Geo Glossary
Geo Glossary
Geo Glossary
GLOSSARY
Axial plane/axial planar A set of cleavage planes generally parallel to the axial
cleavage planes (planes containing two crystallographic axes) of a
fold and related to the formation of the fold.
Bedding Plane A distinct surface separating two beds which marks a break
Bivalve (lit. 'two halves') A name for the class of Mollusca better
known as Lamellibranchiata or Pelecypoda.
Boulder clay (till) Glacial debris deposited directly from ice, comprising a wide
variety of grain sizes.
Chert (or flint) Bands, layers or nodules of silica found formed within
sedimentary rocks.
Distal turidite The fine silty or sandy deposits formed when a submarine
sediment flow (or "avalanche") begins to dissipate, at some
distance from its source.
Fault (faulting) A fracture in rocks along which movement has taken place
as a result of stresses in the earth’s crust. A thrust fault or
thrust is a low angle or flat-lying fracture on which the
overlying rocks have been pushed over the underlying
rocks. A normal fault is a high angle fault in which the
hanging wall (overlying side) has moved downwards relative
to the footwall (rock beneath).
Geomorphology The study of the form of the ground and the processes
which shape it.
Intruded (Intrusive rock) The process whereby molten rock has been forced into
cracks and fissures in other rocks.
Imbrication State of being imbricate i.e. bent and hollowed like a roof
tile; lapping over each other, like tiles.
Indurated Hardened.
Inter- Between.
Kink-band A fold with straight limbs and angular hinges where the
limbs are markedly asymmetrical.
Lenses/lenticular An ore or rock body that is thick in the middle and thin on
the edges.
Magma A molten fluid, formed within the crust or upper mantle of the
Earth, which may consolidate to form an igneous rock.
Massif A large elevated feature, usually in a mountainous belt,
differing topographically and structurally from the lower
adjacent terrain.
Metamorphic rock Any of a class of rocks that are the result of partial or
complete recrystallisation in the solid state of pre-existing
rocks under conditions of temperature and pressure that are
significantly different from those obtaining at the surface of
the Earth.
Outcrop The total area over which a particular rock unit occurs at the
surface.
Palaeo- Ancient.
Pleistocene A geological time period (the last Ice Age) (see figure 2.1).
Prod and Groove Casts Prod marks/casts are found on the surface of fine-grained
sediment in the form of an asymmetrical mark with one end
better defined than the other: this is the downstream end
where the object carried by the current was buried more
deeply. A groove cast is a long, straight, sometimes ridge-
like structure on the underside of a sandstone bed produced
by the filling of a groove on the surface of an underlying
mudstone.
Rejuvenation Rejuvenation takes place with the relative uplift with respect
to sea level of a region which has developed a mature
drainage system. Streams whose base level has fallen, cut
down very rapidly and become incised into the land in an
attempt to re-create the previous long-profile of equilibrium.
Ripple marks Small scale ridges and troughs formed by the flow of wind or
water over loose sand-grade sediment.
Rugose Wrinkled.
Silt Fine, detrital material between sand and clays particle size.
Staddon Grit A well known local rock type (N.B. grit is a hard, coarse
grained sandstone).
Syncline A generally U-shaped fold with the younger rocks in its core.
Volcanic bomb A mass of liquid lava thrown through the air during a
volcanic eruption which rotates and takes on a characteristic
shape and structure.
Volcanism Volcanic activity.