Glossary

A definition will show up in this window whenever you select a key term from an Overview page. You can also find a key term manually by scrolling through the glossary or choosing a letter from the alphabetized menu below.

Choose a letter:

a  b  c  d  e  f  g  h  i  j  k  l  m  n  o  p  q  r  s  t  u  v  w  x  y  z

Scroll down to see the "K" terms

kame

A stratified sequence of lateral-moraine sediment that’s sorted by water flowing along the edge of a glacier.

karst landscape

A region underlain by caves in limestone bedrock; the collapse of the caves creates a landscape of sinkholes separated by higher topography, or of limestone spires separated by low areas.

kerogen

The waxy molecules into which the organic material in shale transforms on reaching 100°C.

kettle hole

A circular depression in the ground made when a block of ice calves off the toe of a glacier, becomes buried by till, and later melts.

knob-and-kettle topography

A land surface with many kettle holes separated by round hills of glacial till.

K-T boundary event

The mass extinction that happened at the end of the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago, possibly because of the collision of a bolide with the Earth.