Off-Lake Sources of Airborne Dust in Owens Valley, California (2025)
Chapter: Appendix C: Glossary
Appendix C
Glossary
Aeolian/eolian: “Pertaining to the wind; [especially] said of such deposits as loess and dune sand, of sedimentary structures such as wind-formed ripple marks, or of erosion and deposition accomplished by the wind.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Alluvial: “Pertaining to or composed of alluvium, or deposited by a stream or running water.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Alluvial fan: “An outspread, gently sloping mass of alluvium deposited by a stream, [especially] in an arid or semiarid region where a stream issues from a narrow canyon onto a plain or valley floor. Viewed from above, it has the shape of an open fan, the apex being at the valley mouth.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Bajada: “A broad, gently inclined detrital surface extending from the base of mountain ranges out into an inland basin, formed by the lateral coalescence of a series of alluvial fans and having an undulating character due to the convexities of the components fans.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Colluvium: “A general term applied to loose and incoherent deposits, usually at the foot of a slope or cliff and brought there chiefly by gravity.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Design value: “A statistic that describes the air quality status of a given location relative to the level of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).” (EPA 2025a)
Dune: “A mount, ridge, or hill of wind-blown sand, either bare or covered with vegetation.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Fluvial: “Of or pertaining to rivers.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Histic epipedon: “A surface soil horizon, not less than 1 m in depth, high in organic carbon, and saturated with water for some part of the year.” (Oxford Reference 2015)
Interfluve: “The relatively undissected upland between adjacent streams flowing the same general direction.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Lacustrine: “Pertaining to, produced by, or inhabiting a lake or lakes.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Local off-lake sources: Emissive sources above the 3,600-ft regulatory shoreline at Owens Lake, but within the Owen Valley Planning District.
Off-lake sources: Emissive sources above the 3,600-ft regulatory shoreline at Owens Lake.
On-lake: Emissive sources below the 3,600-ft regulatory shoreline at Owens Lake.
Playa: “A term used in the southwestern U.S. for a dry, barren area in the lowest part of an undrained desert basin, underlain by clay, silt, or sand, and commonly by soluble salts.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Rindge soils: “Very deep, very poorly drained organic soils that formed in fresh water marshes, sloughs and drainage channels from mixed decomposed reeds, tules and alluvium.” (USDA 2016)
Sand: “A detrital particle smaller than a granule and larger than a silt grain, having a diameter in the range of 1/16 to 2 mm.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Sand sheet: “A large irregularly shaped plain of eolian sand, lacking the discernible slip faces that are common on dunes.” (USGS 2024)
Saltation: “Sediment transport in which particles are moved forward in a series of short leaps or bounces.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Silt: “A detrital particle finer than fine sand and coarser than clay, commonly in the range of 1/16 to 1/256 mm.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Suspension: “A mode of sediment transport in which the upward currents in eddies of turbulent flow are capable of supporting the weight of sediment particles and keeping them indefinitely held in the surrounding fluid.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
Winnowing: “Separation of fine particles from coarser ones by action of the wind.” (American Geological Institute 1983)
