Earth Science Vocabulary Words

Front 1

flat, raised landform made up of nearly horizontal rocks that have been uplifted.

Back 1

Plateau

Front 2

Map made by projecting points and lines from a globe onto a cone.

Back 2

Conic Projection

Front 3

Large, flat landform that often has thick, fertile soil and is usually found in the interior region of a continent.

Back 3

Plain

Front 4

Map that shows the changes in elevation of Earth's surface and indicates such features as roads and cities.

Back 4

Topographic Map

Front 5

Mountains formed when horizontal rock layers are squeezed from opposite sides, causing them to buckle and fold.

Back 5

Folded Mountains

Front 6

Imaginary line that wraps around Earthat 0 degree latitude, halfway between the north and south poles.

Back 6

Equator

Front 7

Imaginary line that represents 0 degree longitude and runs from the north pole through Greenwich, England, to the south pole.

Back 7

Prime Meridean

Front 8

Relationship between distances on a map and distances on Earth's surface that can be represented as a ratio or as a small bar divided into sections.

Back 8

Map Scale

Front 9

Distance in degrees east or west of the prime meridian.

Back 9

Longitude

Front 10

Mountains formed when molten material reaches Earth's surface through a weak crustal area and piles up into a cone-shaped structure.

Back 10

Volcanic Mountain

Front 11

Distance in degrees north or south of the equator.

Back 11

Latitude

Front 12

Explains the meaning of symbols used on a map.

Back 12

Map Legend

Front 13

Mountains formed when blocks of Earth's crust are pushed up by forces inside Earth.

Back 13

Upwarped Mountains

Front 14

Mountains formed from huge, tilted blocks of rock that are separated from surrounding rocks by faults.

Back 14

Fault-Block Mountains

Front 15

Line on a map that connects points of equal elevation.

Back 15

Contour Line