This is a comprehensive, alphabetical listing of common terms that
students are likely to encounter when studying this course. You can
print this page and use it to create your own working glossary.
| |
DEFINITION |
| A |
|
| A
horizon |
|
| abrasion |
|
| absolute
time |
|
| absorption |
|
| agent
of erosion |
|
| air
mass |
|
| air
pressure |
|
| alpine
glacier |
|
| altitude |
|
| angle
of insolation |
|
| angular |
|
| angular
unconformity |
|
| anticyclone |
|
| aphelion |
|
| apogee |
|
| apparent
diameter |
|
| arid |
|
| asthenosphere |
|
| astronomy |
|
| atmosphere |
|
| autumnal
equinox |
|
| average
slope |
|
| axis |
|
| |
|
| B |
|
| B
horizon |
|
| banding |
|
| barometer |
|
| basaltic |
|
| batholith |
|
| beach |
|
| bedload |
|
| bedrock |
|
| bench
mark |
|
| boulder |
|
| |
|
| C |
|
| C
horizon |
|
| Cambrian |
|
| capillarity |
|
| capillary
action |
|
| Carbon
14 |
|
| carbon
dioxide |
|
| carbonate |
|
| carbonic
acid |
|
| carrying
power |
|
| celestial
object |
|
| Celsius |
|
| cementation |
|
| Cenozoic |
|
| chemical
weathering |
|
| circumference |
|
| cirrus
clouds |
|
| classification |
|
| clastic |
|
| clay |
|
| cleavage |
|
| climate |
|
| cobbles |
|
| cold
front |
|
| collision |
|
| collision
boundary |
|
| compacted |
|
| composition |
|
| compression |
|
| compressional
wave |
|
| conchoidal
fracture |
|
| condensation |
|
| condensation
nuclei |
|
| conduction |
|
| conglomerate |
|
| constellation |
|
| contact
metamorphism |
|
| continental
air mass |
|
| continental
crust |
|
| continental
drift |
|
| continental
glacier |
|
| contour
interval |
|
| contour
line |
|
| contour
map |
|
| convection |
|
| convection
cell |
|
| convection
currents |
|
| convergent
boundary |
|
| coordinate
system |
|
| Coriolis
effect |
|
| correlate |
|
| correlation |
|
| craters |
|
| creep |
|
| cross
bedding |
|
| cross
cutting relationship |
|
| cross
section |
|
| crust |
|
| crystal
shape |
|
| crystalline
structure |
|
| crystallization |
|
| cumulus
clouds |
|
| current
cyclic change |
|
| cyclical |
|
| cyclone |
|
| |
|
| D |
|
| daughter
material |
|
| deficit |
|
| deformation |
|
| delta |
|
| density |
|
| deposition |
|
| depression
contour |
|
| deviation |
|
| Devonian |
|
| dew |
|
| dewpoint |
|
| dike |
|
| discharge |
|
| disconformity |
|
| distorted
texture |
|
| divergent
boundary |
|
| downcutting |
|
| drainage
basin |
|
| drift |
|
| drumlin |
|
| dry-bulb |
|
| dune |
|
| duration
of insolation |
|
| dynamic
equilibrium |
|
| |
|
| E |
|
| Earth
Science |
|
| earthquake |
|
| eccentricity |
|
| elastic
rebound |
|
| elasticity |
|
| elevation |
|
| ellipse |
|
| elliptical |
|
| environment |
|
| epicenter |
|
| epoch |
|
| equal
area law |
|
| Equator |
|
| equilibrium |
|
| equinox |
|
| era |
|
| erosion |
|
| erratic |
|
| erratics |
|
| eruption |
|
| escape
velocity |
|
| esker |
|
| evaporate |
|
| evaporation |
|
| evaporite |
|
| evapotranspiration |
|
| evolution |
|
| exfoliation |
|
| extrusion |
|
| extrusive
rock |
|
| |
|
| F |
|
| facies |
|
| Fahrenheit |
|
| fall
equinox |
|
| fault |
|
| felsic |
|
| flood
plain |
|
| fluid |
|
| foci |
|
| focus |
|
| fold |
|
| folding |
|
| foliation |
|
| footwall |
|
| formation |
