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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

Valley

An elongated area of low ground between higher slopes, often containing a stream or river. Water and ice can create different valley cross-sections. Where contours cross a stream valley, their bends generally point upstream towards higher ground.

What to look for

The Vale of Edale and Lose Hill, Peak District, England. A landscape photograph shows local relief, ridges and valley slopes.

Related labs

Contours ↔ 3D terrain →
Rounded hills and fields around the Vale of Edale, viewed from Grindslow Knoll.
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Explore further with USGS water glossary · USGS volcano glossary · NPS glacial geology · NASA Earth facts. Photograph acknowledgements are collected on the Image credits page.