Glossary of Geological Terms

Aquifer: a layer of rock which contains water.
 


 

Boulder : angular rock fragments in a mass
 


 

Cliff: a steep rock face at the coast or inland.
 

Cliffs - Migra l-Ferha

Erosion: the wearing away of the earth’s surface by water, ice and wind.
 


 

Graben: A block that has been moved down by faulting.
 


 

Horst: An area that has been uplifted, as a block between 2 faults.
 


 

Impermeable: a rock which water can not get through.
 


 

Infiltration: the rate at which water seeps into the soil.
 


 

Karst: the name given to limestone landscape.
 


 

Limestone pavement: flat, bear surfaces of limestone broken up into blocks ( clints) by gaps (grykes)
 


 

Permeable: a rock which water can get through because it is porous and/or pervious.
 


 

Pervious: a rock which water can get through because it has cracks in it.
 


 

Plateau: A flat and elevated surface of land.
 

Bahrija Plateau

Porous: a rock which water can get through because it has spaces between its grains.
 


 

Quarry: a place where stone is extracted from the ground.
 


 

Rdum: A specfic type of
 


 

Sedimentary Rocks: these are formed from segments of other rocks, the remains of plants and animals, or chemicals which have built up in layers.
 


 

Solution: rocks dissolving in water.
 


 

Talus:
 


 

Wave cut platform: the area of rock in front of a cliff eroded by the sea.
 


 

Weathering: rocks breaking down where they are because of contact with the earth’s atmosphere.