LANDFORMS

VALLEY

A valley is a hollow or surface depression of the earth bounded by hills or

mountains, a natural trough in the earth's surface that slopes down to a stream, lake or
the ocean, formed by water and/or ice erosion. Systems of valleys extend through
plains, hills, and mountains.

PLATEAU

A plateau is a large highland area of fairly level land separated from surrounding
land by steep slopes. Some plateaus, like the plateau of Tibet, lie between mountain
ranges. Others are higher than surrounding land. Plateaus are widespread, and
together with enclosed basins they cover about 45 percent of the Earth's land surface.
MOUNTAINS

Over long periods of time, mountains are created by tremendous forces in the
earth with a steep top usually shaped up to a peak or ridge. Mountains occur more often
in oceans than on land; some islands are the peaks of mountains coming out of the
water. Mountains are formed by volcanism, erosion, and disturbances or uplift in the
earth's crust.

PLAINS
 Plains are broad, nearly level stretches of land that have no great changes in
elevation. Plains are generally lower than the land around them; they may be found
along a coast or inland. Coastal plains generally rise from sea level until they meet
higher landforms such as mountains or plateaus. Inland plains may be found at high
altitudes.

HILLS

Hills are elevations of the earth's surface that have distinct summits, but are
lower in elevation than mountains. Hills may be formed by a buildup of rock debris or
sand deposited by glaciers and wind. Hills may be created by faults. Faults are a
slight crack in the earth which can cause earthquakes. Hills are formed when these
faults go slightly upward. The most famous hills in the world are the Loess hills. The
Black Hills are also famous. You can find hills in low mountain valleys, valleys, plains,
and even in your own backyard.

LOESS

Loess is a geologically recent deposit of silt or material which is usually yellowish or

brown in color and consisting of tiny mineral particles brought by wind to the places
where they now lie. It is a product of past glacial activity in an area. It is a sedimentary
deposit of mineral particles which are finer than sand but coarser than dust or clay,
deposited by the wind. Loess is a type of silt which forms fertile topsoil in some parts
of the world.
GLACIERS

Ice sheets and glaciers form the largest component of perennial ice on this planet. Over
75% of the world's fresh water is presently locked up in these frozen reservoirs. The
Antarctic Ice Sheet is more complicated than the Greenland Ice Sheet. In the past three
million years, there have been four glacial periods, each followed by an interglacial
period. The most recent glacial period began about 75,000 years ago. The Antarctic Ice
Sheets outlet glaciers include the steep and heavily creviced Beordmore Glacier, one of
the world’s longest outlets.

DESERT
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of
precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants.

VOLCANO

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot

magma, ash and gases to escape from below the surface.

PENINSULA
A peninsula is a piece of land that is surrounded by water but connected to mainland
via an isthmus. In many Germanic languages, peninsulas are called "half-islands"