Longstreet Highroad
Guide to the North Carolina Mountains
By Lynda McDaniel
Glossary
Anticline—Arching rock fold that is closed
at the top and open at bottom. Oldest formation occurs in the center of an
anticline.
Basement—Complex of igneous and metamorphic
rock that underlies the sedimentary rocks of a region.
Biotic—Pertaining to plants and animals.
Boreal—Relating to the northern biotic
area characterized by the dominance of coniferous forests.
Carbonate rock—Collective term including
limestone and dolomite.
Coniferous—Describing the cone-bearing trees
of the pine family; usually evergreen.
Continental drift—Theory that the continental
land masses drift across the earth as the earth’s plates move and interact
in a process called plate tectonics.
Deciduous—Plants that shed their leaves
seasonally and are leafless for part of the year.
Endemic—Having originated in and being restricted
to one particular environment.
Escarpment—Cliff or steep rock face formed
by faulting that separates two comparatively level land surfaces.
Extinct—No longer existing.
Extirpated—Extinct in a particular area.
Feldspar—Complex of silicates that make
up bulk of the earth’s crust.
Fold—Warped rock including synclines and
anticlines.
Gneiss—Metamorphic granitelike rock showing
layers.
Granite—Igneous rock composed predominantly
of visible grains of feldspar and quartz. Used in building.
Igneous—Rock formed by cooled and hardened
magma within the crust or lava on the surface.
Karst—Area of land lying over limestone and
characterized by sinkholes, caves, and sinking streams.
Lava—Magma that reaches the surface of the
earth.
Magma—Molten rock within the earth’s
crust.
Metamorphic—Rock that has been changed
into present state after being subjected to heat and pressure from the crust,
or chemical alteration.
Monadnock—Land that contains more erosion-resistant
rock than surrounding area and therefore is higher.
Orogeny—A geologic process that results
in the formation of mountain belts.
Outcrop—Exposed bedrock.
Overthrust belt—An area where older rock
has been thrust over younger rock.
Rapids—Fast-moving water that flows around
rocks and boulders in rivers; classified from I to VI according to degree
of difficulty navigating.
Schist—Flaky, metamorphic rock containing
parallel layers of minerals such as mica.
Sedimentary—Rocks formed by the accumulation
of sediments (sandstone, shale) or the remains of products of animals or plants
(limestone, coal).
Shale—Sedimentary rock composed of clay, mud,
and silt grains that easily splits into layers.
Syncline—A rock fold shaped like a U that
is closed at the bottom and open at the top. The youngest rock is at the center
of a syncline.
Talus—Rock debris and boulders that accumulate
at the base of a cliff.
Watershed—The area drained by a river
and all its tributaries.
