Topographical Terms Flashcards
Spur
Running downslope from each hill along a ridge
- Also known as fingers
Ridge
A series of connected hills; a linear mass
Hill
A point or small area of high ground
- Slopes down in all directions from the top
Saddle
A dip or low point or break along the crest of a ridge
Pass
A saddle deep enough to allow passage through a ridge
Valley
Reasonably level ground bordered on the sides by higher ground
- Also called Gully
- Can be v-shaped or u-shaped
- May or may not contain a stream
Depression
A low point or hole in the ground
- Good example is rock quarry
Draw
Cut running down the side of a ridge line
- Less developed valley
- Generally no level ground
Cliff
A vertical or near vertical slope
- May be shown on a map as contour lines close together, touching, or by a ticked contour line
- Tick marks always point toward lower ground
Accretion
The gradual increase in land by natural forces over time
- Opposite of erosion
Alpine
A lofty mountainous system
Aquifer
A saturated, permeable sediment or rock that can transmit significant quantities of water under hydraulic gradients
Atoll
A coral reef appearing in plain view that encircles a lagoon
Lagoon
A shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by reefs, barrier islands, or a barrier peninsula
Backshore
The upper portion of a beach above the high tide water line
Backslope
The steepest, generally linear, middle portion of the slope
Backswamp
- A floodplain landform
- Extensive, marshy or swampy depressed areas of floodplains between natural levees and valley sides or terraces
- Not water enough to be a river, but enough to be a pain
Escarpment
A relatively continuous and steep slope or cliff produced by erosion or faulting
- Interrupts the or breaks the general continuity of more gently sloping land surfaces
- Slopes of mesas
Badlands
Area with steep, rocky formations and near zero vegetation
Bar
A ridge like accumulation of sand or gravel on the banks or at the mouth of a moving body of water
Barchan Dune
- Crescent shaped dune with tips extending downwind
- Tend to arrange in chains extending in dominant wind direction
Barrier Beach
A sandy linear landmass lying near shore to the main shore, but not significant enough to be considered an island
Barrier Island
A long, thin island lying near the main shore
Cove
A small, narrowly sheltered bay, inlet creek, or recess of an estuary
- Often inside a larger embayment