Glossary of Terms
- 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 which reaches the surface of
the earth.
- Magma—Molten rock within the earth’s
crust.
- Metamorphic—Rock which has been changed
into present state after being subjected to heat and pressure fromthe crust,
or chemical alteration.
- Monadnock—Land that contains more erosion-resistant
rock than surrounding area and therefore is higher.
- Orogeny—A geologic process which 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 which 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.
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