Geology

Front 1

artificial levee

Back 1

The main purpose of an artificial levee is to prevent flooding of the adjoining countryside; however, they also confine the flow of the river resulting in higher and faster water flow.

Front 2

base level

Back 2

the theoretical lowest elevation to which a river may erode, generally at or about sea level

Front 3

cutbank

Back 3

steep or nearly vertical slope on the outside of a bend in a stream channel; typically forms by stream erosion

Front 4

delta

Back 4

low, nearly flat area of land formed near the mouth of a stream where it enters a lake or the ocean

Hint 4

commonly triangular or fanshaped

Front 5

discharge

Back 5

quantity of water flowing past a particular part on a stream, usually measured in cubic feet per second.

Front 6

floodplain

Back 6

A plain bordering a river and subject to flooding

Front 7

headwaters

Back 7

The water from which a river rises; a source

Front 8

hydrologic cycle

Back 8

the natural sequence through which water passes into the atmosphere as water vapor, precipitates to earth in liquid or solid form, and ultimately returns to the atmosphere through evaporation.

Front 9

longitudinal profile

Back 9

w/ respect to streams, a graph that shows the decrease in elevation of a stream bed between its head and its mouth.

Front 10

meander

Back 10

a bend in the channel that migrates back and forth across the floodplain, depositing sediment on the inside of the bend on a point bar and eroding the outside of the bend into a cutbank

Front 11

levee

Back 11

an embankment designed to prevent the flooding of a river.

Front 12

point bar

Back 12

A low, curved ridge of sand and gravel along the inner bank of a meandering stream.

Front 13

runoff

Back 13

something that drains or flows off, as rain that flows off from the land in streams.

Front 14

angle of repose

Back 14

the maximum slope, measured in degrees from the horizontal, at which loose solid material will remain in place without sliding.

Front 15

creep

Back 15

a. the gradual movement downhill of loose soil, rock, gravel, etc.; solifluction.

b. the slow deformation of solid rock resulting from constant stress applied over long periods.

Front 16

debris flow

Back 16

Debris and mud flows are rivers of rock, earth, and other debris saturated with water. They develop when water rapidly accumulates in the ground, during heavy rainfall or rapid snowmelt, changing the earth into a flowing river of mud or “slurry.”

Hint 16

They can flow rapidly, striking with little or no warning at avalanche speeds. They also can travel several miles from their source, growing in size as they pick up trees, boulders, cars, and other materials.

Front 17

lahar

Back 17

an avalanche of volcanic water and mud down the slopes of a volcano

Front 18

mass wasting

Back 18

downhill movement of soil and rock fragments induced by gravity.

Front 19

permafrost

Back 19

Permanently frozen subsoil, occurring throughout the Polar Regions and locally in perennially frigid areas.

Front 20

slide

Back 20

the deformation or downslope movement of a nearly intact block of earth material along a slip surface (The displacement surface of a landslide)

Front 21

slump

Back 21

a landslide or rockslide

Front 22

aquifer

Back 22

An underground bed or layer of earth, gravel, or porous stone that yields water.

Front 23

cavern

Back 23

a large cave

Front 24

cave

Back 24

a hollow in the earth, esp. one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc.

Front 25

geyser

Back 25

a hot spring that intermittently sends up fountainlike jets of water and steam into the air.

Front 26

groundwater

Back 26

the water beneath the surface of the ground, consisting largely of surface water that has seeped down:

Hint 26

the source of water in springs and wells.

Front 27

hot spring

Back 27

a thermal spring having water warmer than 98°F (37°C): the water is usually heated by emanation from or passage near hot or molten rock

Front 28

karst topography

Back 28

A landscape that is characterized by numerous caves, sinkholes, fissures, and underground streams. Karst topography usually forms in regions of plentiful rainfall where bedrock consists of carbonate-rich rock, such as limestone, gypsum, or dolomite, that is easily dissolved. Surface streams are usually absent from karst topography.

Front 29

permeability

Back 29

the capability of a porous rock or sediment to permit the flow of fluids through its pore spaces.

Front 30

porosity

Back 30

being able to absorb fluids

Hint 30

empty space in earth material such as soil or rock

Front 31

sinkhole

Back 31

a depressed area in which waste or drainage collects.

Front 32

spring

Back 32

A small stream of water flowing naturally from the Earth

Front 33

stalactite

Back 33

A cylindrical a deposit, usually of calcium carbonate, shaped like an icicle hanging downward from the roof of a cave or cavern, formed by the dripping of water saturated with minerals. Stalactites form gradually as the minerals precipitate out of the saturated water. They usually consist of calcite but can also consist of other minerals.

Front 34

stalagmite

Back 34

A cylindrical or conical mineral deposit, similar to a stalactite but built up from the floor of a cave or cavern. Stalagmites are typically broader than stalactites. The two formations are often, but not always, paired, and they sometimes join at a midpoint to form a pillar.

Front 35

subsidence

Back 35

a gradual sinking to a lower level

Front 36

bed loads

Back 36

particles in a river that are transported along the bed

Front 37

dams

Back 37

A barrier constructed across a waterway to control the flow or raise the level of water.

Front 38

dendritic drainage pattern

Back 38

Dendritic drainage pattern takes the form of "dendrites" and looks like the branching roots of a tree. Dendritic drainage forms where on flat surfaces of homogeneous subsurface material. Most common erosion to widen area.

Front 39

drainage divide

Back 39

line seperating neighboring drainage basins

Front 40

flood

Back 40

overflow of an expanse of water that submerges a land

Front 41

oxbow lake

Back 41

a crescent-shaped lake (often temporary) water body formed when a wide meander from the mainstream of a river is cut off to create a lake.

Front 42

saltation (hydrolic lifting)

Back 42

intermittent, leaping movement of particles of sand or gravel, as from the force of wind or running water.