MSCE Geography flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Igneous rock

Rock formed from cooled magma or lava. Intrusive types cool slowly underground and have large crystals; extrusive types cool quickly at the surface and have fine crystals.

Freeze-thaw weathering

Mechanical weathering in which water enters rock cracks, freezes and expands, prising the rock apart. Repeated cycles produce angular scree on upland slopes in cold climates.

Karst landscape

Landscape developed on soluble limestone by carbonation, featuring swallow holes, caves, stalactites, limestone pavement and dry valleys where surface drainage disappears underground.

Longshore drift

Movement of sediment along a coast by swash and backwash. Waves approach obliquely, so material is carried up the beach at an angle and back at right angles.

Coriolis effect

Apparent deflection of moving air caused by Earth's rotation. Deflection is to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

Relative humidity

The amount of water vapour in air expressed as a percentage of the maximum the air could hold at that temperature. Warm air holds more moisture than cold air.

Orographic rainfall

Rain caused when moist air is forced over high ground, cools and condenses. The windward slope is wet; the leeward slope lies in a rain shadow.

Continentality

The effect of distance from the sea on climate. Inland areas have hotter summers, colder winters and lower annual rainfall than coastal areas because water moderates temperature.

Contour interval

The constant vertical distance between successive contour lines on a topographic map. A small interval indicates detailed relief; a large interval indicates gentle terrain.

Six-figure grid reference

A location code giving 100-metre precision. Read eastings before northings, estimating tenths of a grid square for each three-digit pair.

Systematic sampling

A fieldwork technique selecting data points at regular intervals along a transect or grid. It avoids bias and is easy to repeat, but may miss irregular patterns.

Choropleth map

A map shading administrative areas by the density or rate of a variable, such as population per square kilometre. It shows broad patterns but hides variation within areas.

Natural increase rate

The difference between birth rate and death rate per thousand people per year. A positive value means the population grows; a negative value means it declines.

Demographic transition model

A five-stage model linking birth and death rates to economic development. It moves from high stationary through expanding stages to low stationary and declining populations.

Push and pull factors

Conditions that drive people away from a place, such as war or unemployment, and conditions that attract them to another, such as jobs, safety or services.

Settlement hierarchy

A ranking of settlements by population size and services. Large centres offer high-order services and wide spheres of influence; small villages offer few low-order services.

Von Thünen model

A land-use model in which farming type forms rings around a market. Perishable and bulky goods are produced nearest, reflecting transport costs and land rent.

Soil texture

The relative proportions of sand, silt and clay particles. Loam, a balanced mixture, drains well and holds nutrients, making it the most productive agricultural soil.

Green Revolution

The spread of high-yield crop varieties, irrigation, fertiliser and pesticides from the 1960s. Yields rose sharply, but inequalities and environmental damage followed.

Subsistence farming

Farming that produces mainly food for the farmer's own family, using low inputs and small plots. Any surplus is sold locally rather than traded commercially.

Footloose industry

Industry that is not tied to raw material or power sources and can locate freely, often near labour or markets. Electronics assembly and call centres are examples.

Energy security

Reliable, affordable access to energy supplies. It depends on resource endowment, diversity of sources, import dependence and the resilience of supply infrastructure.

Trade balance

The difference between the value of a country's exports and imports of goods and services. A surplus means exports exceed imports; a deficit means imports exceed exports.

Containerisation

The use of standard steel containers moved between ships, trains and lorries. It cut handling costs and time, enabling global supply chains and growth in trade.

Storm hydrograph

A graph of river discharge over time after rainfall. Lag time is the delay before peak discharge; steep, impermeable or urbanised basins shorten it.

Watershed

The boundary of a drainage basin, usually a ridge of high ground. Precipitation falling on either side flows into different river systems.

Meander formation

Curving river bends created by faster flow eroding the outer bank and slower flow depositing on the inner bank. Continued erosion and deposition migrate the bend downstream.

Water scarcity

A shortage of freshwater. Physical scarcity occurs where demand exceeds supply; economic scarcity occurs where supply exists but infrastructure or money is lacking.

Hazard risk

The probability of harm from a natural event. Risk depends on the event's magnitude and frequency and on the vulnerability, exposure and preparedness of the population.

Earthquake magnitude

A measure of the energy released at an earthquake's focus, recorded on a logarithmic scale. A rise of one unit represents roughly a thirtyfold increase in energy.

Lahar

A volcanic mudflow of ash, rock and water that races down valleys after an eruption. Lahars can bury settlements far from the crater and are a major killer.

Eutrophication

Nutrient enrichment of water by fertiliser or sewage runoff, causing algal blooms. Decay of the algae depletes oxygen, killing fish and other aquatic life.