 |
| |
| A |
|
| Acclimatisation: |
The progressive adaptation of the human body to
the rarified air occurring at altitude. |
Altitude
Sickness: |
Disorder caused by the lack of oxygen at altitude
that can produce brain asphyxia. It manifests by
head-aches, nauseas, shortness of breath and
interrupted sleep. |
| B |
|
| Basalt: |
Black, volcanic rock. The most common type of
rock on the earth’s surface. |
| Bergshrund: |
Final crevasse at the head of a glacier, generally
where there is a wall of rock or ice |
| Bivouac: |
To sleep outside without a tent, usually only with
a sleeping bag and a bivy bag. Also called bivy or
bivi. |
| Bofedal: |
Wet-marshy highland meadow, composed
principally of plants of the Cyperaceae and
Juncaceae families, often of compact growth or
in a cushion, found in marshy areas of the Alti-
Plano and the Puna. |
| C |
|
Caldera
(Spanish word
for Cauldron): |
Enormous depression generated by the subsidence
of a volcano into its magma chamber which then
adopts the shape of a basin. Can be wider than
a kilometre in diameter. |
| Chimney: |
A crack wide enough to fit a climber’s body and
narrow enough to allow for opposing force to be
applied to both walls. |
| Corn Snow: |
Crystals of snow formed by the melting and refreezing
of a surface layer of snow. This layer breaks
frequently making the advance very uncomfortable. |
| Cornice: |
An overhanging mass of snow on a ridge, formed
by wind action on newly deposited snow. Walking
on them is very dangerous as they can collapse very
easily. Walking or climbing underneath them is
also not recommended. |
| Crevasse: |
A huge split in a glacier, frequently hidden under
overlying snow cover. |
| F |
|
| Fumarole: |
Safe, regular gas emission, that emerges through
fissures or holes in a volcano. |
| G |
|
| Gendarme: |
Pinnacle or cylinder of vertical rock that looks similar
to a policeman standing to attention. |
| Glacier: |
A dynamic mass of ice formed by the compacting
and crystallization of snow that moves slowly
generating great erosion. |
| M |
|
| Moraine: |
Accumulation of rocky material at the feet of a
glacier caused by the erosion and subsequent
transport of material due to the movement of the
glacier. |
| P |
|
Parasitic
Cone: |
Small vent structure on the flank of a large volcano.
Volcanic cone of small dimensions from which
comes lava from the same source as the main
cone through a secondary channel. |
| Pass: |
A depression between two high points, generally
two mountains. Also known as a col. |
| Penitentes: |
Pointed formations of snow of various sizes,
generated by the joint action of the wind and sun.
They are found grouped in extensive areas, forming
fields of penitentes that make the advance
enormously more difficult. |
| S |
|
| Scree Slope: |
Loose slope of rock fragments smaller than talus. |
| Seracs: |
Large ice blocks or towers in a glacier, which are
potentially dangerous due to their periodic
detachment. |
Snow or ice
Bollard: |
An anchor in snow or ice created by cutting or
shaping the surface so a rope or sling can securely
encircle the feature. |
| Snow Field: |
General description of any independent-lying body
of snow. |
| Strata Volcano: |
A volcano composed of both lava flows (passive
eruptions) and pyroclastic material (violent
eruptions). |
Summit
Mushroom: |
Type of cornice, layer of snow or ice that covers
summit of a mountain and has the overhanging
shape of a mushroom. They are normally made
of unstable and inconsistent material that is not
advisable to climb on. |
| T |
|
| Traverse: |
Type of advance in which the route is mainly
horizontal, usually across a slope on which you
walk without gaining altitude. |
| V |
|
Volcanic
Dome: |
A steep-sided mass of viscous lava extruded from
a volcanic vent (often circular in plane view) and
spiny, rounded, or flat on top. It is usually created
at the end of a volcanic event. |
|
|
