Earth Heritage Glossary
Welcome to the CCW Earth heritage glossary
index page. Over the next year or so, we will be adding more and
more terms to the Earth Heritage glossary, and our other glossary
chapters.
To find a specific glossary term, try entering the word into the
main glossary search box in the right-hand column of the
website.
Failing that, you can look for a term by browsing through the
glossary index alphabetically, below.
Glossary for letter: B
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Baltica
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A continent comprising much of NW Europe which amalgamated with Avalonia and Laurentia...
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Basalt
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A dark, fine-grained basic igneous rock, containing calcium-rich plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene...
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Basic
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Describes quartz-free Igneous rocks that are relitively rich in iron, magnesium and calcium...
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Bell pit
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An obslete, shallow mining method...
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Bentonite
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A light coloured clay-rich rock fromed by the breakdown and alteration of volcanic ash.
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Biostratigraphy
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The subdivision and correlation of rock sequences using fossils.
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Black smoker
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plume of hot fluid containing finely dispersed sulphide particles issuing from a vent on an oceanic ridge
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Bluechist
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a rock containing blue glaucophane amphibole produced by metamorphism of basic rocks such as gabbro or basalt under low temperature and high pressure conditions
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Bog iron ore
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A soft, porous deposit of hydrated iron oxide (limonite) formed by precipitation from iron-rich freshwater.
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Boulder clay
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Often used as a synonym for till, but specifically referring to a typically unsorted and unstratified glacial deposit...
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Breccia
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a rock consisting of more than 30% poorly-sorted, angular fragments (clasts) greater than 2mm in size (cf. conglomerate).