BJU Earth Science Ch 7 Mountains and Hills VOCAB

The height of a mountain above its base. A mountain’s base is the bottom of the mountain relative to the surrounding terrain. The base may be at, above, or below sea level.

• elevation
• pinnacle
• actual height
• summit
• peak

A mountain landform produced by the deposition of volcanic materials or sediments by ice, water, or wind. Examples include volcanoes, drumlins, eskers, kames, and sand dunes.

• depositional mountain
• erosional mountain
• fold mountain

The height of a point on the earth’s surface.

• actual height
• elevation
• Mt Everest
• Mt McKinley

A mountain landform carved out by extensive erosion, usually from a plateau; also called a residual mountain. Examples include buttes and mesas.

• erosional mountain
• depositional mountain
• fold mountain

A mountain landform created by folded rock strata.

• depositional mountain
• landform
• erosional mountain
• fold mountain
• isostasy

A natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising to a summit. They are lower than mountains as defined by local and historical traditions NOT scientific distinctions.

• elevation
• hill
• mountain

The balance between the downward weights of rock, water, and ice, and the upward, buoyant force exerted by the mantle. It explains why less dense continental crust is thicker under mountains, and why dense, thin ocean crust is underwater.

• isostasy
• landform
• cross-linked series
• erosional plateau
• elevation

A shape or structure on the earth’s surface such as a mountain, valley, beach, plain, desert, plateau, or lake.

• land feature
• elevation
• landform
• techtonic plate

A natural elevation of the earth’s surface rising to a summit. They are higher than hills as defined by local and historical traditions NOT scientific distinction.

• erosional mountain
• elevation
• mountain
• fold mountain

A series of mountain peaks in the same geographic area.

• mountain range
• topography
• mountain system
• land feature
• orogenics