Illustrated Geology Glossary (at 35,000 feet) - P

Glossary!

These are common geologic (and manmade/geographic features), as seen from 35,000 feet.

You can open any of these examples in Google Earth by clicking the Google Earth icon:

If you don't know the name of the feature you're looking for, go here: "What Was That?" (This is a tool that sorts features based on what they look like: mountains, rivers, valleys, piles of sand etc.)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


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Parabolic Dunes - See "Dunes, Parabolic"

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Plateau, Dissected - A landscape that has been severely eroded, producing sharp relief and topography. Some portions of the Appalachian Plateau are dissected {read more}

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Playa - An ephemeral lake bed, usually in a desert. {read more}

Scale: Images are taken from an altitude of ~35,000 feet, and so are each ~1 mile across.

Open these examples in Google Earth, or download all of the landforms here.

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Point-Bar - Pointbars are piles of sand and sediment that accumulate on the sides of river meanders, where the water slows down as it rounds the curve. Cutbanks are the outer banks of meanders, where the water speeds up and erodes down the side. {read more}

Scale: Images are taken from an altitude of ~35,000 feet, and so are each ~1 mile across.

Open these examples in Google Earth, or download all of the landforms here.

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Power Lines- A long, straight swath cut across mountains and forests usually marks giant power lines and towers. {read more}

Scale: Images are taken from an altitude of ~35,000 feet, and so are each ~1 mile across.

Open these examples in Google Earth, or download all of the landforms here.

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Power Plant, Coal - Readily identified by their tall cooling towers and flue gas stacks, also by their proximity to water. {read more}

Scale: Images are taken from an altitude of ~35,000 feet, and so are each ~1 mile across.

Open these examples in Google Earth, or download all of the landforms here.