brachiopod (BRAY-key-eh-pod) a marine, shallow-water invertebrate
with bivalve shells similar to mollusks and plentiful in the Paleozoic
bryophyte(BRY-eh-fite) nonflowering plants comprising mosses, liver-
worts, and hornworts
bryozoan(BRY-eh-zoe-an) a marine invertebrate that grows in colonies
and is characterized by a branching or fanlike structure
calcite a mineral composed of calcium carbonate
caldera(kal-DER-eh) a large, pitlike depression at the summits of some
volcanoes and formed by great explosive activity and collapse
calving formation of icebergs by glaciers breaking off upon entering the
ocean
Cambrian explosion a rapid radiation of species that occurred as a result
of a large adaptive space, including numerous habitats and mild climate
carbonaceous(KAR-beh-NAY-shes) a substance containing carbon, namely
sedimentary rocks such as limestone and certain types of meteorites
carbonate a mineral containing calcium carbonate such as limestone and
dolostone
carbon cycle the flow of carbon into the atmosphere and ocean, the con-
version to carbonate rock, and the return to the atmosphere by volcanoes
Cenozoic(SIN-eh-zoe-ik) an era of geologic time comprising the last 65
million years
cephalopod(SE-feh-lah-pod) marine mollusks including squids, cuttlefish,
and octopuses that travel by expelling jets of water
chalk a soft for m of limestone composed chiefly of calcite shells of
microorganisms
chert an extremely hard cryptocrystalline quartz rock resembling flint
chondrule(KON-drule) rounded granules of olivine and pyroxine found
in stony meteorites called chondrites
cirque a glacial erosional feature,producing an amphitheater-like head of a
glacial valley
class in systematics, the category of plants and animals below a phylum
comprising several orders
coal a fossil fuel deposit originating from metamorphosed plant material
coelacanth(SEE-leh-kanth) a lobe-finned fish originating in the Paleozoic
and presently living in deep seas
coelenterate(si-LEN-the-rate) multicellular marine organisms, including
jellyfish and corals
comet a celestial body believed to originate from a cloud of comets that
surrounds the Sun and develops a long tail of gas and dust particles when
traveling near the inner solar system
conglomerate (kon-GLOM-er-ate) a sedimentary rock composed of
welded fine-grained and coarse-grained rock fragments
Glossary