Vocab Flashcards
Longitude
The distance of any point east or west of the prime meridian, measured up to 180 degrees
Latitude
The distance of any point north or south of the equator, measured up to 90 degrees
Physical Characteristics
Includes landforms, bodies of water found in the place, soil and mineral deposits, etc.
Cultural Landscape
Visible results of human activity
Vegetation
The natural and undisturbed plants of a region
Geological
Having to do with geology, the history of the study of the Earth as found in rocks
Topography
The shape of the land
Igneous Rock
Rock that has been formed by the solidification of molten material
Metamorphic Rock
Rock changed from its original form into another form through heat and pressure
Sedimentary Rock
Rock made up of sediment laid down in layers which have grown together
Fossil Fuels
A natural fuel formed by geological forces from the residue of living organisms
Evaporites
A type of sedimentary rock the originates by the evaporation of sea water
Alluvium
Sediments carried off by rivers
Plate
A slab of Earth’s crust. Plates are underneath all the continents and oceans. They regularly move away from, and collide with each other
Tectonics
The study of the forces within the Earth that form it’s surface features such as mountain ranges and ocean basins
Magma
Molten rock material within the Earth from which igneous rock is formed through cooling
Mantle
The interior part of the Earth that lies directly above the core
Epicentre
The Earth’s surface directly above the quake-the middle of the quake
Tsunami
A great sea wave produced by an earthquake or by a volcanic eruption
Seismic
To do with earthquakes
Subduction Zone
A long region with a trench through which a descending tectonic plate is assimilated into the Earth’s mantle
Richter Scale
A measure of the power of earthquakes. Each step on the scale is ten times the previous one, so an earthquake that registers 7 is ten time greater than a 6 and one hundred times greater than a 5
Seismologist
Someone who studies earthquakes
Bedrock
Solid rock underneath looser materials such as soil
Sewage
Municipal and industrial wastes
Run-Off
Pesticides, herbicides, and other materials that drain from fields into rivers and lakes
Biome
An ecological community of plants and animals extending over a large area
Interdependent
Being dependant on each other
System
A group of things that interact with each other and together form a whole
Coniferous Tree
An evergreen tree
Humus
The remains of decomposing plants in soil
Erosion
The wearing away by action of wind, water, or ice
Slough
Depression filled with fresh water from rain or melting snow
Treeline
The upper limit of tree growth on a mountain
