Glossary- basin
-
a bowl shaped area of land that holds water
- climax community
-
The mature stage of succession in a particular area, in which all organisms and nonliving factors are in balance.
- depressions
-
A low area of land. Usually having been pushed down by something that rested on it for a long time.
- ecosystem
-
a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment
- Geologists
-
a scienctist that studies geology
- geology
-
the study of the Earth's structure and function, both in the past and in the present
- glacier
-
a massive sheet of ice that usually flows down between mountains
- igneous rock
-
rock that formed when magma or lave cools
- isostatic depression
-
the process where the crust of the Earth sinks downward due to a massive glacier or other objects setting on it
- Lichen
-
A combination of two organisms, a fungus and an algae. The two organisms must grow together. Lichens are usually crusty growths seen on tree trunks or rocks.
- magma
-
molten rock material that comes from the mantle of the Earth
- Primary succession
-
the colonization of a previously barren area by a plant community and its development to a climax community
- rift
-
a crack or tear in the Earth's crust
- rift valley
-
a low area on a continent where the crust is pulling apart
- u-shaped valley
-
a valley formed by a glacier that slids down between mountains