{
Landforms and Regions
Mountainhigh, rocky land, usually with steep sides and a
pointed or rounded top, higher than a hill
Fault Mountain
Mountains that form when
faults or cracks in the earth's
crust force some materials or
blocks of rock up and others
down.
The earth's crust fractures (pulls
apart). It breaks up into blocks
or chunks. Sometimes these
blocks of rock move up and
down, as they move apart and
blocks of rock end up being
stacked on one another.
Fold MountainMountains formed when
two plates collide head on,
and their edges crumbled,
much the same way as a
piece of paper folds when
pushed together.
VolcanoA mountainous vent in the
earths crust. When a volcano erupts it spews out
hot lava, ashes, and hot gasses from deep inside the
earth.
PlateauA large, flat area of land that is higher
than the surrounding land.
Mesa A land formation having a relatively flat top and steep rock walls.
Butte
A small area
of land with
steep sides
and a flat
top.
Valley
A low place between
mountains
A valley formed by flowing water, usually V shaped.
River Valley
A valley that has been carved out by the movement of a glacier, usually in the shape of a U.
GlacierValley
{
A deep valley with very steep sides, often carved from the Earth
by a river.
Canyon
A narrow valley between hills or
mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running
through it.
Gorge
{
A raised part of the earth's surface with
sloping sides; old mountain which
because of erosion has become rounder and
shorter.
Hill
An area of hills, plateaus, and
mountains.
highlands
Dividethe highest ridge of land separating river basins
PassA low place through
mountains that allows for passage of people,
cars, etc.
Peak
The pointed top of a mountain
{
a fracture in the rocks along which there has been movement
fault
Basin an area of land largely enclosed by
higher land.
{
A large hole in the ground or inthe side of a hill or mountain. Cave
Cliffa high, steep slope of
rock or soil
Oceans
Sea a large body of water, usually salt water, partly
or completely surrounded by land
Strait
A narrow body of water that connects two
larger bodies of water.
Channela narrow deep waterway connecting two larger
bodies of water; the deepest part of the waterway.
Gulf
part of a sea or ocean that reaches
into land; usually larger than a bay
Lake
A large body of
water surrounded
by land
River
A large, flowing body of water that usually
empties into a sea or ocean.
{
land built up by deposits of sand and silt at the mouth of some rivers
delta
mouth (of a river)place where a river empties into a larger body of
water; the end of a river
Wetlands
• An area of land that is often wet
• The soil is often low in oxygen.
• Areas include swamps, sloughs, fens, bogs, marshes, etc.
An area of low-lying land that is
waterlogged at all times, usually grasses and reeds grow in a
marsh
Marsh
SwampA type of freshwater wetland that has spongy, muddy land and a lot of water.
Many trees and shrubs grow in swamps.
Bog
Wet, muddy ground,
composed mainly of
decaying plant
material
TidewaterAreas that are directly effected by the tides of
the oceans. Some marshes, swamps, and rocky areas along the
coast are included.
Pond
A small body of water
surrounded by land, Usually
smaller than a lake.
{
an area of land completely surrounded by water
island
Peninsula
A body of land that is surrounded by water on three
sides.
Capea curved or hooked piece of land
extending into a body of water
Isthmusnarrow strip of land with water on both sides connecting
two larger pieces of land
Fjord
a narrow inlet of the sea between high banks or cliffs created by glaciers
Glacier
A slowly moving river of ice.
Harbor
a sheltered area of water where ships may
anchor safely
Iceberga large mass of floating ice that has broken off from a
glacier, most of this is underwater
Sound
A wide inlet of the sea or ocean that is parallel to the
coastline. It often separates a coastline from
a nearby island.
{
a group of many islands archipelago
Inleta small part of a body of water that reaches into a coast
Reefa ridge of rock or sand at or near the surface of the water
Reservoir a lake where water is collected and stored for future use
TributarySometimes called a
branch. A stream or river that flows into
a larger river.
Rapidsa part of a river, generally shallow, where the currents
move swiftly over rocks
WaterfallWhen water in a river
suddenly falls off over a steep place.
Bay
part of a body of salt water that reaches into the land; usually smaller than a gulf
Coastland along the sea or ocean
{
plateau of land surface into the ocean but underwater
continental shelf
Types of grasslands are found around the world. Grass is the most common plant, usually located between forests and deserts.
Prairies – North America
Pampas – South America
Steppes - Europe
Savannas - Africa
Grasslands
Savanna
Regions of tall grasses with a few trees. Wet and dry
seasons
{
A very dry area
Desert
Scrubland
Land area with desert like conditions, few plants, and
hills
PlainsFlat lands that have only small changes
in elevation.
Prairie
A wide, relatively flat area of land that has grasses and only a few trees.
Tundra
A cold, treeless area, usually found at high elevations or at the
poles.
{
a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush extensive wooded area
Forest
Forest populated by cone-bearing
evergreen trees; mostly found in
northern latitudesConiferous Forest
forest in a temperate region, characterized
by trees that drop their leaves annually
Temperate Forest
A tropical forest, usually of tall, densely growing, broad-leaved evergreen trees in an area of high
annual rainfall.
Rain Forest