Geomorphology Vocabulary

Question 1

geomorphology

Answer 1

the study of Earth’s land forms and the change to these forms

Question 2

lithosphere

Answer 2

made up of the Earth’s crust and solid uppermantle

Question 3

tectonic forces

Answer 3

forces from within the Earth; building up or raising up of the Earth

Question 4

gradational forces

Answer 4

changes that take place on the surface of the Earth that happen gradually by agents such as wind, water, ice, or chemicals

Question 5

plate tectonics

Answer 5

the Earth’s lithosphere is fractured into tectonic plates which move slowly about above the mantle

Question 6

convergent-subduction boundary

Answer 6

plates collide, causing one plate to dive under the other

Question 7

convergent-collision boundary

Answer 7

plates collide, causing both plates to crumple upwards

Question 8

divergent boundary

Answer 8

plates move apart, spreading horizontally

Question 9

transforming boundary

Answer 9

plates slide past one another horizontally

Question 10

Continental Drift Theory

Answer 10

theory that the super continent Pangea began to break up about 225-200 million years ago, eventually fragmenting into the continents we know now

Question 11

rift valleys

Answer 11

places on Earth’s surface where the crust stretches until it breaks

Question 12

continental shelves

Answer 12

areas where continental surfaces extend under the shallow ocean water

Question 13

faults

Answer 13

places where rock masses have been broken apart and are moving away from each other

Question 14

erosion

Answer 14

the process by which water, ice, wind, or gravity moves fragments of rock and soil

Question 15

deposition

Answer 15

the process by which sediment, rock, or soil is added on to create new land forms

Question 16

weathering

Answer 16

the breakdown of the materials of Earth’s crust into smaller pieces

Question 17

sediment

Answer 17

small particles of weathered rock

Question 18

volcano

Answer 18

a vent in the Earth’s crust through which lava, steams, ashes, etc. are expelled

Question 19

archipelago

Answer 19

a group of islands

Question 20

tsunami

Answer 20

a large destructive wave caused by tectonic activity on the ocean floor

Question 21

earthquake

Answer 21

shaking of the Earth’s crust

Question 22

landform

Answer 22

the natural shape of the land

Question 23

delta

Answer 23

accumulation of sediment at the mouth of a river

Question 24

glaciers

Answer 24

thick mass of ice

Question 25

fjord

Answer 25

narrow deep inlet of the sea between high rocky cliffs

Question 26

isthmus

Answer 26

narrow strip of land that rises sharply above nearby land

Question 27

geyser

Answer 27

hot springs that shoot water into the air

Question 28

plateau

Answer 28

elevated flat land that rises sharply above nearby land

Question 29

canyon

Answer 29

long narrow valley cut in the rock by a river

Question 30

iceburg

Answer 30

massive floating body of ice

Question 31

atoll

Answer 31

ring shaped coral island; underwater coral reefs

Question 32

barrier island

Answer 32

coastal island created by sand

Question 33

basin

Answer 33

low, bowl shaped areas of land, often surrounded by mountains

Question 34

bayou

Answer 34

body of water that is a tributary of a large body of water

Question 35

coral reef

Answer 35

a reef composed mainly of coral and other organic material of which parts have solidified into limestone

Question 36

escarpment

Answer 36

steep face at the edge of the plateau

Question 37

exotic river

Answer 37

river that begins in humid regions and then flow across dry area, like the Nile

Question 38

gulf

Answer 38

large area of ocean that is partially enclosed