Planet a large body that revolves around some star. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Earth_System the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere, with emphasis on their interactions. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-11-15 Atmosphere the zone of gases overlying the surface of Earth or another celestial body. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Ice a large body of frozen water which often contains a relatively small amount of sediments; may be sea ice, glacier, or a free-moving iceberg. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Ice.Glacier a motile ice mass over land formed from the accumulation and compaction of snow. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Ice.Ice_Sheet a very large, generally stable ice mass over land formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Ground_Water subsurface water in the pores of sediments or a rock mass (an aquifer). rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2004-11-04 Ground_Water.Aquifer the permeable unit of sediments or rock which contains ground water. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2004-11-04 Ground_Water.Black_Smoker a hydrothermal vent from which dark, sulfide-rich fluid surfaces. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2004-11-04 Ground_Water.Cold_Seep a vent from which ground water surfaces. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2004-11-04 Ground_Water.Hydrothermal_Vent a vent from which geothermally heated, often mineral-rich ground water surfaces. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2004-11-04 Landform Surficial topographic forms and the things they contain. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Abyssal_Plain definition pending. rlriall 2003-03-01 2003-03-01 1 Landform.Atoll an island with a watery center, formed by a coral reef. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Bank the land immediately alongside a significant body of water, such as a lake, river, ocean, or sea. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Basin a topographic low in the surface which traps sediments. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Bay a relatively small inlet of the ocean. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Beach the coastal zone extending from the low-water line inland to the beach ridge. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Beach_Ridge the landmost limit of a beach, characterized by an elevated sediment body. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Caldera the crater formed by the collapse of a volcano. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Canyon a deep, steeply-walled valley formed by incision of a river. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Cape definition pending rlriall 2003-09-01 2003-09-01 1 Landform.Cave definition pending. rlriall 2003-03-01 2003-03-01 1 Landform.Cliff a very steep, vertical, or overhanging land surface. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-11-15 Landform.Coast definition pending. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-10-20 Landform.Coastal_Barrier definition pending aallwardt 2005-10-17 Landform.Coastal_Plain definition pending aallwardt 2005-10-17 Landform.Continental_Margin definition pending rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Continental_Shelf the gently-dipping seafloor nearest the coast. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Continental_Slope the steeply-rising seafloor between the relatively flat, landward continental shelf and the deep abyssal plain of the ocean. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Cove a very small inlet of the ocean, sheltered landward by mountains. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Crater the depression made in one object by the impact of another. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Creek definition pending. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-12-01 Landform.Deep_Sea_Fan the alluvial fans formed by turbidite deposits far from shore. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Delta definition pending. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-12-05 Landform.Dune definition pending. rlriall 2003-09-01 2003-09-01 1 Landform.Escarpment a long cliff separating two gently-dipping plains. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Estuary a semi-enclosed zone over which the saltwater of the ocean and the freshwater of a river delta mix, permiting unusual ecosystems to flourish in the brackish environment. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Fjord narrow ocean inlet bounded by steeply-sloping or cliffy land. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Gulf a relatively large inlet of the ocean. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Harbor a sheltered, coastal region of the ocean deep enough to allow docking of ships (may be natural or anthropogenic). rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Hill definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-28 Landform.Inland_Sea a large saltwater body surrounded entirely or nearly-entirely by land. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Island a relatively small landmass surrounded on all sides by water. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Island.Barrier a shore-parallel sandy island which commonly buffers the coast from extreme storms. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Island.Chain a set of geographically-near, genetically-related islands. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Island.Reef an island formed by the growth of a coral reef followed by a drop in sea level. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Island.Volcano an island formed by the gradual growth of an initially underwater volcano. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Lagoon a shallow body of water which usually interacts with a larger water source. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Lake a relatively large body of water surrounded on all sides by land. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Lake.Bed definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-24 Landform.Lake.Shore the land immediately touching a lake. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Lava_Flow the hard, igneous, often flow-banded rock formed by lava flows from a volcanic eruption. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Marsh definition pending. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-10-20 Landform.Mid-Ocean_Ridge ridges at the center of every ocean, thought to result from seafloor spreading and the extrusion of new crust. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Mound landmass elevated slightly above its surroundings, but lower and less geographically extensive than a mountain. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Mountain large landmass geographically elevated above its surroundings. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Mountain.Chain a set of genetically-related mountains. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Mudbank a muddy bank, typically a ridge, alongside a river or lake. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Mudflat definition pending. rlriall 2003-09-01 2003-09-01 1 Landform.Ocean a very large body of water; on Earth, these features have typical mid-ocean ridges, abyssal plains, and continental margins and are underlain by primarily basaltic bedrock. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Outcrop an exposure at the surface of a rock mass. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Peninsula a narrow extension of a larger mass of land into a surrounding body of water. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Plateau a flat-topped mound. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Pond definition pending. rlriall 2003-03-01 2003-03-01 1 Landform.Reef a mass of rock, coral, or other material extended from the seafloor nearly to or to the surface of the surrounding water. