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

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.)

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Entrenched River - See "River, Entrenched"

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Erg - A sand sea. The only active ergs in the U.S. are the Yuma Desert of Arizona, the Algodones of southeast California, the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, White Sands of New Mexico, and the Nebraska Sand Hills {read more}. [Note: Ergs are huge, so instead of a nadir-facing view at 35,000 feet, this image of the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado is a south-facing perspective at 35,000 feet.]

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

Open this example in Google Earth, or download all of the landforms here.

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Esker - A long, sinuous ridge of sand, presumably formed as sandy streams cutting down, through, or underneath glaciers. When the glacier retreats, the pile of stream sediment is left behind. You can spot them as long, sinuous ridges in the northern, formerly glaciated parts of the country {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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Estuary - A transition zone between a river and an ocean, usually partially enclosed but open to the sea. {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.