposits |
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Term
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Definition
| an extensive, flat-topped landform or region characterized by relatively high elevation, but low relief |
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Term
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Definition
| massive igneous rock intrusion that bows overlying rock layers upwards in a domal fashion |
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Term
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Definition
| high angle break with rocks on one side pushed up relative to those on the other side by compressional forces |
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Term
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Definition
| movement of oceanic crust in opposite directions away from the midoceanic ridges, associated with the formation of new crust at the ridges and subduction of old crust at ocean margins |
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Term
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Definition
| process associated with plate tectonic theory whereby an oceanic crustal plate is forced downward into the mantle beneath a lighter continental plate when the two converge |
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Term
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Definition
| dome-shaped accumulation of multiple successive lava flows extruded from one or more vents or fissures |
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Term
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Definition
| a horizontal sheet of igneous rock intruded and solidified between other rock layers |
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Term
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Definition
| the downfolded element of folded rock structure |
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Term
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Definition
| a fault with horizontal motion, where movement takes place along the strike of the fault |
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Term
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Definition
| rounded shape of rocks often caused by preferential weathering along joints of cross-jointed rocks |
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Term
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Definition
| fast mass wasting in which Earth material moves downslope in continuous contact with a discrete surface below |
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Term
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Definition
| thick unit of unconsolidated fine-grained material sliding downslope on a concave, curve slip plane |
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Term
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Definition
| natural outflow of groundwater to the surface |
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Term
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Definition
| topographic depression formed mainly by the cave-in of the land above a cavern |
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Term
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Definition
| topographic depression formed mainly by the solution and removal of soluble rock at the surface |
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Term
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Definition
| general term for any cavern feature made by secondary precipitation of minerals from subsurface water |
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Term
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Definition
| spire-shaped speleothem that hangs from the ceiling of a cavern |
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Term
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Definition
| spire-shaped speleothem that rises up from the cavern floor |
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Term
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Definition
| general term for any natural, channelized flow of water regardless of size |
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Term
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Definition
| liquid water flowing over Earth's land surface |
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Term
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Definition
| numerical index expressing the position of a stream channel within the hierarchy of a stream system |
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Term
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Definition
| solid particles that are small enough to be transported considerable distances while remaining buoyed up in a moving air or water column |
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Term
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Definition
| transportation process that moves small solids, often considerable distances, while buoyed up by turbulence in the moving air or water |
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Term
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Definition
| the transportation by running water or wind of particles too large to be carried in suspension; the particles are bounced along the surface or streambed by repeated lifting and deposition |
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Term
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Definition
| mound or hill of sand-sized sediment deposited and shaped by the wind |
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Term
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Definition
| the steep, downwind side of a sand dune |
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Term
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Definition
| a large pyramid-shaped sand dune with multiple slip faces due to changes in wind direction |
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Term
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Definition
| processes that derive their energy from within Earth's interior and serve to create landforms by elevating, disrupting, and roughening Earth's surface |
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Term
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Definition
| movement of Earth materials from one site to another by gravity, water, wind, or glacial ice |
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Term
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Definition
| slope of angular, broken rocks at the base of a cliff deposited by rockfall |
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Term
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Definition
| high, steep-sided hills formed by solution of limestone or other soluble rocks in karst areas |
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Term
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Definition
| stream channel that delivers its water to another, larger channel |
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Term
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Definition
| the largest channel in a drainage system; receives inflow from tributaries |
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Term
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Definition
| a linear ridge-like sand dune that is oriented at right angles to the prevailing wind direction |
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Term
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Definition
| erupted fragments of volcanic rock that are the size of sand or smaller |
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Term
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Definition
| vertical igneous intrusion the solidified in the vent of a volcano |
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Term
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Definition
| physical fragmentation and chemical decomposition of rocks and minerals at and near Earth's surface |
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Term
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Definition
| an ephemeral stream channel in an arid climate |
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Term
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Definition
| upper limit of the zone of saturation below which all pore spaces are filled with water |
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