Dictionary Definition
ridge
Noun
1 a long narrow natural elevation or
striation
2 any long raised strip
3 a long narrow range of hills
4 any long raised border or margin of a bone or
tooth or membrane
5 a beam laid along the ridge of a roof; provides
attachment for upper end of rafters [syn: ridgepole, rooftree]
Verb
1 extend in ridges; "The land ridges towards the
South"
2 plough alternate strips by throwing the furrow
onto an unploughed strip
3 throw soil toward (a crop row) from both sides;
"He ridged his corn"
4 spade into alternate ridges and troughs; "ridge
the soil"
5 form into a ridge
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
hrycgPronunciation
-
- Rhymes: -ɪdʒ
Noun
Translations
chain of hills or mountains
elevation on ocean bottom
- Finnish: keskiselänne
- Norwegian: rygg
- Russian: океанический хребет
- Swedish: rygg
Translations to be checked
Verb
- to form into a ridge
Related terms
See also
Extensive Definition
A ridge is a geological feature that features a
continuous elevational crest for some distance. Ridges are usually
termed hills or mountains as well, depending on
size. There are several main types of ridges:
- Dendritic ridge: In a typical plateau terrain, the stream drainage valleys will leave intervening ridges. These are by far the most common ridges. These ridges usually represent slightly harder rock, but not always -- they are often simply because there were larger joint spaces where the valleys formed, or other chance occurrences. This type of ridge is generally somewhat random in orientation, often changing direction frequently, often with knobs at intervals on the ridge top.
- Stratigraphic ridge: In places such as the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians, very long, very even, very straight ridges are formed due to the fact that they're the uneroded remaining edges of the more resistant strata that were folded laterally. Similar ridges have formed in places such as the Black Hills, where the ridges form concentric circles around the igneous core. Sometimes these ridges are called "hogback ridges".
- Oceanic spreading ridge: In tectonic spreading zones around the world, such as at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the volcanic activity forming new plate boundary forms volcanic ridges at the spreading zone. Isostatic settling and erosion gradually reduce the elevations moving away from the zone.
- Crater ridges: Large meteorite strikes typically form large impact craters bordered by circular ridges.
- Thrust fault ridges: Thrust faults often form escarpments. Sometimes the tops of the escarpments form not plateaus, but slope back so that the edges of the escarpments form ridges.
- Volcanic subglacial ridges: Many subglacial volcanoes create ridge-like formations when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet.
See also
External links
- InterRidge An initiative for international cooperation in ridge-crest studies
ridge in Czech: Hřbet (geomorfologie)
ridge in German: Gebirgskamm
ridge in French: Crête
ridge in Dutch: Bergkam
ridge in Japanese: 尾根
ridge in Polish: Grzbiet górski
ridge in Portuguese: Tergo
ridge in Serbian: Гребен
ridge in Finnish: Selänne
ridge in Contenese: 山脊
ridge in Chinese: 山脊
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
acme,
apex, apogee, arete, back, bean, bilge, blain, bleb, blister, blob, boss, bow, brow, bubble, bulb, bulge, bulla, bump, bunch, burl, button, cahot, cap, chase, chine, climax, cloud nine, clump, cocker, cockle, col, comb, condyle, convex, corrugate, corrugation, crankle, crease, crest, crimp, crimple, crinkle, crown, crumple, culmen, culmination, dome, dorsal region, dorsum, dowel, ear, edge, emboss, esker, extreme limit, extremity, flange, flap, fold, furrow, gall, gnarl, handle, head, headpiece, heaven, heavens, height, high noon, highest pitch,
highest point, hill,
hogback, horseback, hump, hunch, jog, joggle, kame, knit, knob, knot, knur, knurl, limit, line, lip, loin, loop, lump, maximum, meridian, mole, mountain, mountaintop, ne plus ultra,
nevus, no place higher,
noddle, noggin, noodle, noon, nub, nubbin, nubble, papilloma, pate, peak, peg, pinnacle, pitch, plica, point, pole, poll, pucker, purse, raise, rib, rimple, ring, ripple, rivel, ruck, ruckle, rumple, saddle, saddleback, sconce, seventh heaven, shirr, shoulder, sky, spine, spire, strip, stud, style, summit, tab, tip, tip-top, top, tubercle, tubercule, upmost, upper extremity, uppermost, utmost, verruca, vertex, very top, vesicle, wale, wart, welt, wimple, wrinkle, zenith