Glossary of landform and geologic terms. 2013.
microrelief — a) [ soil survey ] Slight variations in the height of a land surface that are too small or intricate to delineate on a topographic or soils map at commonly used map scales (e.g., 1:24,000 through 1:10,000). Examples include microhigh,… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
bar — 1) a) [ streams ] A general landform term for a ridge like accumulation of sand, gravel, or other alluvial material formed in the channel, along the banks, or at the mouth of a stream where a decrease in velocity induces deposition; e.g … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
channel — a) [ streams ] The hollow bed where a natural body of surface water flows or may flow. The deepest or central part of the bed of a stream, containing the main current and occupied more or less continuously by water. b) (colloquial:… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
gilgai — A microfeature pattern of soils composed of a succession of microbasins and microknolls on level areas, or of microtroughs and microridges parallel to the slope on sloping areas, and produced by expansion / contraction and shear / thrust… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
hillock — A generic name for a small, low hill, generally between 3 30 m in height and slopes between 5 and 50% (e.g., bigger than a mound but smaller than a hill); commonly considered a microfeature. Compare: mound, hill. SW … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
rise — 1) [ soil survey ] A general term for a slight increase in slope (e.g., d 3%) and elevation of the land surface, usually with a broad, low summit and gently sloping sides. The term is restricted to landforms and microfeatures in areas of… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
road cut — A common anthropogenic feature, typically a microfeature, consisting of the sloping, cut surface flanking a road bed on one or both sides, that remains after local topography is minimized by cutting an elongated depression through higher… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
sand flow — a) A flow of wet sand, as along banks of noncohesive clean sand that is subject to scour and to repeated fluctuations in pore water pressure due to rise and fall of the tide. b) A flow of loose, dry sand, as along the slip face of a sand… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
washover fan — A fan like deposit of sand washed over a barrier island or spit during a storm and deposited on the landward side. Washover fans can be small to medium sized and completely subaerial, or they can be quite large and include subaqueous margins… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
yardang — a) A microfeature in the form of a long, irregular, sharp crested, undercut ridge between two round bottomed troughs, carved on a plateau or unsheltered plain in a desert region by wind erosion, and cut into soft but coherent deposits (such… … Glossary of landform and geologic terms
