Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
aclinic | applied to a line passing through all points where there is no magnetic inclination. |
aggrade | to raise the level of a surface through depositing detritus. |
antimetabolite | a substance that replaces or inhibits an organism's utilization of a metabolite. |
asthenosphere | the upper layer of the earth's mantle, below the lithosphere, characterized by a relatively low resistance to plastic flow. |
asthenospheric | relating to asthenosphere. |
barysphere | the area of earth underlying the lithosphere. |
bioturbation | the restructuring of sedimentary deposits (as in a lake bottom or seabed) by moving organisms (as worms and burrowing clams). |
bradyseism | a slow up-and-down movement of the earth's crust. |
cataclasis | the deformation of rocks by crushing and shearing. |
cataclastic | of metamorphism, taking place in an environment where intense pressure |
cataclinal | of streams, valleys, etc., running in the direction of the dip of the surrounding rock strata. |
cementation | the act of cementing. |
centrosphere | the central part of the earth below the crust, aka barysphere. |
climatologic | relating to climatology. |
climatological | relating to climatology. |
climatologist | one who studies climatology. |
climatology | the study of the climates of the earth. |
climature | (Shakesp.) a region. |
clime | climate. |
compaction | the act of compacting. |
cosmogenic | produced by interaction of cosmic rays with earth's surface. |
desquamate | to scale or flake off. |
diastrophic | relating to diastrophism. |
diastrophically | (Adv.) DIASTROPHIC, relating to diastrophism. |
diastrophism | the process by which continents, mountains, ocean beds, folds and faults are formed. |
disconformity | an unconformity in which the beds above the unconformity are parallel to the beds below the unconformity. |
endogenic | formed or occurring inside the earth. |
enhydrous | of or like an enhydros, containing water. |
epeirogenesis | the building of continents by movements of earth's crust. |
epeirogenetic | relating to epeirogenesis, the geological formation of continents, oceans, etc. |
epeirogenic | relating to epeirogeny, the geological formation of continents, oceans, etc. |
epeirogenically | (Adv.) EPEIROGENIC, relating to epeirogeny, the geological formation of continents, oceans, etc. |
epeirogeny | the geological formation of continents, oceans, etc. |
epigene | forming or taking place at the earth's surface, as opposed to hypogene. |
epigenic | acting or taking place at the earth's surface. |
epirogenetic | relating to epirogeny, the geological formation of continents, oceans, etc. |
epirogenic | relating to epirogeny, the geological formation of continents, oceans, etc. |
epirogeny | the geological formation of continents, oceans, etc. |
equator | a great circle of spherical celestial bodies. |
eustatic | of changes in world shoreline level, probably caused by rise or fall of the sea-level and not by subsidence or elevation of the land. |
eustatically | (Adv.) EUSTATIC, of changes in world shoreline level, probably caused by rise or fall of the sea-level and not by subsidence or elevation of the land. |
exogenic | formed or occurring on the surface of the earth. |
flocculant | clothed with small flocks or flakes; (noun) a flocculant mass. |
flocculent | clothed with small flocks or flakes; woolly. |
flocculently | (Adv.) FLOCCULENT, clothed with small flocks or flakes; woolly. |
geocentric | having the earth for centre. |
geochemical | relating to geochemistry. |
geochemically | (Adv.) GEOCHEMICAL, relating to geochemistry. |
geochemist | one who studies the chemistry of the earth's crust. |
geochemistry | the study of the chemistry of the earth's crust. |
geodesic | allowing for the earth's curvature; (noun) a geodesic line. |
geodesist | one versed in geodesy, the branch of mathematics that deals with the shape and area of the earth. |
geodynamic | related to geodynamics, the study of the dynamic processes and forces within the earth. |
geodynamical | related to geodynamics, the study of the dynamic processes and forces within the earth. |
geodynamicist | a student of geodynamics, the study of the dynamic processes and forces within the earth. |
geodynamics | the study of the dynamic processes and forces within the earth. |
geogeny | the science of the formation of the earth's crust. |
geognosis | knowledge of the earth. |
geognost | one versed in geognosy, knowledge of the general structure of the earth. |
geognostic | relating to geognosy, knowledge of the structure of the earth. |
geognostical | relating to geognosy, knowledge of the structure of the earth. |
geognostically | (Adv.) GEOGNOSTICAL, relating to geognosy, knowledge of the structure of the earth. |
geognosy | knowledge of the general structure of the earth. |
geogonic | relating to geogony, the study of formation of the earth. |
geogony | the science of the formation of the earth's crust. |
geography | the study of the earth's physical and human features. |
geoid | the figure of the earth's mean sea-level surface assumed to be continued under the land. |
geoidal | relating to a geoid, the figure of the earth's mean sea-level surface assumed to be continued under the land. |
geologer | a geologist. |
geologian | a geologist. |
