Landforms
Landforms
What is a landform?These shapes (except for bodies of water) on the earth’s surface are all examples of landforms.
archipelagoa large group of many islands.
The Hawaiian Islands
atolla circle of coral that forms an island around a pool of seawater
Lighthouse Reef off the coast of Belize
How does an atoll form?
How does an atoll form?
baya body of water, partly surrounded by land, with a wide entrance to an ocean or sea, and is usually smaller than a gulf
Galveston Bay in Texas
buttea high, thin, flat topped rock formation
Huerfano Butte south of Pueblo, Colorado
canyona deep valley with steep sides
The Grand Canyon in Arizona
cape a piece of land, smaller than a peninsula, that extends into a body of water.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
cavea large hole in the side of a hill or mountain, or in the ground
Cave of the Winds, Manitou Springs
cliff a high, steep, jagged wall of rock
Chalk Cliffs near Buena Vista
coastThe land along a large, open body of water such as an ocean, sea, gulf, or bay.
deltaa fan shaped area of small, low, watery islands of sediment at the mouth of a river
It is formed from the silt, sand and small rocks that flow downstream in the river and are deposited in the delta.
A delta is often (but not always) shaped like a triangle (hence its name, delta, a Greek letter that is shaped like a triangle).
desert a region of little rainfall,where few plants and animals live
Great Basin DesertUtah
Polar DesertBaffin Island in Nunavet, Canada
dunea hill of sand formed by strong winds
Near Alamosa, Colorado
Great Sand Dunes National Park
Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California
Dunes are shaped by the wind, and change all the time.
The Singing Dunes
glaciera large mass of ice that moves slowly down a mountain
1989
199719921974
2002
2004
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a part of the ocean that is extends into the land, has a narrow entrance from the ocean, and is usually larger than a bay.
gulf
hill
land that rises to a rounded summit, less than 1,000 feet above the surrounding area
island a piece of land that is surrounded by water
Galveston Island, Galveston, Texas
isthmus
a narrow strip of land, between two bodies of water, that connects two larger land areas
The Isthmus of Panama connects
North and South America.
lakea largebody of water that is surrounded by land
mesa
a medium sized, raised, land formation with a flat top and steep sides
Parriott and Covent Mesas, Colorado River at Red Cliff Lodge Moab, Utah
mountaina high area of land with steep sides and a sharp peak, that rises 1000 feet or more
Mount Elbert
You can tell younger mountains by their sharper and pointier peaks. Oldermountains have been worn down and rounded by the forces of weathering and erosion.
Mt. Everest-young or old?
Sharp, pointy peaks younger mountainsWorn, rounded peaks older mountains
Rockies: young or old? Appalachians: young or old?
Rockies 65-144 million years old Appalachians 286-320 million years old
ocean a large body of salt water that covers most of the earth
peninsula
a large piece of land surrounded on most sides by water, that has long coast lines
Italy
plain a large area of relatively flat land with few trees
plateaua large, relatively flat area of land with steep sides that stands above the surrounding land
Colorado Plateau, Arizona
river a large flowing body of water that runs through the land and usually empties into an
ocean orsea
Mississippi River
sea
a smaller part of the ocean that is partly enclosed by land and connects with the ocean through a passage
straita narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water
The Strait of Gibraltar, between Europe and Africa
tundraa cold, dry, treeless region near the Arctic Circle where moss, low grass, and lichens grow, but the permafrost remains frozen
Denali National Park, Alaska
valley
a long, low place between two mountains.
Oahu Valley, Hawaii
volcanoa mountainous vent in the earth’s crustthroughwhich lava,gases, andash arereleased
Mount St. Helens in Washington erupted in 1983
Landforms
Additional Landforms
These will not be included on the test, but might show up as an extra credit question.
badlandsa wasteland that has been carved intounusual shapes by windand water
Badlands near Colorado Springs
a spring that spouts hot water and steam from time to time
geyser
Bee Hive Geyser in Yellowstone National Park
iceberg
a huge block of floating ice that has broken off a glacier
lagoon a shallow body of water that is partly cut off from the sea
fjorda long, narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or slopes
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska
fjord
marsh
a low, wet area where grasses, rushes and cattails grow
oasisan isolated area of vegetation in a desertoften surrounding a water source
Sahara Desert
prairie
a region of flat or hilly land covered by tall grasses
swamp a low, wet area where trees and high shrubs grow
Manchac Swamp, in Louisiana
waterfall
A stream of water that falls from a high place
Niagara Falls, New York
Landforms
Game Time
bay
geyser
atoll
badlands
cape
archipelago
fjord
forest
oasis
lagoon
marsh
swamp