Geo H2

Question 1

abrasion (cliffed) coast

Answer 1

Steep coast which forms when the sea erodes the lower slopes.

Question 2

atmosphere

Answer 2

The air around us.

Question 3

beach ridge (sand mass)

Answer 3

A sand bank created by breakers, above sea level.

Question 4

biological weathering

Answer 4

Weathering caused by living organisms.

Question 5

biosphere

Answer 5

Life on Earth (plants, animals, people).

Question 6

breakers

Answer 6

Waves breaking in the sea.

Question 7

catchment area

Answer 7

The entire area that drains into the principal river system.

Question 8

chemical weathering

Answer 8

Weathering that changes the composition of rock.

Question 9

coastal dune

Answer 9

Hill that forms when the wind blows the sand together.

Question 10

hills

Answer 10

Area with an altitude between 200 and 500 metres.

Question 11

high mountain range

Answer 11

Mountainous area with an altitude higher than 1,500 metres.

Question 12

ground moraine

Answer 12

Sediment that is left behind when a glacier melts.

Question 13

gradient

Answer 13

The fall per kilometre.

Question 14

graben

Answer 14

A dip in the Earth’s crust along a fault zone.

Question 15

glacier-fed river

Answer 15

River that catches meltwater from glaciers.

Question 16

glacier

Answer 16

Sheet of ice in a high mountain range that moves very slowly down the mountain (so slowly that you can’t even see it).

Question 17

glacial tunnel

Answer 17

Tunnel that forms at the bottom of a glacier when meltwater accumulates there.

Question 18

glacial portal

Answer 18

Opening where meltwater flows from a glacier.

Question 19

glacial

Answer 19

Period when the average temperature on Earth fell by a few degrees. Also called ice age.

Question 20

geological factor

Answer 20

Factor that partly determines the landscape.

Question 21

frost weathering

Answer 21

Type of mechanical weathering; freezing and thawing makes the rock crumble.

Question 22

fold mountain range

Answer 22

Mountains that form when the Earth’s crust is squeezed and pushed upwards.

Question 23

flow rate

Answer 23

The amount of water that a river carries away.

Question 24

firn basin

Answer 24

A place high in the mountains where firn accumulates.

Question 25

firn

Answer 25

Crystalline, icy snow left over from previous seasons.

Question 26

fault

Answer 26

Crack or tear in the Earth’s crust.

Question 27

fall

Answer 27

The difference in altitude between two points along a river.

Question 28

exogenic force

Answer 28

Force from outside the Earth that changes the Earth’s crust.

Question 29

estuary

Answer 29

Broad river mouth formed by the ebb and flow of the tide.

Question 30

erosion coast

Answer 30

Coast where the waves take away more material than they leave behind.

Question 31

erosion

Answer 31

The abrasion of hard rock by water, ice and wind, carrying weathered material.

Question 32

endogenic force

Answer 32

Force from within the Earth that changes the Earth’s crust.

Question 33

Earth’s crust

Answer 33

Thin layer of rock that covers the Earth. It is about 1 to 7 kilometres thick under oceans and 20 to 70 kilometres thick under continents.

Question 34

delta

Answer 34

An area at the river mouth where the main river divides into many small rivers.

Question 35

horst

Answer 35

Part of the Earth’s crust that has been pushed upwards along a fault zone.

Question 36

hydrosphere

Answer 36

All the water found on Earth.

Question 37

ice age

Answer 37

See glacial.

Question 38

interglacial

Answer 38

Warmer period between two ice ages.

Question 39

land ice

Answer 39

A layer of perpetual snow that has turned into ice

Question 40

lateral moraine

Answer 40

Debris on the side of an ice lobe.

Question 41

lower reaches

Answer 41

The last part of a river (near the sea).

Question 42

lowland

Answer 42

Area with an altitude lower than 200 metres.

Question 43

low mountain range

Answer 43

Area where the altitude of most of the mountain peaks is between 500 and 1,500 metres.

Question 44

meander

Answer 44

A natural bend in a river.

Question 45

mechanical weathering

Answer 45

Weathering that does not change the composition of rock.

Question 46

mixed river

Answer 46

River that transports meltwater from glaciers as well as rainwater.

Question 47

old mountain range

Answer 47

Mountains with round tops and shallow valleys; older than 65 million years.

Question 48

oxbow lake

Answer 48

Lake that forms when a meander is cut off from the main river.

Question 49

plate

Answer 49

Piece of the Earth’s crust. Also called a slab.

Question 50

precipitation

Answer 50

Water (rain, snow or hail) from the atmosphere that falls on the Earth.

Question 51

rain-fed river

Answer 51

River consisting entirely of rainwater.

Question 52

regime

Answer 52

Fluctuations in the amount of water transported by a river.

Question 53

sedimentary rock

Answer 53

Rock formed from material left behind by ice, water or wind.

Question 54

sedimentation

Answer 54

Happens when weathering or erosion material is left behind.

Question 55

slab

Answer 55

See plate.

Question 56

terminal moraine

Answer 56

Pulverized material pushed forward by a glacier.

Question 57

trough valley (U-shaped valley)

Answer 57

Valley in the shape of a ‘U’, formed by the erosive action of a glacier.

Question 58

upper reaches

Answer 58

The first part of a river (near the source).

Question 59

V-shaped valley

Answer 59

Valley in the shape of a ‘V’, formed by the erosive action of a river.

Question 60

watershed

Answer 60

Boundary between two catchment areas.

Question 61

wave

Answer 61

Movement in a body of water, usually caused by wind blowing over the surface.

Question 62

weathering

Answer 62

The disintegration of rock as a result of weather and vegetation.

Question 63

weathered material

Answer 63

Debris from weathering.

Question 64

young mountain range

Answer 64

Mountains with high peaks, sharp ridges and deep valleys; less than 65 million years old.