a rapid rise in sea level
41plate tectonics — plate tectonic, adj. Geol. a theory of global tectonics in which the lithosphere is divided into a number of crustal plates, each of which moves on the plastic asthenosphere more or less independently to collide with, slide under, or move past… …
42Silurian Period — Interval of geologic time, 443–417 million years ago. The third period of the Paleozoic Era, the Silurian follows the Ordovician Period and precedes the Devonian. It marks the first appearance of land plants and jawed fishes. The continents were… …
43Physical oceanography — World ocean bathymetry. Physical oceanography is the study of physical conditions and physical processes within the ocean, especially the motions and physical properties of ocean waters. Physical oceanography is one of several sub domains into… …
44Cold seep — Marine habitats Tube worms are among the dominant species in one of four cold seep community types in the Gulf of Mexico. Littoral zone …
45Oceanic trench — Oceanic crust is formed at an oceanic ridge, while the lithosphere is subducted back into the asthenosphere at trenches. The oceanic trenches are hemispheric scale long but narrow topographic depressions of the sea floor. They are also the… …
46Dinosaur paleobiogeography — is the study of dinosaur geographic distribution, based on evidence in the fossil record. Late Cretaceous North America Centrosaurus apertus. Thomas M. Lehman, in a study of Late Cretaceous dinosaur distribution, concluded that they were… …
47Amazon River — Portuguese Rio Amazonas River, northern South America. It is the largest river in the world in volume and area of drainage basin, and only the Nile River of northeastern Africa exceeds it in length. It originates within 100 mi (160 km) of the… …
48lake — lake1 /layk/, n. 1. a body of fresh or salt water of considerable size, surrounded by land. 2. any similar body or pool of other liquid, as oil. 3. (go) jump in the lake, (used as an exclamation of dismissal or impatience.) [bef. 1000; ME lak(e) …
49Climate change — For current and future climatological effects of human influences, see global warming. For the study of past climate change, see paleoclimatology. For temperatures on the longest time scales, see geologic temperature record …
50Lake — /layk/, n. Simon, 1866 1945, U.S. engineer and naval architect. * * * I Relatively large body of slow moving or standing water that occupies an inland basin. Lakes are most abundant in high northern latitudes and in mountain regions, particularly …
