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Kansas Geological Survey, Public Information Circular (PIC) 4
Geologic Mapping in Kansas
Alluvium--unconsolidated clay, silt, sand, or gravel deposited during recent geologic time by running water in the bed of a stream or on its floodplain.
Base map--map that shows only essential geographic references (such as roads, towns, section lines, etc.) on which additional information is plotted; e.g., a topographic map on which geologic information is recorded.
Bedrock--general term for the solid rock at or near the surface that underlies soil or other unconsolidated materials.
Geologic contact--boundary or surface between different types or ages of rocks.
Geologic map--in this circular, maps that depict the bedrock at or near the earth's surface as if the soils and vegetation were removed.
Geologic structures--features produced by deformation or displacement of the rocks, such as folds, faults, and fractures.
Glacial drift--sediment and rocks transported by glaciers and deposited directly on the land or indirectly in streams, lakes, and oceans.
Loess--non-stratified sediment composed of silt-sized particles deposited by the wind. These windblown dust deposits were derived from glacial materials.
Measured stratigraphic section--recorded description of a rock outcrop, usually depicted with a graphic column. Descriptions may include thickness, composition, fossil content, geologic structures, and other features of the rock units.
Outcrop--that part of a rock unit that is exposed at the surface of the earth.
Topographic map--map that shows natural and human-made features of an area using contour lines (lines of equal elevation) to portray the size, shape, and elevation of the features.
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Kansas Geological Survey, Geology Extension
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Web version August 1996
http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/pic4/glossary.html