Physical Geography Key Words

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Fold mountains
Large mountain ranges where rock layers have been crumpled as they have been forced together
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Ocean trenches
Deep sections of the ocean, usually where oceanic plate is sinking below continental plate
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Composite volcano
A steep-sided volcano that is made up of a variety of materials, such as lava and ash
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Shield volcano
A broad volcano that is mostly made up of lava
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Subsistence
Farming to provide food and other resources fot the farmer's own family
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Terraces
Steps cut into hillsides to create areas of flat land
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Irrigation
Artificial watering of the land
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Hydroelectric power
The use of flowing water to turn turbines to generate electricity
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Natural hazard
An occurence over which people have little control, which poses a threat to people's lives and possessions
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Vent
The opening - usually central and single - in a volcano, from which magma is emitted
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Lahar
Mudflows resulting from ash mixing with melting ice or water. A secondary effect of a volcanic eruption
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Supervolcano
A mega colossal volcano that erupts at least 1,000 km3 of material
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Caldera
The depression of the supervolcano marking the collapsed magma chamber
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Fissures
Extended openings along a line of weakness that allow magma to escape
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Geothermal
Water that is heated beneath the ground, which comes to the surface in a variety of ways
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Geyser
A geothermal feature in which water erupts into the air under pressure
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Hot spot
A section of the earth's crust where plumes of magma rise, weakening the crust
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Earthquake
A sudden and brief period of intense ground shaking
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Focus
The point in the earth's crust wherew the earthquake originates
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Richter scale
A logarithmic scale used for measuring earthquakes, based on scientific recordings of the amount of movement
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Epicentre
The point at the earth's surface directly above the focus
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Shock waves
Seismic waves generated by an earthquake that pass through the earth's crust
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Mercalli scale
A means of measuring earthquakes by describing and comparing damage done, on a scale of I to XII
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Tsunami
A special tyoe if wave where the entire depth of the sea or ocean is set in motion by an event, often an earthquake, which displaces the water above it and creates a huge wave
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Weathering
The decay of rocks in their original place at or close to the earth's surface
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Mechanical weathering
Weathering that does not involve chemical change
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Scree
Deposits of angular rock fragments found at the foot of rock outcrops
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Chemical weathering
Weathering that involves a chemical change taking place
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Biological weathering
Weathering caused by living organisms such as tree roots or burrowing animals
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Freeze-thaw weathering
Weathering involving repeated cycles of freezing and thawing
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Exfoliation
Flaking of the outer surface of rocks mainly caused by repeated cycles of hot and cold
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Solution
Dissolving of rocks or minerals by rainwater
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Carbonation
Weathering of limestone and chalk by acidic rainwater
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Batholith
A huge irregular-shaped mass of intrusive igneous rock that only reaches the ground surface when the overlying rocks are removed
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Joints
Cracks that may run vertically or horizontally through rock
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Tor
An isolated outcrop of rock on a hilltop, typically found in granite landscapes
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Mass movement
The downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity
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Water table
The upper surface of underground water
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Spring
Water re-emerging from the rock onto the ground surface. Springs often occur as springlines at the base of a scarp slope
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Vale
A flat plain typically formed on clay
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Escarpment
An outcrop of chalk comprising a steep scarp slope and a more gentle dip slope
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Dry valley
A valley formed by a river during a wetter period in the past but now without a river
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Gorge
Steep-sided deep valley that may be formed by cavern collapse
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Limestone pavement
A bare rocky surface, with distinctive blocks (clints) and enlarged joints (grikes)
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Swallow hole
An enlarged joint into which water falls
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Resurgence
A stream that emerges from underground
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Stalactite
An icicle-like calcite feature hanging down from a cavern roof
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Stalagmite
A stumpy calcite feature formed on a cavern floor
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Pillar
A calcite feature stretching from floor to ceiling in a cavern
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Curtain
A broad deposit of calcite usually formed when water emerges from a crack in a cavern
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Syncline
The lower arc of the fold in fold mountains
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Aquifer
An underground reservoir of water stored in pores or joints of rocks
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Aggregate
Crushed stone made from tough rocks such as limestone, used in the construction industry and in road building
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Quarry restoration
Restoring or improving the environmental quality of a quarry, either during its operation or afterwards
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Channel
The part of the river valley occupied by the water itself
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Hydraulic action
The power of the volume of water moving along the river
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Abrasion
Occurs when larger load carried by the river hits the bed and banks, causing bits to break off
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Attrition
Load carried by the river knocks into other parts of the load, so bits break off and make the material smaller
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Solution
The dissolving of certain types of rock such as chalk and limestone by rainwater. This is a means of transportation as well as erosion
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Traction
The rolling along of the largest rocks and boulders as they are too heavy to lose contact with the bed
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Saltation
The bouncing movement of small stones and grains of sand along the river bed
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Suspension
Small material carried within the river
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Levees
Raised banks along the course of the river in its lower course. They are formed naturally but can be artificially increased in height
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Discharge
The volume of water passing a given point in a river at any moment in time
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Drainage basin
Area from which a river gets its water
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Soil erosion
The removal of the layer of soil above the rock where plants grow
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Hard engineering
This strategy involves the use of technology in order to control rivers
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Soft engineering
This option tries to work within the constraints of the natural river system
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Floodplain zoning
Controlling what is built on the floodplain so that areas are at risk of flooding have low-value land uses
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Water stress
When the amount of water available does not meet that requires
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Areas of deficit
Locations where the rain that falls does not provide enough water on a permanent basis
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Areas of surplus
Areas that have more water than is needed
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Deep sections of the ocean, usually where oceanic plate is sinking below continental plate

Back

Ocean trenches

Card 3

Front

A steep-sided volcano that is made up of a variety of materials, such as lava and ash

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

A broad volcano that is mostly made up of lava

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

Farming to provide food and other resources fot the farmer's own family

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
View more cards

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