Skip to content
Geolens

Glossary

417 words used in the labs.

Find a term from the labs, understand the process behind it, and see how it appears in the landscape. Each entry connects an explanation with a real observation and a model you can explore.

Term

Tropics

The region between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, approximately 23.44 degrees north and south. The Sun can be directly overhead only within this belt, on dates determined by latitude. Tropical climates still vary greatly in rainfall and elevation.

What to look for

NASA Blue Marble monthly composite in an equirectangular latitude–longitude grid. Latitude measures angular distance north or south of the equator; parallels run east–west. The geographic reference lines are mathematical, not marks on the land.

Related labs

Solar altitude and sun path →
NASA Blue Marble satellite composite of Earth in an equirectangular global map.
Loading photograph

Explore further with USGS water glossary · USGS volcano glossary · NPS glacial geology · NASA Earth facts. Photograph acknowledgements are collected on the Image credits page.