2013 Unit 4 Landforms & Topography

Front 1

large area of land where the topography is made up mainly of one type of landform

Back 1

landform region

Front 2

moved by erosion and consists of pieces of rock or soil or the remains of plants or animals

Back 2

sediment

Front 3

occurs when the agents of erosion lay down sediment

Back 3

deposition

Front 4

flat, wide area of land along a river which is sometimes covered with water -- especially during the spring

Back 4

flood plain

Front 5

looplike bend in the course of a river

Back 5

meander

Front 6

forms when a meander has been cut off from the river

Back 6

oxbow lake

Front 7

landform created by sediment as a river flows into a larger body of water such as an ocean or lake

Back 7

delta

Front 8

a wide sloping deposit of sediment formed where a stream leaves a mountain range

Back 8

alluvial fan

Front 9

a deposit that hangs like an icicle from the roof of a cave

Back 9

stalactite

Front 10

a cone shaped deposit on the floor of a cave formed by the slow dripping from the ceiling

Back 10

stalagmite

Front 11

the geologic processes that operate today also operated in the past

Back 11

uniformitarianism

Front 12

process of wearing down and carrying away rocks

Back 12

erosion

Front 13

process that breaks down rock and other substances through heat, cold, water, ice, and gases

Back 13

weathering

Front 14

rock is physically broken into smaller pieces

Back 14

mechanical weathering

Front 15

rock is broken down by chemical changes

Back 15

chemical weathering

Front 16

the wearing away of rock by rock particles carried by water, ice, wind, or gravity

Back 16

abrasion

Front 17

occurs when water seeps into cracks in rocks, freezes and expands, causing the rock to break apart

Back 17

frost wedging

Front 18

iron combines with oxygen in the presence of water, forming rust

Back 18

oxidation

Front 19

describes a material full of tiny, connected air spaces that allow water to seep through it

Back 19

permeable

Front 20

loose, weathered material on Earth's surface in which plants can grow

Back 20

soil

Front 21

solid layer of rock beneath the soil

Back 21

bedrock

Front 22

dark colored substance that forms as plant and animal remains decay, creating spaces for air and water and contains nutrients that plants need

Back 22

humus

Front 23

a measure of how well the soil supports plant growth

Back 23

fertility

Front 24

soil that is made up of about equal parts of clay, sand, and silt; the best soil for growing plants

Back 24

loam

Front 25

measures acidity

Back 25

pH scale

Front 26

a layer of soil that differs in color, texture, and composition from the layers above or below it

Back 26

soil horizon

Front 27

the A horizon of soil; a crumbly dark brown soil that is a mixture of humus, clay, and other minerals

Back 27

topsoil

Front 28

the B horizon of soil; consists of clay and other particles of rock but little humus, formed as rainwater washes through the layer above

Back 28

subsoil

Front 29

the organisms that break the remains of dead organisms into smaller pieces and digest them with chemicals

Back 29

decomposers

Front 30

map which shows the surface features of an area

Back 30

topographic map

Front 31

connects points of equal elevation on a topographic map

Back 31

contour line

Front 32

the change in elevation from one contour line to the next

Back 32

contour interval

Front 33

every fifth contour line that is darker and heavier than the others

Back 33

index contour

Front 34

the height above sea level of a point on Earth's surface

Back 34

elevation

Front 35

a large groove in the soil that carries runoff after a rainstorm

Back 35

gully

Front 36

feature of topography formed by the processes that shape Earth's surface

Back 36

landform

Front 37

landform with high elevation and high relief

Back 37

mountain

Front 38

group of mountains that are closely related in shape, structure, area, and age

Back 38

mountain range

Front 39

a landform made up of nearly flat or gently rolling land with low relief

Back 39

plain

Front 40

landform with high elevation and low relief

Back 40

plateau

Front 41

the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area

Back 41

relief

Front 42

tiny groove in the soil formed by runoff

Back 42

rill

Front 43

water that moves over the land and carries particles with it

Back 43

runoff

Front 44

a channel along which water is continually flowing down a slope

Back 44

stream

Front 45

the shape of the land

Back 45

topography

Front 46

a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or river

Back 46

tributary

Front 47

the force that causes rock and sediment to move downhill

Back 47

gravity

Front 48

any one of several processes that move sediment downhill; caused by gravity

Back 48

mass movement