Glossary

bedding plane n.

A surface separating two beds of rock.

biota n.

The combined flora (plants) and fauna (animals) of a region.

compress v.

To make more compact by or as if by pressing; to squeeze or press together.

compression n.

The process or result of becoming smaller or pressed together.

crest n.

The top, as of a hill or wave.

crust (geology) n.

The outermost layer of the earth. [more]

elevation n.

Height on the earth's surface above sea level.

fold (geology) n.

A bend in a stratum (layer) of rock.

granite n.

A coarse-grained igneous rock that has an even texture, is usually light in color, and is composed chiefly of quartz. [more]

igneous adj.

Rocks produced in volcanic processes, having solidified from lava or magma.

intrude (geology) v.

To thrust (molten rock) into preexisting rock.

laterally adv.

By the side; sidewise; toward, or from, the side.

metamorphic adj.

Rocks that have recrystallized in a solid state as a result of changes in temperature, pressure, and chemical environment.

metamorphose (geology) v.

To change into a different form, substance, or state; to change (as a rock) in structure and recrystallized in a solid state as a result of changes in temperature, pressure, and chemical environment.

molten adj.

Made liquid by heat; melted.

monadnock n.

An isolated hill or mountain of resistant rock rising above an eroded lowland. [more]

overthrust n.

Rock or sheets of rock that fold, or thrust over one another, due to high pressure and results in younger rock layers to be located under older layers; rock layers that have broken and thrust up over one another.

Piedmont n.

A geographic region of the southeastern United States between the Coastal Plain and the Appalachian foothills.

pinnacle n.

A tall pointed formation, such as a mountain peak; the highest point; the culmination.

plateau n.

A high area with a flat top that may have deep canyons or be surrounded by cliffs; also sometimes called a mesa or butte.

quartzite n.

A metamorphic rock composed of firmly cemented quartz grains, or formed from metamorphized quartz sandstone. [more]

recrystallize v.

To crystallize, or cause to form crystals or assume a crystalline structure, again or repeatedly.

sedimentary adj.

Of or relating to rocks formed by the deposition of sediment. [more]

tensional stretching n.

The stress that tends to stretch and/or pull something apart creating cracks, fractures or faults in the object being stretched.

topography n.

The surface features of a place or region; the character, natural features, and configuration of land; terrain.

weathering n.

The natural chemical or physical alteration or change of an object or deposit through time.