Geology final

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deposition by meltwater: streams emerge from glaciers with large load
glacial deposition by wind loess: after outwash dries, fine grains are picked up by wind
deposits of wind-blown silt and clay, fine grained
glacier flow caused by? 2 types?: caused by gravity
sliding: erodes surface, slow
ductile: ice crystals deformed, faster than sliding
most recent ice age where was the thickest ice? how far south?: Pleistocene started 1.6 million years ago
Hudson Bay
all but southern tip of Illinois was covered
relating to sand dunes: stoss side, leeward side How do they migrate?: stoss: upwind side
leeward: downwind side

migrate downwind
abyssal plain: true ocean basin
appalachians province.. once as high as?: once as high as Rockies but erosion has lowered them
aquifer: porous and permeable layer of rock or sediment that contains water
aquitard: impermeable layer where water travels very slowly
arete: sharp, narrow ridge
arroyos: desert stream beds, usually dry
barchan dune: crescent shaped, with arms pointing downwind
barrier island: offshore mound of sediment, parallel to land
base level: lowest elevation to which a river can erode
basin and range, types of rock?: igneous, metamorphic rock
baymouth bar: narrow mound of sediment, attached to both ends
calving: breaking off of icebergs
capacity: total amount of sediment a stream can carry
channel: narrow depression in hwich water flows
cirque: bowl shaped depression high on side of mountain
coastal plain types of rock?: young sediments
competence: largest size particle a stream can carry
continental rise: gently sloping accumulation of sediment at base of continental slope
continental shelf: shallow, gently sloping seafloor adjacent to continents
continental slop: steeper section leading down to deep sea
dendritic: branching, develops on gently sloping layers
discharge: volume of water flowing past given point in specified length of time
divides: high ground that separate basins
drainage system: trunk stream and all its tributaries
drumlin: stream lined hill of till that forms beneath glacier
eccentricity: sometimes orbit is more circular, sometimes more elliptical
end moraine: forms along terminus
eolian processes: having to do with the wind: erosion, transport, deposition in desert
equilibrium line (glaciers): boundary b/t zones of accumulation and ablation
erratics: rocks in till that don't match local bedrock
esker: sinuous, wavy ridge deposited on or under ice
estuaries; drowned river mouths
feedbacks: self reinforcing effects
fjord: u-shaped valley below sea level
floodplain: flat land on either side of channel
flow (glacier): ice moves from zone of accumulation to zone of ablation
formation of glaciers: accumulation, burial, recrystallization
glacial lake deposits: accumulate in lakes formed b/t ice and end moraine, fine grained
glacial lakes form when...: meltwater is trapped between moraine and ice
glacial polish: smooth and shiny surface
glacial rebound: when ice melts, lithosphere rises
groins, jetties: walls of stone or concrete
groins: perpendicular to shore to block longshore drift
jetties: built in pairs to protect a harbor
hanging valley: tributary valley whose mouth is above level of main valley
headland: point of land extending into ocean
Highest point in North America?: Mt. Mckinley, Alaska 20000 feet
horn: high, angula, rugged mountain peak
how do glaciers shape landscape? 2 ways: erosion of existing landforms
deposition of sediment carried by ice, water, wind
ice changes surface drainage by (2 ways): blocking streams with ice, filling valleys with till
ice loading: weight of glacier pushes lithosphere down
icefall: part of glacier descending a steep slope
in the next 50 years there could be global warming of ...: 2-5 degrees
interior plains province: sedimentary rocks, shaped by glaciers
IPCC: intergovernmental panel on climate change, 1988
kame: conical mound of outwash that accumulated in a depression in the ice
kettle: circular depression in moraine, once filled by block of ice
largest sand desert in world: Rub al Khali in Saudi Arabia
lateral moraine, medial moraine: lateral: lien of debris along sides of alpine glacier
medial: line of debris in center of alpine glacier
Levees: wall of sand or dirt built along river channel to increase height of river bank
longitudinal dune: elongate with 2 skip faces and sharp crest, parallel to wind direction
longitudinal profile of a river: graph of elevation of water surface vs. downstream distance
longshore currents: occurs when waves come in at an angle to the coastline
longshore movements: water or sediment moving parallel to coastline
lonshore drift: movement of sediment
lower point in North America?: Basin and Range: Death Valley, California
marine terrace: uplifted platform: may form series of steps
moraines: hil or ridges of till, deposited as ice melts
mushroom rocks: resistant layer over soft; soft layer is eroded near the ground
notch: undercut cliff
outwash: sand and gravel deposited by glacial streams, better sorted than till
over last century temperature has increased...: .5 degrees
oxbow lake: abandoned meander channel
Pacific Mountains: 3 high mountain ranges: Sierra Nevada, Cascades, Coastal Ranges; all located on region of active tectonism
parabolic dune: crescent shaped, arms pointing upwind
precession: earth's rotational axis "wobbles"
proposed global solution to global warming: C&C contraction and convergence
recharge areas: locations where water enters groundwater system
recognition of ice ages based on ...: sedimentary rocks with glacial features
(tillite, polished surfaces)
recurrence interval for floods: average # of years between occurrence of a certain size flood
R=(N+1)/M
N= number of years record, M = rank of flood (in order from largest to smallest)
rise, fall: rise: area of once dry land is now under water
fall: area once under water is now dry land
river bluffs: steep slopes on either side of river valley
river: downcutting: process by which a valley becomes deeper
roche mountonne: glacially shaped bedrock knob
rockies province: multi stage history left mixture of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary, shaped by glaciers
sea arch, sea stack: sea arch: hole eroded through headland
sea stack: offshore rock detached from headland
seamount, guyot: seamount: isolated underwater mountain, usually volcanic
guyot: flat topped seamou
shield province: type of rocks, shaped by?: precambrian igneous/metamorphic rocks, shaped by glaciers
spit: long narrow mound of sediment, attached to land at one end
star dune: central peak with radiating ridges, many slip faces
striations: scratches in bedrock and in rocks carried by ice
Superfund: federal program to clean up major abandoned toxic waste sites
swash, backwash: swash : incoming wave carries sediment onshore at an angle
backwash: outgoing wave carries sediment offshore perpendicularly
tarn: high small round lake in a cirque
terminal moraine: end moraine that marks farthest extent of ice
terminus: leading edge of glacier
downslope end of alpine glacier, outer margin of continental glacier
thermohaline circulation: water circulates vertically, driven by density contrasts differences in salinity and temperature
transverse dune: long, narrow and straight
trellis: tributaries flow through parallel valleys
tributary: feeder stream, empties into trunk stream
trunk stream: major river
turbidity currents: rapidly moving sediment-laden water, highly erosive, triggered by EQ or landslide
types of continental margins: passive margin: not plate boundary, no tectonic activity
active margin: usually convergent boundary, trench b/t continental slope and abyssal plain
ventifacts: rocks shaped, polished, faceted by wind-blown sand
water table: boundary between saturated and unsaturated/aerated zone
wave-cut platform: flat surface eroded by waves at sea level
Ways to undo desertification: plant trees, fix dunes, drip irrigation (more efficient use of water)
working group 1: scientific aspects of climate and its changes
working group 2: effects of warming and options for adapting
working group iii: options for mitigating climate change
yardang: sharp ridge between rounded troughs
zone of ablation: area of glacier that loses mass over time

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