Vocab

batholith- a very large irregular-shaped mass of igneous rock, esp granite, formed from an intrusion of magma at great depth, esp one exposed after erosion of less resistant overlying rocks
catchment- the act of catching water.
Dreamtime - the ancient time  of the creation of all things by sacred ancestors, whose spirits continue into the present, as conceived in the mythology of the Australian Aborigines.
epicormic - applied to the region of the abdomen adjacent to the colon.
Exclusive Economic Zone - the coastal water and sea bed around a country's shores, to which it claims exclusive rights for fishing, oil exploration, fishing, etc
geomorphologist - the study of the characteristics, origin, and development of landforms.
hemisphere - half of the terrestrial globe or celestial sphere, especially one of the halves into which the earth is divided. Compare Eastern Hemisphere, Western Hemisphere, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere.
isobarthe - an imaginary line or one drawn on a map connecting all points of equal depth below the surface of a body of water.
latitude - the angular distance north or south from the equator of a point on the earth's surface, measured on the meridian of the point.
lignotubers - a soft coal, usually dark brown, often having a distinct woodlike texture, and intermediate in density and carbon content between peat and bituminous coal.
longitude - angular distance east or west on the earth's surface, measured by the angle contained between the meridian of a particular place and some prime meridian, as that of Greenwich, England, and expressed either in degrees or by some corresponding difference in time.
lunette - any of various objects or spaces of crescentlike or semicircular outline or section.
mallee - any of various dwarf Australian eucalyptuses, as Eucalyptus dumosa  and E. oleosa,  that sometimes form large tracts of brushwood.
metamorphic - pertaining to or characterized by change of form, or metamorphosis.
sclerophyll - a woody plant with small leathery evergreen leaves that is the dominant plant form in certain hot dry areas, esp the Mediterranean region
sedimentary - of, pertaining to, or of the nature of sediment.
tectonic forces - the science or art of assembling, shaping, or ornamenting materials in construction; the constructive arts in general.
watershed - an important point of division or transition between two phases, conditions,
xerophyte - a plant adapted for growth under dry conditions.
population density - the number of people living per unit of an area
continental drift - the lateral movement of continents resulting from the motion of crustal plates.
convection currents - the transfer of heat by the mass movement of heated particles into an area of cooler fluid
glaciation - to cover with ice or glaciers.
Central Lowlands - a drafting instrument for drawing lines converging on a vanishing point outside the drawing.

Eastern Highlands - a mountain range running along the eastern coast of Australia
Western Plateau - originally a facetious counterpart to Southern blot
El Nino - a warm ocean current of variable intensity that develops after late December along the coast of Ecuador and Peru and sometimes causes catastrophic weather conditions.

La Nina - A cooling of the surface water of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, occurring somewhat less frequently than El Niño events but causing similar, generally opposite disruptions to global weather patterns.
euclypts - any of numerous often tall trees belonging to the genus Eucalyptus,  of the myrtle family, native to australia and adjacent islands, having aromatic evergreen leaves that are the source of medicinal oils and heavy wood used as timber.
biodiversity - the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species in their natural environments, which is the aim of conservationists concerned about the indiscriminate destruction of rainforests and other habitats

fauna - the animals of a given region or period considered as a whole.
flora - the plants of a particular region or period, listed by species and considered as a whole.
montoremes - a word or formula, as from the Veda, chanted or sung as an incantation or prayer.
diprotodon - a large extinct marsupial of the Australian genus Diprotodon
megafauna - land animals of a given area that can be seen with the unaided eye.
thylacine - a wolflike marsupial, Thylacinus cynocephalus,  of Tasmania, tan-colored with black stripes across the back: probably extinct.
epicormic - Situated upon or over the colon; -- applied to the region of the abdomen adjacent to the colon.
transpiration - an action or instance of transpiring.

 acidification - to make or become acid;  convert into an acid.
aquaculture - The science of cultivating marine or freshwater food fish, such as salmon and trout, or shellfish, such as oysters and clams, under controlled conditions.
non-renewable - Relating to a natural resource, such as solar energy, water, or wood, that is never used up or that can be replaced by new growth.
salinity - of, containing, or resembling common table salt; salty or saltlike: a saline solution.
silviculture - the cultivation of forest trees; forestry.
sustainable - capable of being sustained
World Heritage - something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth; an inherited lot or portion: a heritage of poverty and suffering; a national heritage of honor, pride, and courage.