geologic | relating to geology. |
geological | relating to geology. |
geology | the study of the earth's crust. |
geomagnetic | of or relating to terrestrial magnetism. |
geomagnetically | (Adv.) GEOMAGNETIC, of or relating to terrestrial magnetism. |
geomorphogenic | related to geomorphogeny, the study of the origins of land forms. |
geomorphogenist | a student of geomorphogeny, the study of the origins of land forms. |
geomorphogeny | the study of the origins of land forms. |
geomorphologic | related to geomorphology, the study of the landscapes of the earth and their development. |
geomorphology | the study of the landscapes of the earth and their development. |
geophysical | relating to geophysics. |
geophysically | (Adv.) GEOPHYSICAL, relating to geophysics. |
geophysics | the study of the earth's physical properties. |
geoscience | a science, such as geology, which deals with some aspect of the earth. |
geoscientific | related to geoscience. |
geosphere | the solid part of the earth, as opposed to atmosphere and hydrosphere. |
geostatic | relating to the pressure exerted by earth or similar substance. |
geostatics | the statics of rigid bodies. |
geostrophic | relating to deflection due to effects of Earth's rotation. |
geostrophically | (Adv.) GEOSTROPHIC, relating to deflection due to effects of Earth's rotation. |
geotechnic | relating to geotechnics, the application of scientific and engineering principles to the solution of problems related to the nature and constitution of the earth's crust. |
geotechnical | relating to geotechnics, the application of scientific and engineering principles to the solution of problems related to the nature and constitution of the earth's crust. |
geotechnics | the application of scientific and engineering principles to the solution of problems related to the nature and constitution of the earth's crust. |
geotectonic | relating to the structure of rock masses of the earth's crust resulting from folding or faulting. |
geotectonically | (Adv.) GEOTECTONIC, relating to the structure of rock masses of the earth's crust resulting from folding or faulting, |
geothermal | relating to the internal heat of the earth. |
geothermally | (Adv.) GEOTHERMAL, relating to the internal heat of the earth. |
geothermic | related to the internal heat of the earth. |
glaciologic | relating to glaciology. |
glaciological | relating to glaciology. |
glaciology | the study of ice ages and glaciation. |
horizonal | of the horizon. |
hypabyssal | in petrology, moderately deep-seated, not quite abyssal. |
hypabyssally | (Adv.) HYPABYSSAL, in petrology, moderately deep-seated, not quite abyssal. |
hypocentral | relating to a hypocenter. |
hypocentre | the point on the earth directly below the centre of a nuclear explosion. |
hypogene | formed or occurring beneath the surface of the earth, as opposed to epigene. |
hypogenic | formed or occurring beneath the surface of the earth. |
interlacustrine | situated between lakes. |
isobase | a line connecting points of equal land upheaval. |
isoclinal | a line connecting points of same magnetic dip. |
isocline | a cline with strata so tightly folded that they have the same dip. |
isoclinic | a line on a map connecting points of same magnetic dip. |
isodose | a point that receives an equal dose of radiation. |
isodynamic | a line on a map connecting points of equal magnetic intensity. |
isogeotherm | a line connecting points of equal subterranean temperature. |
isogeothermal | a line connecting points of equal subterranean temperature. |
isogeothermic | a line on a map connecting points of equal subterranean temperature. |
isogonal | a line on a map connecting points of equal magnetic declination. |
isogone | a line on a map connecting points of equal magnetic declination. |
isogonic | a line on a map connecting points of equal magnetic declination. |
isogram | a line connecting points on a map having some similar feature. |
isogriv | a line linking points of equal grid variance. |
isoline | a line connecting points on a map having some similar feature. |
isomagnetic | a line on a map connecting points of equal magnetic induction. |
isopach | a line connecting points of equal thickness of geological strata. |
isopachyte | a line connecting points of equal thickness of geological strata. |
isoplethic | of or like an isopleth, a line connecting points of equal aspect of climate. |
isostacy | a condition of equilibrium in the earth's crust. |
isostasy | a condition of equilibrium in the earth's crust. |
isostatic | in a state of isostasy, hydrostatic equilibrium from equality of pressure. |
isostatically | (Adv.) ISOSTATIC, in a state of isostasy; in a state of hydrostatic equilibrium from equality of pressure. |
lithosphere | the solid outer portion of the Earth consisting of the crust and upper mantle, approximately 100 km (62 miles) thick. |
lithospheric | relating to the lithosphere. |
longitude | the angular distance of any place on the earth's surface, east or west of a standard meridian (eg that of Greenwich). |
loxodrome | a line on the globe equally oblique to all meridians. |
mainland | a principal land mass. |
mappemond | a map of the world. |
meridian | a line of longitude. |
meridional | of or pertaining to the meridian, a line of longitude (noun) a southerner |
