Geology lab vocab pt. 3

a fossil that is useful for dating and correlating the strata in which it is found.

any method of determining the age of earth materials or objects of organic origin based on measurement of either short-lived radioactive elements or the amount of a long-lived radioactive element plus its decay product

each of two or more forms of the same element that contain equal numbers of protons but different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei, and hence differ in relative atomic mass but not in chemical properties; in particular, a radioactive form of an element.

the time taken for the radioactivity of a specified isotope to fall to half its original value.

a line on a map joining points of equal height above or below sea level.

a contour line that is thicker than the rest and usually labeled with the elevation that it represents

difference in elevation between any two points

the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points on a topographic map

the degree of inclination

a mark on a permanent object indicating elevation and serving as a reference in topographic surveys and tidal observations

a line representing the intersection of that feature with a horizontal plane

the angle at which a planar feature is inclined to the horizontal plane

the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories.

a cross sectional view along a line drawn through a portion of a topographic map

An interpretation of a vertical section through the Earth's surface, most usefully a profile, for which evidence was obtained by geologic and geophysical techniques or from a geologic map

a three-dimensional drawing representing a block of the earth's crust, showing geological structure

a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core

a fold with younger layers closer to the center of the structure.

a bend in rock strata that are otherwise uniformly dipping or horizontal.

a feature in structural geology consisting of symmetrical anticlines that intersect each other at their respective apices

a large low-lying area

a longitudinal earthquake wave that travels through the interior of the earth and is usually the first conspicuous wave to be recorded by a seismograph