Chapter 20 Vocabulary

Chapter 20 Vocabulary

Escarpment: steep cliff or slope between higher and lower land surface.

Cataract: a large waterfall.

Rift Valley: a crack in the earth’s surface created by shifting tectonic plates.

Fault: a crack or break in the earth’s crust.

Delta: alluvial deposit at a river’s mouth that looks like the Greek letter delta.

Estuary: an area where the tide meets a river current.

Leach: to wash nutrients out of the soil.

Harmattan: hot, dry air streams in from the Sahara on a northeast trade wind.

Savanna: tropical grassland that contains scattered trees.