What is science language?

Science language is the vocabulary of digital geologic-map databases:

Vocabulary—“n. 1. the stock of words used by or known to a particular people or group of persons....2. a list or collection of the words or phrases of a language, technical field, etc., usually arranged in alphabetical order and defined. 3. the words of a language. 4. any collection of signs or symbols constituting a means or system of nonverbal communication: vocabulary of a computer....” (Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, 2001, p. 2129).

As with other endeavors, geologic maps and their accompanying databases have a rich vocabulary of words, terms, and icons. These terms range from the erudite (e.g. monzodiorite, arenite, granitic gneiss, granoblastic) to the commonplace (landslide, sand, mudflow, fracture). This language is the way geologists communicate technical information about earth materials, and is the starting point for spatial analysis that integrates geologic-map information with other kinds of geospatial data sets.