Terrain and Landscape Flashcards
particular extensive locale of land
area, region, tract, expanse
aspect or conformation of land
landscape
plant growth or life
vegetation, foliage
visibly green plant life or trees
greenery, verdure
grassy (or nonwoody) vegetation
herbage
greenery as cover or food for deer
vert
region abounding in trees
forest, woods, woodland, forestland
extensive tropical wet woodland with tall trees that form a light blocking canopy
rain forest
extensive area of barren and arid land
desert
extensive area of treeless grassland (with tall grasses)
prairie (South America: pampa)
extensive area of treeless grassland (with short grasses) and less rainfall than a prairie
steppe
steppe with scattered trees and shrubs (especially in Africa)
veld, veldt
extensive grazing grassland with scattered trees and shrubs
savanna, savannah, campo
extensive treeless plain in the southeastern US
savana, savannah
extensive plain with few trees in the southwestern US
llano
extensive northern (subarctic) evergreen forest that is moist
taiga, boreal forest
extensive northern (arctic and subarctic) treeless plain with mucky soil
tundra
tundra treeless because of elevation (rather than latitude)
alpine tundra
alpine forest having stunted trees
krummholz, elfinwood
level area of terrain
flatland, flats
extensive area of flat open terrain
plain, champaign, campagna
grass-covered tract of level land
meadow
green tract of grassland
sward, greenward, turf
grassland tract for gazing or hay
pasture, lea
tract of open and rolling land with poor soil
moor, heath, moorland
high moor or barren field
fell
barren land
waste, wasteland, barren
tract of sandy ground where topsoil has been blown away by the wind
sandblow
extensive area of uncultivated and little-populated terrain
wilderness, the bush, backcountry, wilds (Australia: outback)
land covered by grass
grassland
grassland for grazing
pasture, pastureland, pasturage
municipal track of public and usually park-like land
common
tract of grass-covered ground cultivated or mowed
lawn
long strip of terrain
swath, swathe
yard or field used as a household kitchen garden or for a few farm animals
croft (British)
low terrain
bottom, bottomland
high terrain
heights
geological fracture in the earth’s crust
fault, rift
opening or recession in terrain
hole, cavity, depression, hollow, basin, pan
open longitudinal depression
trench, ditch
small and nestled (usually wooded) valley
dell, glen, dingle
deep and narrow valley
hollow, combe, coomb, coombe
deep and steep-sided valley (often with a river)
canyon, canon
small and narrow steep-sided valley (often with a stream)
gorge, ravine, flume, gulch, clough (South Africa: kloof)
divide between valleys or side of a valley
coteau
small ravine sometimes having rainwater flowing in it
gully, clough, draw, coulee nullah, wash, wadi (South Africa: donga)
flat-bottomed gulch or gully sometimes having rainwater flowing in it
arroyo
long hollow or depression
trough
deep drop or hollow
gulf, abyss, chasm
chasm formed by receding ice
randkluft
valley
vale, dale
drainage depression or hollow
sinkhole, sink, swallow, swallowhole, dolina, doline
limestone sinkhole with a pool or deep natural well
cenote
flat-floored and steep-walled depression with no outflowing stream
polje
extensive or deep mucky or mossy basin
mudhole, muskeg
ground that slants upward or downward
slope, incline, grade
upward slope
acclivity, rise
downward slope
declivity
gentle slope
glacis
precipitous slope
steep
describing a tree or forest with foliage that falls off annually
deciduous
describing a tree or forest with foliage that stays and remains green throughout the year
evergreen
area of dense trees
wood, woods, forest
small group or grouping of trees (usually without undergrowth)
grove
cluster of shrubs or small trees
shrubbery, thicket
patch of thick or twisted growth
tangle
grove or thicket of small trees
copse, coppice, arbustum (British: spinney)
shrubs and other low vegetation in a forest
underbrush, brush, undergrowth
leafy tree-enclosed nook or recess
arbor, bower
dense thicket of shrubs or dwarf trees
chaparral
group of planted fruit or nut trees
orchard
growth or array of one type of tree (or plant) in an area
stand
tract of shrubby and uncultivated open land
heath
area of low trees and bushes
scrub
thicket where game hide
covert
thicket of cane
canebrake
narrow-tree or branch-covered pathway
tunnel
tree-bordered or hedged and park-like walk alley planned or mall-like alley whose trees are at least twice as high as the route width
allee
moist land
