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Glossary

A (6) | B (6) | C (10) | D (11) | E (7) | F (10) | G (10) | H (1) | I (2) | J (1) | L (7) | M (12) | O (3) | P (11) | Q (3) | R (9) | S (23) | T (5) | U (3) | W (1)
Basalt

A mafic extrusive rock consisting of iron and magnesium silicate minerals and plagioclase feldspar.

Basement

The oldest rocks in the area.

Bedding

The arrangement of sedimentary rock into layers of various thicknesses, also referred to as stratification.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity, or biological diversity, describes the variety and abundance of all life forms in a given place – plants, animals, and other living organisms, such as fungi, lichens, and mosses. Biodiversity also describes the processes, functions, and structures that sustain that variety and allow it to adapt to changing circumstances, and encompasses the complexity of gene pools, species, communities, and ecosystems at spatial scales from local to regional to global.

Biotite

A black, dark-brown, or dark-green potassium-, iron-, and magnesium-bearing mineral of the mica group.

Boulder

A detached rock mass larger than a cobble, having a diameter greater than 12 inches (ASTM 2487-85, 1985).