Download World Geography Unit 2/Physical Geography Alluvial Plain

World Geography
Unit 2/Physical Geography
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Alluvial Plain - Flat landform created by the deposition of soil from rivers.
Archipelago - Chain of islands
Atmosphere - Layer of gases surrounding the planet.
Barrier island -Long, relatively narrow island running parallel to the mainland
Biomes – Geographic regions that support different kinds of life.
Biosphere- The part of the earth's crust, waters & atmosphere that supports life, forests, grasslands,
deserts & tundra.
7. Canyon- Deep ravine between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river
8. Cataract – Large waterfall
9. Continental Drift - Movement of the Earth's continents relative to each other by appearing to drift
across the ocean bed
10. Continentality- The impact of a location on a continent. Close to large body of water = smaller
difference in temperature. Farther away from water = greater difference in temperature.
11. Cyclones -Storm characterized numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds & flooding rains
(two types of cyclones: hurricanes in the Pacific & typhoons in the Atlantic)
12. Delta - Landform that is formed at the mouth of a river where if flows into a large body of water.
13. Drainage basin - Area of land where water from rain & melting snow converges to a single point,
usually the exit of the basin.
14. Earth-sun relationships – Reason for the seasons(revolution 365 1/4 days) & day/night(approx 24
hours)
15. Ecosystem - Community of living beings in conjunction with their environment interacting as a system
16. El Nina – (La Nina) exists when cooler than usual ocean temperatures occur on the equator between
South America and the Date Line. Precipitation is less than usual in California as a result.
17. El Nino – The warming of the Pacific Ocean between South America and the Date Line, centered
directly on the Equator. Both El Nino & La Nina are due to changes in wind patterns.
18. Erosion - Process by which soil & rock are removed from the Earth's surface by natural processes
such as wind or water flow,
19. Escarpment - Cliff or steep slope separating two comparatively level or more gently sloping surfaces
and resulting from erosion or faulting
20. Fault - Break in the rocks that make up the Earth’s crust, along which rocks on either side have moved
past each other.
21. Fjord - Narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or steep slopes (Norway has 1000’s of fjords).
22. Fold - Bend or flexure produced in layers of rock.
23. Headwaters - The source of a stream (opposite of the “mouth”).
24. High latitude - Part of the earth’s surface located near the north pole and also the south pole (one
season: COLD).
25. Mid Latitude – Part of the earth’s surface located between the Arctic circle & the tropic of cancer and
the Antarctic circle & the tropic of Capricorn. These areas experience seasonal weather changes (4
seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall).
26. Low Latitude – Part of the earth’s surface located between the tropic of cancer & tropic of Capricorn
(two seasons: Rainy/Dry).
27. Hurricanes - Tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater that occurs
especially in the western Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning
28. Hydrosphere - The surface waters of the earth and the water vapor in the atmosphere
29. Isthmus - a narrow strip of land with sea on either side, forming a link between two larger areas of
land.
30. Lake - Large inland body of standing water;
31. Leeward - Located away from the wind (opposite of windward see LACE MOPS)
32. Lithosphere – Made up of the earth’s crust & solid upper mantle.
33. Monsoons - Periodic wind in the Indian Ocean and southern Asia that brings periods of heavy rain
followed by a dry season.
34. Mountains - Elevation higher than a hill
35. Orographic Effect – Rapidly rising air forced up by mountains creates rain or snow on the windward
side of the mountain.
36. Peninsula - Piece of land nearly surrounded by water or sticking out into the water
37. Plateau - Broad flat area of high land
38. Rain shadow - Dry area on the lee ward (back) side of a mountainous area.
39. Rift Valleys – Landform characterized by steep, mountainous sides & flat floors. Steep sides are
created by displacement on faults when the valley floor moves down or the sides move up.
40. Ring of Fire - Seismically active belt of earthquakes, volcanoes, & tectonic plate boundaries in the
Pacific.
41. Strait - Narrow channel connecting two large bodies of water
42. Subduction - Process in which one tectonic plate is pushed downward beneath another plate into the
underlying mantle when plates move towards each other.
43. Temperate - Climate that is usually mild without extremely cold or extremely hot temperatures
44. Tributary – Flowing into a larger stream or lake
45. Tsunami - Great sea wave produced especially by an earthquake or volcano eruption under the sea
46. Typhoon - Hurricane occurring in the region of the Philippines or the China Sea
47. Vegetation - Plant life
48. Volcano - Area in the earth's crust from which melted or hot rock and steam come out
49. Weathering - To change by exposure to the weather
50. Windward - Moving or placed toward the direction from which the wind is blowing (opposite of leeward
see LACE MOPS – or LEMPOSA)
Soil Building terms:
51. Leeching - The removal of soluble material from a substance, such as soil or rock
52. Humus - Substance made up of decayed plant or animal matter. Provides nutrients for plants &
increases the ability of soil to retain water.
53. Organic Matter – Animal or vegetable origins.
54. Top Soil – The upper part of the soil
55. Subsoil – Layer of soil under the top soil. May include sand, silt or clay.
56. Bedrock - The solid rock that underlies loose material.
57. Sediment - Solid fragments of material that come from the weathering of rock often settles to the
bottom of a liquid.