Geographical Terms Explained: Relief, Maps, and Earth Structures
Classified in Geology
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Geographical Terminology Reference
Antique Solid (Ancient Mountains)
These beds are remnants of ancient mountains that appeared or were formed by the rejuvenation of a base block resulting from orogenic movements in the Tertiary period. Their materials are Paleozoic, and the landscape is characterized by rounded peaks and soft, elevated erosion surfaces.
Map
Definition
The representation of the spherical surface of the Earth on a simplified level.
Topographic Map
A map described in detail and with great precision for small portions of land. These systems are constructed using contour lines.
Meridian
Each of the imaginary lines assumed around the Earth connecting the poles. They help determine longitude by reference to the Meridian of Greenwich.
Plateau
A vast expanse of flat land at an elevation, often lacking forest cover.
Morphology
The scientific study of how different contexts shape the Earth's relief. Example: the relief of a city.
Orogenesis
Processes that transform the Earth's crust, giving rise to mountains. In the Iberian Peninsula, the two most affected events were the Hercynian (produced in the Primary era) and the Alpine Orogeny (produced in the Tertiary era).
Isthmus
A narrow strip of land connecting a larger landmass (like a peninsula) to an island, or connecting two islands to each other.
Karst
Karstic Relief
A type of relief characteristic of areas with hard and rigid limestone rock, forming cracks or diaclases.
Latitude
The distance, measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds, between any point on the Earth's surface and the Equator (or parallel 0°). Latitude can be either North or South.
Lithology
The study of rocks in relation to their physical, chemical, and structural properties.
Longitude
The distance, measured in degrees, minutes, and seconds, between any point on the Earth's surface and the Meridian of Greenwich (0°). We specify whether that point is East or West of the Prime Meridian.
Plains
A continuous area of land surface, relatively flat, sometimes gently broken or wavy, but without prominent elevations or depressions.
Marisma (Salt Marsh)
A plain of mud typical of low bays crossed by rivers. Marine and river sediments deposited at the bottom of the bay cause this mud plain or marsh.