Physical Geography Glossary

The loss of ice or snow from a glacier through melting, sublimation, calving, or wind erosion.

Unconsolidated sediment deposited by flowing water, typically found in riverbeds, floodplains, and deltas.

The semi-fluid, ductile layer of the upper mantle beneath the lithosphere on which tectonic plates move.

A type of erosion where rocks and sediment carried by water, wind, or ice collide with each other and become smaller and more rounded.

A large-scale ecological community classified by its dominant vegetation type and climate, such as tropical rainforest, desert, tundra, or grassland.

A large, bowl-shaped volcanic depression formed when a volcano's magma chamber empties and the overlying structure collapses.

An amphitheater-shaped, bowl-like depression carved by glacial erosion at the head of a valley glacier.

A landform created by the deposition of sediment carried by a river as the flow enters a slower-moving or standing body of water.

The overall lowering of a land surface through the combined processes of weathering, erosion, and mass wasting.

An elongated, streamlined hill of glacial till shaped by the movement of a glacier, with its steeper end facing the direction from which the ice advanced.

Geological processes related to wind activity, including erosion, transportation, and deposition of sediment. Dominant in arid and coastal environments.

A partially enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater from rivers mixes with saltwater from the ocean, creating a brackish environment.

The bending and deformation of rock layers due to compressional tectonic forces, creating features such as anticlines and synclines.

A depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults, formed by extensional tectonic forces. An example is the East African Rift Valley.

The process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil, influenced by soil permeability, vegetation cover, and rainfall intensity.

The amount of solar radiation received by a given surface area, varying with latitude, season, time of day, and atmospheric conditions.

Fine-grained, wind-deposited sediment (silt) that often forms fertile soils. Major deposits are found in China, Central Europe, and the central United States.

The downslope movement of rock, soil, and debris under the direct influence of gravity, including landslides, rockfalls, mudflows, and creep.

A pronounced bend or loop in a river channel, formed as the river erodes the outer bank and deposits sediment on the inner bank.

The process of mountain building through tectonic forces such as plate collision, folding, faulting, and volcanic activity.

Ground that remains at or below 0 degrees Celsius continuously for at least two years, found in polar and high-altitude regions.

Erosion caused by groundwater seepage undermining a slope or cliff face, contributing to mass wasting and valley formation.

Distinct layers of sedimentary rock or soil, each representing a period of deposition. The study of strata is called stratigraphy.

Large-scale ocean circulation driven by differences in water density caused by variations in temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline). Also known as the global conveyor belt.

The area of land from which all water drains to a common outlet point, bounded by topographic divides. The fundamental hydrological unit.