wetland, wetlands
tract of low and wet or spongy ground
marsh, bog, fen, swamp, wash, slough, marshland
swampy grassland with branching waterway
everglade
low land subject to flood tides
tideland, tidelands
flat and usually muddy tideland
tidal flat
flat land having brackish water
salt marsh
area under water that is shallow
shallows
rough or marshy tract of land with one kind of vegetation (shrubs or ferns)
brake, bracken
sunken and wet tract of land
swale
moist low-lying land (usually pineland)
flatwoods
clump of grass
tussock
country having few or no trees
open country
country that is level and low in altitude
lowland, lowlands
country that is elevated or mountainous
highland, highlands, upland, uplands
high point
elevation, eminence
top of a hill
hilltop, rise
projection at the top of a hill
brow
small and rounded hill
knoll, hillock, hummock, monicule, monticle, mound (England: barrow)
hill with a broad top
loma
lower hills beneath mountains
foothills
narrow or oval hill
drumlin
rounded elevation
swell
rounded solitary hill usually with steep sides
knob
mound in permafrost terrain
pingo
African veld’s small and scrubby hill
kopje, koppie
open upland of rolling hills or open country
wold
rolling grassy upland with few trees
down, downs
one of successive indentations (from slumping soil) on a hillside
catstep, terracette
high and craggy hill or rocky peak
tor
colossal single rock or rock formation
monolith
oddly or fantastically shaped (eroded) rock column
hoodoo
single rock or boulder carried to where it is by a glacier
erratic
rounded or hump-like natural formation
dome
notably arched or bridge-like formation
natural bridge, arch
prominent isolated or bare rock
scar
smooth and slippery rock
slickrock
tree deformed by wind
wind cripple
parapet-like natural formation atop a wall
battlement
projecting or support like natural formation
buttress
extensive flat topped land elevation that rises steeply on at last once side
plateau, tableland
small and isolated plateau
mesa
small mesa
mesilla
isolated steep hill or small mountain (flat, rounded, cone-like, or pointed)
butte
solitary and fragmentary mountain
inselberg
series of mountains
range, chain
system of mountain chains (sometimes parallel)
cordillera
chain of mountains with sawtooth-like peaks
sierra
chain of hills or mountains
ridge, chine
ridge dividing drainage direction and regions
watershed, divide
area at the foot of a mountain range
piedmont
slope of a mountain
mountainside, versant (of a mountain chain or region)
slope of a hill
hillside
right or left of a formation or mountain
flank
top of a mountain
peak, summit, pike
exposed rock surface
fce
pyramindal peak usually with concave faces (where three or more aretes meet)
horn
elevation overlooking other terrain
heights
elevated place
aerie, eyrie
high and rugged mountain
alp
mountain range sections or mass
massif
projection laterally or on an angle from a mountain
spur
mountain or hill protuberance
buttress
area near the top or to the side of a mountain
shoulder
rugged and sharp-crested mountain ridge
arete, hogback
short mound or ridge
kame
winding ridge that is gravelly or sandy
esker
diff formation or line of cliffs
scarp, escarpment, palisade, palisades
jagged glacial ridge or pinnacle (as in an ice fall)
serac
precipitous place
steep, precipice
very steep descent or wall
niche
projection of rock
outcrop, outcropping
weathered quarry face
rock face
steep and bare rocky outcrop or cliff
scar
flat layer of rock
shelf
narrow level space along or projecting from a cliff or slope
ledge, shelf
cliff or wall projection viewed from below
overhang
pointed rock formation
pinnacle
long narrow opening
fissure, cleft, rift
deep cleft through a mountain ridge
gap, notch
channel or scoop-like depression between mountains
pass, col, saddle
narrow pass between hills or cliffs
defile, gorge
mountainside gorge or gully
couloir
cleft that is steep and narrow in a cliff or mountain face
chimney
bowl-like mountain basin with steep walls
cirque, cum, come, corry
steep wall of a cirque
headwall
roughly circular or oval flat area enclosed at one end by a curve of higher ground
amphitheater
glacial fissure or crevice that is deep
crevasse, bergschrund
series of crevasses
bergschrund
granular or ice-like mountain (glacial) snow
neve, firn
ledge-like plain above a river or body of water
terrace
rocky detritus (debris) on a mountain slope
scree
rocky detritus beneath a cliff
talus
slope formed of rocky detritus
talus
glacial deposit of boulders and stones
moraine
wall-like ridge rocks, ice, debris, etc.
