landscape

runoff

scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests.

the flow of water, from rain, snowmelt, or other sources, over the land.

saturated

slope

thoroughly full.

used to describe the measurement of the steepness, incline, gradient, or grade of a

straight line.

stream

deposit

a body of water.

material added to a landform.

flood plains

sediment

flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a stream or river that experiences occasional or

periodic flooding.

is solid matter that floats in a liquid. Sediment often settles to the bottom after

a while.

tributaries

dam

a stream or river which flows into a mainstem (or parent) river, and which

does not flow directly into a sea.

a barrier that divides waters.

aerial drawing

canyon

a pictorial representation of earth as viewed from above.

a deep, narrow river valley

with steep slopes.

condensation

crevasse

the process by which a gas becomes a liquid. Water vapor turns into liquid water

by condensation.

a deep crack in a glacier.

deposition

erosion

When water or a

glacier lays down earth materials.

When earth

materials are broken down and

moved from place to place.

evaporation

flood

when a liquid

becomes a gas.

overflow of a body of water

beyond its banks or shore.

fog

glacier

very fine droplets of water suspended in the air at or near the surface of the earth.

a huge mass of ice that moves

very slowly over land.

ground water

hydroelectricity

water that has soaked into the soil.

electricity that is generated by waterpower.

iceberg

landforms

a large piece of ice that has broken off a glacier and has moved into the water.

the features of the earth’s surface, such as mountains, plateaus, and plains.

levee

meander

a bank along a stream or river that is intended to prevent flooding.

a large bend in a stream channel that develops when soil is eroded from one

bank and deposited on the other.

oxbow lake

precipitation

a lake that forms when a river breaks through the neck of a meander and moves

straight onward.

rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

reservoir

soil

a place where large amounts of water are stored for future use. Reservoirs are like

lakes; they may be natural or made by humans.

the top layer of earth. Soil is composed of organic materials (humus); inorganic

materials (sand, silt, and clay), water, and air.

surface water

valley glacier

water that stays on the earth’s surface rather than sinks into the soil.

a glacier that forms in the V-shaped valley formed by a river.

water cycle

water vapor

the process by which water moves through the ground, evaporates from earth into the air, forms clouds, and falls back to earth

as rain or snow.

water in its gaseous state.

weathering

the process by which earth materials are broken down by natural forces.