meridionality | the state of being meridional, a southerner. |
meridionally | (Adv.) MERIDIONAL, of or pertaining to the meridian, a line of longitude. |
mesosphere | a zone in the Earth between 400 and 670 km below the surface separating the upper mantle from the lower mantle. |
mesospheric | relating to the mesosphere. |
metamorphism | the processes of recrystallization, textural and mineralogical change that take place in the solid state under conditions beyond those normally encountered during diagenesis. |
microclimate | the climate of a very small area. |
microclimatic | relating to microclimate, the climate of a very small area. |
midlatitude | a latitude in the temperate regions. |
mire | deep mud (verb) to bog down |
moho | a boundary separating the earth's crust and the mantle. |
monocline | a simple fold, described as a local steepening in strata with an otherwise uniform dip. |
monogenetic | asexual; arising from a common formation process (mountain range). |
nife | the earth's hypothetical core of nickel and iron. |
nutational | relating to nutation, a fluctuation or nodding in movement of earth's pole. |
oreographic | relating to oreography, the science of mountains. |
oreographical | relating to oreography, the science of mountains. |
oreographically | (Adv.) OREOGRAPHIC, relating to oreography, the science of mountains. |
oreography | the science of mountains. |
oreological | relating to oreology. |
oreologist | one versed in oreology, the study of mountains. |
oreology | the study of mountains. |
orogen | an orogenic belt, a mountain-forming area. |
orogenesis | mountain-building. |
orogenetic | relating to orogenesis, mountain-building. |
orogenetically | (Adv.) OROGENETIC, relating to orogenesis, mountain-building. |
orogenic | relating to the formation of mountains. |
orogenically | (Adv.) OROGENIC, relating to the formation of mountains. |
orogeny | the process of mountain making, esp by folding of the earth's crust. |
orographer | one who practises orography, the science of mountains. |
orographic | relating to orography, the description of mountains. |
orographical | relating to orography, the description of mountains. |
orography | the branch of physical geography which deals with the formation and features of mountains. |
orologically | (Adv.) OROLOGICAL, of or pertaining to orology. |
orologist | one versed in orology, the study of mountains. |
orology | the study of mountains. |
outgas | to release occluded gas. |
permeability | the capacity of material to transmit water or other fluids. |
plutonism | the theory that the earth's crust was formed by volcanoes. |
porosity | the percentage of material occupied by pore space. |
sial | the upper layer of the continental crust, so called because it is rich in silica and aluminum oxide. |
sima | the oceanic crust, also the lower layer of the continental crust, so called because it is enriched in silica and magnesium oxide. |
simatic | relating to sima, the oceanic crust. |
stade | a single period of colder climate or advancing ice, as a subdivision of a longer glacial period. |
stadial | a single period of colder climate or advancing ice, as a subdivision of a longer glacial period. |
stratigrapher | a practitioner of stratigraphy. |
stratigraphic | relating to stratigraphy, the study of geological layers or strata. |
stratigraphical | relating to stratigraphy, the study of geological layers or strata. |
stratigraphy | the study of geological layers or strata. |
subcontinental | pertaining to a large land mass, that is separate to some degree but still part of a continent. |
subcrust | the part of the earth below the crust. |
subcrustal | relating to the subcrust, the part of the earth below the crust. |
subduction | the process of one plate descending beneath another. |
subtorrid | nearly torrid. |
subtropic | relating to the area lying between the Tropic of Cancer and 40 degrees N, and the Tropic of Capricorn and 40 degrees south (noun) a subtropical region |
surficial | superficial, found on the surface. |
taphrogenesis | vertical movement of the earth's crust. |
tectonic | relating to structural changes in the earth's crust caused by upheavals and other movements within it. |
tectonically | (Adv.) TECTONIC, relating to structural changes in the earth's crust caused by upheavals and other movements within it. |
tectonics | the science of structure of objects, buildings and landforms. |
tectonism | tectonics. |
tellural | of or pertaining to the earth. |
telluric | of or pertaining to the earth. |
tellus | (Lat.) the earth, esp personified as a goddess. |
terra | (Lat.) the earth. |
terrane | a rock formation, or series of connected formations. |
terrella | a magnetic model of the earth. |
terrene | earthly (noun) the world, a region |
terrenely | (Adv.) TERRENE, of the earth. |
thermocline | in lakes, a region of rapidly changing temperature, found between the epilimnion and the hypolimnion. |
tropic | of the tropics (noun) either of two circles of the celestial sphere on each side of the equator |
uniformitarian | one who believes that geological changes etc. can be explained by gradual processes rather than catastrophic events. |
vicariance | fragmentation of the environment, eg by plate tectonic splitting, as opposed to dispersal as a mechanism for biological evolution. |