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
Embayment
A recess in a coastline forming a bay
Basin
A low area where water or sediments have accumulated
- Between surrounding high ground
Bay
A wide, curving indentation, recess, or arm of a sea/lake
- Larger than a cove, smaller than a gulf
Bayou
A creek or secondary watercourse that is tributary to another body of water
- Particularly a sluggish or stagnant stream following a winding course through wetlands
Bedrock
The solid rock that underlies the soil and other un consolidated material
- Can be exposed at the surface
Berm
A low, impermanent, nearly horizontal or landward sloping shelf, ledge, or narrow terrace
- Typically refers to backshore of a beach where material thrown up by storm waves has accumulated
Blind Valley
A valley that ends abruptly downstream at the point where it’s stream disappears underground
Bluff
A rounded cliff face or other bold headland overlooking a plain or body of water
Bog
Waterlogged, spongy ground
- Consists primarily of mosses, containing acidic decaying vegetation that may develop into peat
Breaklands
An assemblage of very steep, high relief slopes flanking major rivers and streams in mountainous terrain
- Form the walls of a v-shaped river valley
Brook
A very small, ephemeral stream, especially one that issues from a spring or seep
- Smaller than a creek
Caldera
A large, more or less circular depression formed by an explosion or collapse
Canyon
A long, deep, narrow, very steep sided valley cut primarily in bedrock with a perennial stream at the bottom
Captured Stream
A stream whose course has been diverted into another stream by natural processes
Channel
A waterway between two land masses
Cliff
Any high, very steep to perpendicular or overhanging face of rock or earth
- A precipice
Climbing Dune
A dune formed by the piling up of sand by wind against a cliff or mountain slope
Coastal Plain
A low, generally broad plain that gently slopes toward oceanic shore
- Generally was once sea floor
- Example is southeastern US from Texas to New Jersey
Col
A steep, deep pass or abrupt saddle through a ridge
Crag
A steep, jagged cliff or rock face
Creek
A small, intermittent stream larger than a break but smaller than a river
Degradation
Wearing down, general lowering of the land surface by natural processes
Delta
Fan-shaped deposit at or near the mouth of a river or stream entering a quiet lake or ocean
Delta Plain
Level surface composing the landward part of a large delta
- Flood plain
- Repeated channel bifurcation and divergence
Ditch
An open and unlined channel or trench excavated to convey water for drainage or irrigation
- Smaller than a canal
Dune
A mound of sand formed by the wind, usually along a beach or desert
- Formed when wind blows sand into a sheltered area behind an obstacle
Ephemeral Stream
A stream that only flows in response to precipitation
Estuary
A partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers/streams flowing into it
- Transition zone between river and sea
Everglades
A large expanse of marshy land, covered mostly by grass
Fall Line
The point where a waterfall begins
Fault
A fracture between two rock masses
Finger Ridge
Tertiary spur ridges, like ribs off a spine
Fjord
A long, deep, narrow body of water that reaches deep inland
- Formed by glaciers
- Often in U-shaped valleys with steep walls
Flat
An area of nearly level surface
Flood Plain
A nearly level plain that floods under heavy rain
Fluvial
Pertaining to rivers or streams
Foothills
Steeply sloping hills at the fringe of larger mountains or escarpments
Gap
A sharp break or opening in a mountain edge
Glade
A large treeless, grassy clearing within a forest
Gorge
A narrow, deep valley with nearly vertical rocky walls, but smaller than a canyon
Gulf
Largest type of inlet to the sea
- Larger and more enclosed than a bay
Gully
A small channel with steep sides
Guy
A tidal stream connecting two larger waterways
Head
The source or uppermost part of a stream
Hill
Elevated area 30-300m tall
Horn
A high, rocky, steep sided mountain peak
Inlet
A small, narrow waterway connecting a bay, lagoon, or similar body of water
Intertidal
The coastal area between high and low tide
Island
An area of land completely surrounded by water
Knob
A rounded eminence
Knoll
A small, rounded hill rising among adjacent landforms
Lagoon
A shallow stretch of salt or brackish water, partly or completely separated from or lake by a reef or other landmass
Ledge
A narrow shelf or projection of rock on a wall or cliff face
Levee
A natural or artificial embankment
- Built to protect inland from the sea
Lowland
Term for the lowest areas in the lands you are referring to
Marsh
Periodically wet or continually flooded areas
Mesa
An isolated, flat top landform standby distinctly above surrounding areas
Mound
A rounded hill <3m high
Nearshore Zone
A subaqueous area that parallels the shore, extending out from the low waterline to beyond the breakers and sand bars
Outcrop
Something that is exposed or poking out at the surface
Oxbow
A closely looping stream
Peak
The highest point of a mountain or ridge
Peninsula
Land surrounded by water on three sides
Piedmont
A plain or slope at the base of a mountain
Pinnacle
A spire shaped pillar of rock
Pond
Body of water smaller than a lake but larger than a pool
Ravine
A small, strap sided stream channel
Shoal
The shallow portion of a stream, lake, or sea
- Usually lined by sand
Sound
A long, narrow waterway connecting two larger bodies of water
- Straight
