Science Olympiad-Geologic Mapping Terms

Hydrosphere

****** in physical geography describes the combined mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of the planet.

Contour Lines (isoline, isopleth, or isarithm)

A ********** of a function of two variables is a curve along which the function has a constant value.

Stratigraphy

A branch of geology which studies rock layers (strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks.

An earth structure

A building or other structure made largely from soil. These include earth shelters, pyramids, forts, trenches, and mud brick buildings.

Ecosystems

A community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment interacting as a system.

Topographical profile

A cross sectional view along a line drawn through a portion of a topographical map.

Lithology

A description of a rock's physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand or core samples or with low magnification microscopy, such as color, texture, grain size, or composition.

Geohazard

A geological state that may lead to widespread damage or risk. Geohazards are geological and environmental conditions and involve long-term or short-term geological processes.

Geologic strata (plural stratum)

A layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers.

Contour Map

A map illustrated with contour lines, for example a topographic map, which thus shows valleys and hills, and the steepness of slopes.

Seafloor spreading

A process that occurs at mid-ocean ridges, where new oceanic crust is formed through volcanic activity and then gradually moves away from the ridge.

Plate tectonics

A scientific theory that describes the large-scale motion of Earth's lithosphere. This theoretical model builds on the concept of continental drift which was first developed during the first few decades of the 20th century.

Geologic Maps

A special-purpose map made to show geological features.

Map projections

A systematic transformation of the latitudes and longitudes of locations on the surface of a sphere or an ellipsoid into locations on a plane.

Economic model

A theoretical construct representing economic processes by a set of variables and a set of logical and/or quantitative relationships between them.

Topographic maps

A type of map characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually now using contour lines, but historically using a variety of methods.

Intrusion

An igneous rock body that forms from crystallized magma under Earth's surface.

Rock formation

An isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface of rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock.

Aquifer

An underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock, rock fractures or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be extracted using a water well.

History of Earth

Concerns the development of the planet Earth from its formation to the present day.

Detritus

Dead particulate organic material (as opposed to dissolved organic material).

Seismic interferometry

Examines the general interference phenomena between pairs of signals in order to gain useful information about the subsurface.

Fold (geology)

Occurs when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation.

Fault

Planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock, across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock mass movement.

Strike and dip

Refers to the orientation or attitude of a geologic feature. The strike line of a bed, fault, or other planar feature, is a line representing the intersection of that feature with a horizontal plane.

Metamorphic Rock

Rocks that are created by rocks that have been transformed into another kind of rock, usually by some combination of heat, pressure, and chemical alteration.

Igneous Rock

Rocks that are created when molten rock cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization.

Endogenous substances and processes

Substances and processes are those that originate from within an organism, tissue, or cell.

Erosion

The action of exogenic processes (such as water flow or wind) which remove soil and rock from one location on the Earth's crust, then transport it to another location where it is deposited.

Sedimentation

The collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution.

Contour Interval

The difference in elevation between successive and contour lines.

Exogeny

The fact of an action or object originating externally, or not within a system.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems.

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity.

Denudation

The long-term sum of processes that cause the wearing away of the Earth's surface leading to a reduction in elevation and relief of landforms and landscapes.

Soil

The mixture of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and the countless organisms that together support life on Earth.

Pedosphere

The outermost layer of the Earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes.

Lithosphere

The rigid, outermost shell of a terrestrial-type planet or natural satellite that is defined by its rigid mechanically properties.

Cartography

The study and practice of making maps.

Sedimentary rock

Types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water.