|
| fossil
fuels |
|
| Foucault
pendulum |
|
| fracture |
|
| front |
|
| frost
action |
|
| frost
wedging |
|
| |
|
| G |
|
| galaxy |
|
| geocentric |
|
| geographic
poles |
|
| geologic
column |
|
| geologic
time scale |
|
| geology |
|
| geyser |
|
| glaciation |
|
| graded
bedding |
|
| gradient |
|
| grains |
|
| granitic |
|
| granular
texture |
|
| gravitational
attraction |
|
| gravity
effect |
|
| green
house effect |
|
| ground
moraine |
|
| ground
water |
|
| |
|
| H |
|
| hail |
|
| half-life |
|
| hanging
wall |
|
| hardness |
|
| harmonic
law |
|
| headward
erosion |
|
| heliocentric |
|
| high
pressure |
|
| horizontal
sorting |
|
| horn |
|
| hot
spot |
|
| humid |
|
| humidity |
|
| humus |
|
| hurricane |
|
| hydrolysis |
|
| hydrosphere |
|
| hypothesis |
|
| |
|
| I |
|
| ice
cap |
|
| ice
sheet |
|
| ice
wedging |
|
| igneous |
|
| igneous
intrusion |
|
| impermeable
fossil |
|
| index
fossil |
|
| inference |
|
| infiltrate |
|
| infrared |
|
| inner
core |
|
| insolation |
|
| intensity |
|
| interface |
|
| international
date line |
|
| intrusion |
|
| intrusive
rock |
|
| ion |
|
| ionosphere |
|
| isobar |
|
| isoline |
|
| isostasy |
|
| isotherm |
|
| isotope |
|
| |
|
| J,K |
|
| joint |
|
| kame |
|
| kettle |
|
| kinetic
energy |
|
| knot |
|
| |
|
| L |
|
| L
wave |
|
| laccolith |
|
| land
breeze |
|
| landscape |
|
| landslide |
|
| latitude |
|
| lava |
|
| laws
of planetary motion |
|
| leeward |
|
| length |
|
| levee |
|
| light-year |
|
| lithification |
|
| lithsophere |
|
| longitude |
|
| longshore
current |
|
| long-wave
radiation |
|
| low
pressure |
|
| lunar
eclipse |
|
| luster |
|
| |
|
| M |
|
| mafic |
|
| magma |
|
| magnetic
pole |
|
| magnetic
reversal |
|
| magnitude |
|
| mantle |
|
| map
scale |
|
| maria |
|
| Marine
air mass |
|
| mass |
|
| mass
movement |
|
| matter |
|
| meander |
|
| meandering |
|
| measurement |
|
| mechanical
weathering |
|
| medial
moraine |
|
| Mercalli
intensity scale |
|
| meridian |
|
| mesosphere |
|
| Mesozoic |
|
| metamorphic |
|
| meteor |
|
| meteorology |
|
| mica |
|
| mid-ocean
ridge |
|
| millibar |
|
| mineral |
|
| mineralogy |
|
| model |
|
| Moho |
|
| Mohorovicic
disontinuity |
|
| Moh's
scale |
|
| moisture
deficit |
|
| monominerallic |
|
| moon |
|
| moraines |
|
| mountain |
|
| mud
flow |
|
| |
|
| N |
|
| natural
resources |
|
| navigation |
|
| neap
tide |
|
| nonconformity |
|
| nonrenewable
resource |
|
| nonsedimentary |
|
| normal
fault |
|
| normal
polarity |
|
| North
Pole |
|
| North
Star |
|
| |
|
| O |
|
| oblate
spheroid |
|
| observation |
|
| occluded
front |
|
| ocean-floor
spreading |
|
| oceanic
crust |
|
| oceanography |
|
| orbit |
|
| orbital
speed |
|
| Ordovician |
|
| ore |
|
| organic
rock |
|
| origin
time |
|
| orogeny |
|
| outcrop |
|
| outer
core |
|
| outwash |
|
| outwash
plain |
|
| overturned |
|
| oxidation |
|
| ozone |
|
| ozone
layer |
|
| |
|
| P |
|
| Paleozoic |
|
| Pangaea |
|
| parallelism
of axis |
|
| parallels |
|
| parent
material |
|
| particles |
|
| peat |
|
| pebbles |
|
| pendulum |
|
| penumbra |
|
| percent
error |
|
| perigee |
|
| perihelion |
|
| period |
|
| permeability |
|
| phase |
|
| phases |
|
| photosynthesis |
|
| physical
