Teacher Resource 2 – Glossary of Key Terms
Use textbooks, your notes and/or the internet to find definitions for the words on the glossary sheet.
Key term / Definition /Aeolian erosion / Wind erodes the landscape through deflation and abrasion.
Alluvial fans / Gravel, sand and silt are deposited by water in a fan shape.
Aridity Index / A number showing how dry the climate is in a place.
Bajadas / Shallow slopes at the base of rocky hills formed from weathered materials.
Barchans / Crescent shaped sand dune.
Canyon / Deep valley with very steep slides.
Climate change / Long term change in the earth’s climate.
Cryptobiotic crust / Living crust formed on soil by organisms such as algae and mosses.
Deposition / When material being transported is dropped.
Drylands systems / Ecosystems characterised by a lack of water.
Ephemeral stream / Stream which only flows for a short time following rainfall.
Flash flood / A sudden localised flood.
Fluvial erosion / Water erodes the landscape through abrasion, attrition, corrosion and hydraulic action.
Fluvial landforms / Landforms created by rivers and streams.
Frost shattering / Weathering process common in cold climates.
Geomorphic processes / Mechanisms such as weathering, erosion and deposition which shape the earth’s surface.
Inselberg / An isolated hill surrounded by a plain.
Linear dunes / Ridges of parallel, long, narrow sand dunes.
Loess accumulation / Deposit of windblown dust.
Version 1 2 © OCR 2017
Dryland Landscapes
Key term / Definition /Low-latitude desert / Desert found approximately between 18-28 degrees latitude.
Mass movement / Movement of material due to rockfalls, mudflows, land slips and soil creep.
Microclimate / Climate of a small area.
Mid-latitude desert / Desert found approximately between 30-50 degrees latitude, found inland and often cut off from maritime air masses by mountains.
Nivation hollow / Shallow depression formed under a patch of snow.
Pavements / Desert surface covered with interlocking pieces of rock.
Pediment / Wide, gently sloping rock debris at the base of a mountain.
Pedestal rock / Rock with wide top and narrow base shaped by wind action.
Periglacial landforms / Landforms created by ice and snow.
Pluvial conditions / Wet and rainy periods in the climate history of a place.
Polar drylands / Arid areas found north of the tundra in the high Arctic.
Sediment / Material broken down by weathering and erosion.
Semi-arid / Aridity index of 0.21 to 0.50. Very little rainfall – usually between 250-500mm per year.
Solifluction deposits / Deposit formed by mass movement under perigalcial conditions.
Star dunes / Mound of sand with three or more arms radiating from central pyramid.
Transportation / When sediment is moved by wind or water.
Ventifacts / A stone shaped by wind-blown sand.
Wadi / A channel which is dry except after rain falls.
Weathering / Breakdown of rock in situ.
Extension – Use the answer sheet to make a mix and match card sort for revision.
Version 1 2 © OCR 2017
Dryland Landscapes