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Reef.Atoll definition pending. aallwardt 2005-12-13 Landform.Reef.Barrier definition pending. aallwardt 2005-12-13 Landform.Reef.Fringing definition pending. aallwardt 2005-12-13 Landform.Ridge definition pending. rlriall 2001-08-01 2003-02-01 1 Landform.Ripple a small, wavy three-dimensional bedform created by wave or current action. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.River definition pending. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-12-01 Landform.River.Bank the land immediately bounding a river. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.River.Basin a geographically-extensive topographic depression which a river occupies at its maximum (and which may have been formed by the river) in which sediments are deposited. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.River.Channel the incised, small valley through which a river flows most of the time. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.River.Floodplain the flat river bank area occupied by a river during its flood stages; typically sedimented by fine, muddy or clayey materials. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.River.Mouth the interface of a river and a larger body of water - a lake or an ocean. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Sand_Deposit a body of sand laid down after transport by some fluid. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Sand_Deposit.Subtidal definition pending. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-09-19 Landform.Sand_Wave a wave-shaped sandy bedform shaped by currents on the floor of an ocean, sea, lake, or some other body of water. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Sandbar a sand ridge formed by deposition from water currents, especially in or along a river. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Seabed the floor of rock or sediment containing a sea or ocean. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-10-24 Landform.Seamount an undersea mountain, often formed through volcanism. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Sea_Stack sea stacks are sea-locked erosional remnants of former rocky formations. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Shoal a sandy elevation which reduces the depth of the water above it. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Shore definition pending aallwardt 2005-10-20 Landform.Sinkhole a topographical depression, bowl-shaped in map form, created by the collapse of Earth into a cave. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Slough a thickly-mudded zone, often part of a tidal zone. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Soil loose sediments that result from the physical and chemical alteration of bedrock or other parent materials. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Sound a laterally-extensive body of water parallel to the coast, often connecting two larger water bodies. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Strait a narrow inlet connecting two bodies of water otherwise separated by land. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Stream definition pending. aallwardt 2005-12-01 Landform.Submarine_Canyon definition pending. aallwardt 2004-11-04 Landform.Swamp definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-24 Landform.Terrace definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-19 Landform.Tidal_Flat definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-18 Landform.Tidal_Inlet definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-18 Landform.Trench a narrow, generally steeply-sloped depression in subaerial or submarine topography. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Trough a shallow depression in the seafloor. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Valley a topographic low formed by the drainage of water downward from highlands. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Volcano a crustal vent from which hot magma is ejected, or the mountain formed by the same. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Watershed a region which shares a water drainage system. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Landform.Wetland a very porous sediment with high water content. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features a geological feature, zone, or other item whose name implies genetic interpretation. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Accretionary_Wedge a wedge of sediments which outlies a subduction zone and is thought to result from "scraping" of sediments off the subducting plate and/or erosion of sediments from the uplifted plate. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Anticline a rock fold in which the oldest strata are at the apex of the fold; often (but not always) an "upward" fold. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Diapir definition pending rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Diapir.Salt_Diapir a rock strucutre created by the upward movement of a salt mass. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2004-11-04 Geological_Features.Earthquake_Zone area of recurrent seismic activity. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-10-20 Geological_Features.Fault a surface within a rock body along which observable motion occurs. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Formation a mappable rock body composed of strata which share some characteristic and may be grouped in a stratigraphically useful way. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Fossil the preserved material of a dead living thing; common fossil types include skeletons and hard parts, molds and casts, dessicated or tanned organic tissue, and trace fossils. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Fracture a break-surface within a rock body. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Glacial_Till typically coarse, poorly-sorted sediments which are thought to be emplaced during glacial movement or melting and outwash. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Glacial_Till.Moraine a glacial deposit of large stones, carried by the glacier and dropped quickly into a large accumulate during outwash. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Hotspot interpretation of a series of nearby geothermal outflux such as volcanoes or hydrothermal vents; thought to result from movement of the Earth's lithospheric plates over an exceptionally hot site or upwelling in the mantle -- an example is the Hawaiian islands. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Intrusion an igneous body created by the injection of magma into (not out of, as in volcanoes) an existing rock body. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Joint a break surface within a rock body. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Karst a sinkhole- and cave-rich type of topography that results from the dissolution of soluble bedrock, typically limestone or dolostone. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Landslide definition pending. aallwardt 2005-02-11 Geological_Features.Magma_Chamber definition pending. rlriall 2003-03-01 2003-03-01 1 Geological_Features.Mineral_Deposit a mappable deposit of unusual, typically metallic minerals. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Oil_and_Gas_Seep definition pending. aallwardt 2004-11-04 Geological_Features.Ophiolite definition pending. rlriall 2003-03-01 2003-03-01 1 Geological_Features.Outwash_Plain a flat surface resultant from the movement of a large quantity of water during the flood of a river or a glacial melt. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Petroleum_Deposit definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-17 Geological_Features.Plate a large block of the lithosphere which moves as a unit over the asthenosphere; an example is the North American plate. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Plate_Margin the boundary between two continental or oceanic plates, along which movement frequently occurs. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Rift a very deep trench. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Rift_Zone a zone along which rifting occurs as two rock bodies are pulled apart. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Sediment a loose surficial material. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Sinkhole a topographic depression, thought to form when the ceilings of caves (hollow zones in the bedrock formed by dissolution) collapse. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Soil definition pending. aallwardt 2004-11-04 Geological_Features.Soil.Permafrost definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-19 Geological_Features.Spreading_Center a region at which two plates are moving apart, permiting an upwelling of magma which becomes new crust. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Subduction_Zone a region at which one plate is pushed under another, into the asthenosphere. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Syncline definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-28 Geological_Features.Terrane a large body of crustal rock which is distinct in character and genesis from the surrounding rocks, thought to occur when two plates have collided and the colliding plate moves away, leaving some of itself behind. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geological_Features.Unconformity "missing" time or strata in the rock record, usually resultant from a period of non-deposition and erosion of sediments. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Biological_Features zones of specific biological communities or land cover. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Biological_Features.Beach_Zones definition pending. rlriall 2003-09-01 2003-09-01 1 Biological_Features.Beach_Zones.Intertidal_Zone definition pending. rlriall 2003-09-01 2003-09-01 1 Biological_Features.Beach_Zones.Subtidal_Zone definition pending. aallwardt 2004-02-24 2004-02-24 1 Biological_Features.Benthos the biological communities of the sea floor. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Biological_Features.Coral_Reef the biological communities surrounding and constructing a coral reef. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Biological_Features.Feeding_Furrows the trenches created in the seafloor as swimming animals, especially whales, capture prey. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Biological_Features.Forest a terrestrial zone with a generally closed cover of trees. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Biological_Features.Kelp_Forest definition pending. rlriall 2003-08-27 2003-08-27 1 Biological_Features.Marsh definition pending rlriall 2001-08-01 2003-02-03 1 Biological_Features.Peat_Bog a wetland characterized by a thick, extremely porous and possibly submerged mat of peat. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Biological_Features.Prairie a grassy plain. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Biological_Features.Tundra definition pending. rlriall 2003-03-01 2003-03-01 1 Biological_Features.Water_Column the biological communities that populate and move through a body of water (rather than remaining on its boundaries, as in Biological_Features.Benthos). rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features a zone or zones with both locational and human-interest components. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-10-07 1 Geographical_Features.Archaeological_Site a site at which the artifacts of past human cultures may be found, or which was inhabited by humans or their ancestral hominoids. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.Archaeological_Site.Shipwreck a site on the seafloor at which an old shipwreck or its contents rests. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.Benthos the seafloor, with an emphasis on its relation to humans. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-10-07 1 Geographical_Features.Dump_Site a site at which humans have discarded large amounts of trash or waste. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-10-07 1 Geographical_Features.Exclusive_Economic_Zone_(EEZ) definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-18 Geographical_Features.First_Nations_Lands lands belonging to First Nations people, the indigenous nations of the Americas, the Pacific islands, or elsewhere. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.Marine_Protected_Area_(MPA) definition pending. aallwardt 2005-12-08 Geographical_Features.National_Estuarine_Research_Reserve definition pending. aallwardt 2005-11-07 Geographical_Features.National_Lakeshore definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-18 Geographical_Features.National_Marine_Sanctuary a NOAA-designated site at which human encroachment is limited and which belongs to the U.S. public. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.National_Park an NPS-designated site at which human encroachment is limited and which belongs to the U.S. public. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.National_Preserve rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.National_Seashore a recreational coastal site which belongs to the U.S. public and is administered by their federal government. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.National_Wildlife_Refuge definition pending. aallwardt 2005-11-04 Geographical_Features.Observatory an observatory built to monitor the Earth or space; commonly-monitored processes include seismic activity, geomagnetism, and the behavior of stars. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.State_Park a recreational area maintained and owned by the government of a U.S. state. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.Superfund_Site an extremely hazardous and polluted site designated and cleaned up by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Geographical_Features.Territorial_Waters definition pending. aallwardt 2004-02-24 2004-02-24 1 Construction a large-scale object created by humans. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Construction.Breakwater/Shoreline_Stabilization_Structure definition pending. aallwardt 2004-11-04 Construction.Bridge definition pending. aallwardt 2005-10-18 Construction.Canal an artificial canal, a passageway for water, often for irrigation or ship-transporting purposes. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Construction.Dam an artificial dam, an impediment to the flow of water, often placed in rivers to isolate a reservoir or collect hydroelectric power. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Construction.Jetty a structure extending from land into a large body of water, intended to change the flow of water. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Construction.Levee/Dike an artificial ridge or embankment along a river or standing body of water, designed to protect adjacent lowlands from flooding. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-11-15 Construction.Oil_Well a deep boring from which petroleum is extracted. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2005-10-17 Construction.Power_Plant definition pending rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Construction.Reservoir a structure intended to contain a surplus supply of water or other fluids. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Construction.Satellite a non-personnel object placed in orbit of Earth or another celestial body, often intended to gather data or serve as a conduit for terrestrial data. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 1 Construction.Well an artifical well, a conduit by which ground water moves from an aquifer to the surface. rlriall 2002-06-27 2002-06-27 aallwardt 2004-11-04