weathering |
|
| planet |
|
| plate
boundary |
|
| plate
tectonics |
|
| plateau |
|
| plutonic |
|
| Polar
air mass |
|
| Polaris |
|
| pollution |
|
| polyminerallic |
|
| porosity |
|
| porphyritic |
|
| porphyry |
|
| potential
energy |
|
| Precambrian |
|
| precipitation |
|
| pressure
gradient |
|
| prevailing
westerlies |
|
| primary
wave |
|
| prime
meridian |
|
| probability |
|
| profile |
|
| P-wave |
|
| |
|
| Q,R |
|
| quartz |
|
| radiation |
|
| radiative
balance |
|
| radioactive
decay |
|
| radiocarbon |
|
| range |
|
| recharge |
|
| refraction |
|
| regional
metamorphism |
|
| relative
humidity |
|
| relative
time |
|
| relief |
|
| renewable
resources |
|
| residual
soil |
|
| retrograde
motion |
|
| reverse
fault |
|
| reversed
magnetic polarity |
|
| revolution |
|
| revolve |
|
| Richter
scale |
|
| rift |
|
| Ring
of Fire |
|
| rock
cycle |
|
| rotate |
|
| rotation
runoff |
|
| |
|
| S |
|
| sand |
|
| satellite |
|
| saturated |
|
| saturation |
|
| scattering |
|
| scientific
notation |
|
| sea
breeze |
|
| sea-floor
spreading |
|
| seasons |
|
| secondary
wave |
|
| sedimentary |
|
| sediments |
|
| seismic
waves |
|
| seismogram |
|
| seismograph |
|
| shadow
zone |
|
| shear
wave |
|
| shield
volcano |
|
| short-wave
radiation |
|
| silicate |
|
| silicate
tetrahedron |
|
| silt |
|
| Silurian |
|
| sink |
|
| sleet |
|
| slope |
|
| snow
line |
|
| soil |
|
| soil
horizons |
|
| soil
profile |
|
| solar |
|
| solar
eclipse |
|
| solar
system |
|
| solar
time |
|
| solidification |
|
| solidify |
|
| solstice |
|
| solution |
|
| sorted |
|
| source |
|
| South
Pole |
|
| Southeast
trades |
|
| species |
|
| sphere |
|
| spreading
center |
|
| spring |
|
| spring
equinox |
|
| spring
tide |
|
| star |
|
| station
model |
|
| stationary
front |
|
| storage |
|
| strata |
|
| stratification |
|
| stratosphere |
|
| stratus
clouds |
|
| streak |
|
| stream |
|
| stream
discharge |
|
| striation |
|
| strike-slip
fault |
|
| subduction
boundary |
|
| sublimation |
|
| subsoil |
|
| Summer
solstice |
|
| superposition |
|
| surface
runoff |
|
| surface
wave |
|
| surplus |
|
| suspension |
|
| S-wave |
|
| syncline |
|
| |
|
| T |
|
| talus |
|
| tarn |
|
| temperature |
|
| tephra |
|
| terminal
moraine |
|
| terrae |
|
| texture |
|
| thermosphere |
|
| tide |
|
| till |
|
| tilted
strata |
|
| transform
boundary |
|
| transform
fault |
|
| transpiration |
|
| transport |
|
| transported
soil |
|
| travel
time |
|
| trench |
|
| Tropic
of Cancer |
|
| Tropic
of Capricorn |
|
| Tropical
air mass |
|
| troposphere |
|
| tsunami |
|
| tundra |
|
| |
|
| U |
|
| ultraviolet |
|
| umbra |
|
| unconformity |
|
| uneven
fracture |
|
| uniformitarianism |
|
| unsorted |
|
| uplift |
|
| usage |
|
| |
|
| varve |
|
| vector |
|
| velocity |
|
| vernal
equinox |
|
| visibility |
|
| volcanic
ash |
|
| volcanic
rock |
|
| volcano |
|
| volume |
|
| walking
the outcrop |
|
| waning |
|
| warm
front |
|
| water
budget |
|
| water
cycle |
|
| water
retention |
|
| water
table |
|
| water
vapor |
|
| wavelength |
|
| waxing |
|
| weather |
|
| weathering |
|
| weight |
|
| wet-bulb |
|
| wind |
|
| windward |
|
| winter
solstice |
|
| year |
|
| zenith |
|
| zone
of saturation |
|
