| TERM/PHRASE | CLASSIFICATION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|
| Ablation | is a geologic term | which refers to the process of carrying away or removing |
| Active Layer | is a surface layer | which is located above permafrost and thaws each summer and refreezes each autumn |
| Archipelago | is a general term | which refers to a group of islands |
| Atoll Reef | is a circular coral reef | which fringes an island that has been submerged by a rise in sea level |
| Barrier Reef | is a long coral reef | which lies some distance from shore and is separated from it by a lagoon |
| Cinder Cone | is a volcanic peak | which is made of cinders and other materials ejected from a volcano |
| Continental Shelf | is an edge of a continent's land mass | which extends under the ocean's surface before dropping off to the deep ocean floor |
| Drainage Basin | is an area of land | which is drained by one river and its tributaries |
| Erosion | is the general geologic term | which refers to the gradual wearing down of land or rock by a number of different agents |
| Escarpment | is a steep cliff | which is formed by erosion or faulting |
| Estuary | is a coastal inlet | which is located at the mouth of a river where tides flow in and out mixing fresh water with sea water |
| Fiord | is a deep inlet of the sea | which is caused by the flooding of a glacial valley |
| Fringing Reef | is a type of coral reef | which grows directly offshore with no deep lagoon between it and the shore |
| Geologic Era | is a geologic term | which is used to identify a particular time period in the earth's history |
| Glacial Spillway | is a type of valley | which is caused by glacial meltwater |
| Gradation | is a geologic process | in which differences in elevation are changed into a uniform surface as a result of forces originating outside the earth's lithosphere |
| Granite | is a type of igneous rock | which is intrusive, coarse grained, and contains a variety of dark and light minerals |
| Ice Age | is a geologic time period | in which huge sheets of ice scraped over the landscape; caused by a climatic change |
| Impervious Rock | is a type of rock | which water cannot soak through |
| Magma | is a liquid rock | which rises to the surface of the earth where it cools and solidifies |
| Metamorphic Rock | is a type of rock | which forms when heat or pressure changes igneous or sedimentary rock |
| Permafrost | is a type of ground | which is permanently frozen |
| Plate (Tectonic) | is a geologic term | which refers to the almost rigid piece of the earth's crust that covers a large area |
| Polder | is a low area | which has been reclaimed from some body of water |
| Shield Volcano | is a type of volcano | which has a low profile consisting of basic lava |
| Tidal Flat | is a type of shoreline | which is exposed when the water withdraws at low tide |
| Wadi | is a type of ravine or gully | which is found in parts of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and through which water flows during the rainy season |
| Watershed | is a higher land | which divides one river and its tributaries from the next |