rampart
sloping area of jumbled glacial ice blocks
icefall
mountain (with a crater) formed by ejected material
volcano
wide volcano crater (formed by eruptions or rim collapse)
caldera
volcanic vapor hole
fumarole
spring that at times throws up jets of hot water or steam
geyser
extinct volcano crater often containing a lake or marsh
maar
vast moving or spreading mass of ice
glacier
vertical shaft (worn by falling surface water through a crack) in a glacier
moulin
mantle of perennial ice and snow
ice cap, ice sheet
sheet of floating ice
floe
large floe
ice field
mountain like mass of floating ice
iceberg
massed array of ice formations at sea
ice pack
mass of ice fragments
brash
fragment of thin ice near shore
pan
submarine (undersea) mountain
seamount
flat-topped seamount
guyot
underground or rock-walled chamber
cave, cavern, grotto
icicle-like formation having in a cave
stalactite, dripstone
icicle-like formation on the floor of a cave
stalagmite, dripstone
country route or path
trail, lane, track
zigzagging path or road
switchback
raised path or road across water or a marsh
causeway
land arm almost completely surrounded by water
peninsula, chersonese
land formation jutting into the sea or other large body of water
cape
tongue (of land)
neck
land tip or projection
point
crescent-shaped arm of land
horn
elevated land area jutting over the sea or other large body of water
headland, promontory, ness, naze
neck or strip (sometimes prehistoric or submerged) between two relatively large landmasses
land bridge
land along the sea temporarily covered by tides or saturated during floods
tideland
level area sometimes covered by water
tidal flat, mud flat
land along a river subject to flooding
floodplain
bordering terrain along a river
riverbank
flat area encrusted with salt
salt flat
narrow projection of sandy or gravel terrain
spit
river’s mouth (debouchment’s) often fan-shaped sedimentary plain
delta, alluvial plain
river (alluvial) land between a levee and its lower-water stage
batture
sandbar connecting two islands or an island and its mainland
tombolo
small jutting of sand or gravel at water’s edge
spit, sandpit, reach
flat place suitable for landing goods from a boat
landing
channel or passage that runs beneath cliffs from the shore inland
gat
sea’s juncture with a river’s mouth
estuary
sea inlet or arm
estuary, firth, frith
shallow arm of the sea or of a river
wash
connecting passage between two large bodies of water
strait, fretum
wide strait or navigable connecting waterway
channel
shoreline indentation
inlet
shoreline indentation that is sheltered
cove, creek, hole, basin
pool of water left after the tide recedes
tidal pool, tide pool
pool of water between two beaches
beach pool
shallow pond near a body of water
lagoon
long lagoon near the sea
haff
sea inlet that is extensive
gulf
sea inlet smaller than a gulf
bay, embayment
sea inlet or creek shallower inland
ria
bay at a coastal bend
bight
sea inlet that is long or separates an island from a mainland
sound
sea inlet that is narrow and has steep slopes or cliffs
fjord, fiord
shallow area of water
shallows
land body surrounded by water
island, isle
large group or chain of islands (or their ocean area)
archipelago
small island
islet, ait, eyot
low coral island or visible reef
cay, key
ring-like coral island or reef surrounding a lagoon
atoll
land border along water
coast, coastline, shore, shoreline, seaboard, littoral
sandy margin along water
beach, strand, playa, lido
pebbled or stony beach
shingle
swampy coastline
maremma
mound of accrued or windblown sand
dune
crescent-like dune that shifts
barchan, barchane, barkhan
shallow place in a sea or river
shoal
submerged (or partly so) bank of sand or gravel obstructive to navigation
bar, sandbar, sandback, shoal, reef
coral ridge-like growth usually near the surface in warm seas
reef
sea rock opening through which water intermittently spouts
blowhole, gloup
any flowing line of fresh water
watercourse, course, channel, waterway, stream (archiac: freshet)
junction of two rivers
watersmeet
inland-flowing course of fresh water smaller than a river
stream, brook, creek
small stream
streamlet, brooklet, rivulet, rill, runnel, burn
winding stream
meander, serpentile
winding stream dividing around a neck of land
oxbow
river or stream feeding a larger river
tributary, feeder
open stretch of river
reach
river’s upper tributaries
headwaters
onrushing or raging stream
torrent
turbulent and rock-obstructed part of a river
rapid, rapids
steep rapids
cataract
abrupt or steep river descent
chute
narrow channel or strait with swift and dangerous waters
euripus
dangerously cross-currented or turbulent patch of water
rip
river or stream channel in a mountain ridge gap
water gap
trough for water
run
shallow area of water that can be waded across
ford
inland body of (usually) fresh water
lake, loch, mere
small lake or standing body of water
pond, lakelet, pondlet, pool, water hole
artificial lake
reservoir
small mountain lake with steep banks
tarn
artificial pond subject to the tides or a river or stream
tidal basin
stagnant pool
stagnum
ocean, sea
the deep, the briny deep, blue water
water moving in an inward (centripetal) circle
whirlpool, maelstrom, gurge, vortex
small whirlpool
eddy
waterfall
cataract, cascade
damn in a stream
weir
embankment to prevent river flooding
levee
beach or harbour protective structure offshore
breakwater, mole
pertaining to or like land
terrestrial
pertaining to or like the ocean
oceanic, marine, pelagic, thalassic
pertaining to the ocean depths or bottom
benthic, benthonic
pertaining to or like a river
riverine, fluvial, amnic
pertaining to or like a riverbank
riverain
pertaining to or like a shore
littoral, riparian
pertaining to or like swamp
swampy, marshy, quaggy, boggy, paludal
pertaining to or like a plain field
campestral
pertaining to or like a mountain
montane
pertaining to or like an island
insular
pertaining to a shore region moist but always above water
supra littoral
pertaining to a shore region between the high water and low water line
littoral
pertaining to an ocean zone from the low-water line to the edge of teh continental shelf
sublittoral, neritic
pertaining to an ocean zone from the continental shelf to a depth of some 13,000 feet (4,000 meters)
bathyal, bathypelagic
pertaining to an ocean zone deeper than 20,000 feet (6,500 metres)
hadal
