F
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facies
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Characteristic sedimentary rock layers that indicate the processes and environments in which they were formed.
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fault
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A fracture along which one side has moved relative to the other.
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felsic
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A type of igneous rock that is made mostly of light minerals such as quartz and feldspar.
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fissure
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A crack in the ground that may be the site of a volcanic eruption.
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flood
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An overflow of water in a location.
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focus
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The point where rocks rupture during an earthquake.
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fog
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Air condensed below its dew point that is near the ground like a cloud.
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fold
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A bend in a set of rocks caused be compression.
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foliation
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Flat layers in rocks due to squeezing by pressure.
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food chain
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An energy pathway that includes all organisms that are linked as they pass along food energy, beginning with a producer and moving on to consumers.
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food web
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Interwoven food chains that show each organism eating from different trophic levels.
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fossil
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Any remains or trace of an ancient organism.
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fossil fuel
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A hydrocarbon created from the remains of formerly living organisms that can be used for energy.
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fossilization
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The process of becoming a fossil.
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fractional crystallization
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The crystallization of a fraction of the minerals in magma depending on temperature.
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fracture
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(minerology) The way a mineral breaks when it is not broken along a cleavage plane.
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(structural geology) A break in rock caused by stresses, with or without movement of material.
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frequency
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The number of wavelengths that pass a given point every second.
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fresh water
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Water with a low concentration of salts; found in streams, lakes, ground, ice, atmosphere.
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front
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The meeting place of two air masses with different characteristics.
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fuel
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Material that releases energy as it changes chemically.
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fuel cell
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An energy cell in which chemical energy is converted into electrical energy.