Karsts
An irregular area of limestone in which erosion has produced fissures, sinkholes, underground streams and caverns.
Katabatic
A wind flowing down valley sides and floors, usually as air cools, condenses and sinks at night.
Kerf (camping)
A cut made by an axe, saw, etc.
Kindling
Small pieces of dry wood used to start a campfire.
Kinematic
Kinematic refers to the general movement patterns and directions of the earth’s rocks that produce rock deformation.
Kinetic Energy
The energy of an object due to its motion.
Kisser Button (hunting)
An anchor locating device that is attached to the string, usually a small rubber or plastic disc that you fit in corner of your mouth on full draw and anchor. It helps keep a consistent anchor point, which is very important for consistent form and accuracy.
Knot (boating)
A measure of speed. It is one nautical mile per hour (1.15 mph). A nautical mile is one minute of one degree of latitude.
Krummholz (hunting)
A botanical term to describe high-elevation Englemann spruce that grow in very thick clusters above the normal timberline. These trees rarely grow higher than ten feet tall, and are a favorite bedding haunt for high-country mule deer and bighorn sheep. Krummholz means “crooked wood” in German.
Kryptogamic Soil (hunting)
In very arid regions of the West, the soil is held firm against sudden winds and rains by a fragile network of organisms that binds it together in clumps. This soil is destroyed by the passage of any large animal or vehicles, and erosion is accelerated drastically with the destruction of kryptogamic soil.
Kuroshio Current
The Kuroshio current is the warm western boundary current flowing northeastward from Taiwan along the eastern coast of Japan to the northern Pacific. Also called the Japan Current.