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Glossary
Anticline
Rock layers that have been bent so that they
bow upwards or fold convex side up.
Aquifer
A rock layer with enough space between its grains
to allow water to flow relatively freely.
Butte
A hill or very small mountain that is flat topped
and steep sides all around.
Calcite
A mineral composed of calcium carbonate commonly
found in sedimentary rocks. It is the main component
of limestone.
Conglomerate
A sedimentary rock composed of gravel, cobbles
and boulders mixed in with sand or mud.
Fault
A fracture in rock layers along which movement
has occurred.
Feldspar
A common mineral occurring in igneous rocks
that sometimes erodes out and becomes incorporated
into sedimentary rocks. Feldspar is the most
common mineral in the world.
Formation
Layer of rock with distinct characteristics,
such as color, particle size and composition
that can be identified and mapped over extended
distances.
Igneous
rocks
A type of rock formed from molten magma after
it has cooled and solidified.
Joint
A fracture in rock layers along which no movement
has occurred, usually formed by stresses placed
on the rock, such as uplift and folding of rock
layers.
Limestone
A sedimentary rock formed in aquatic environments
from calcium carbonate. Often contains fossil
remains.
Marine
regression
A drop in sea level resulting in the exposure
of land previously covered by water.
Marine
transgression
A rise in sea level resulting in the inundation
of land by ocean.
Mesa
A flat topped mountain with at least one steep
side.
Metamorphic
rocks
Sedimentary or igneous rocks heated and/or compressed
until the minerals in the rock break down and
form new minerals without melting.
Monocline
A bend in rock layers where a steep dip occurs
resulting in one side being lower than the other.
Pinnacle
A slender isolated column of rock, often the
erosional remnant of a butte.
Plateau
A large region that is higher than the surrounding
area and relatively flat.
Quartz
The basic composition of sandstone and a major
component in shales, conglomerates and some
igneous and metamorphic rocks.
Sandstone
A sedimentary rock composed of sand grains glued
together by silica or calcium carbonate.
Sedimentary
rocks
Rocks formed by the deposition or accumulation
of pieces of weathered rocks that later were
buried and cemented, or glued, together.
Shale
A sedimentary rock composed of particles smaller
than sand, such as clay and mud.
Syncline
Rock layers that have been bent so that they
bow downwards or fold convex side down.
Unconformity
A break in the rock record where layers were
eroded, never laid down or are missing.
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