Landforms
The major types of landforms and
how they are formed
Landform
What is a
It is a natural feature on the
Earth's surface and is part of the
surrounding terrain.
Landform? It is formed by different forces of
nature such as water, ice, wind,
and movement of tectonic plates.
Mountain
It is a landform that rises at least 300
meters above the surrounding terrain.
Mountains can be formed through:
A head-on collision between tectonic
plates
Eruption of molten material from the
Earth's interior
Hill
A landform that rises slightly higher than
the surrounding terrain. It is not as high or
as steep as a mountain, but it has a
distinct summit.
Hills are formed through:
The constant movement of the rock
underneath the Earth (faulting)
Washing away of soil, rock, and
sediment (erosion)
Plateau
A flat, elevated landform that rises higher
than the surrounding terrain.
Plateaus can be formed by:
The upward movement of the
Earth's crust
Small volcanic eruptions
Plain
It is broad, relatively flat landform.
Some of the processes that form
a plain are:
Erosion of rock, soil, and sediment
through the movement of ice and
water
Volcanic activity, when lava flows
across the area
Lake
A lake forms when the flow of
water slows enough to fill an
area.
River
Natural stream fo water that
helps to shape the valley or plain
it passes through
Coast
Land next to the ocean, which
helps to shape the coast line.
Ocean
Salt water that covers almost
three-fourths of Earth's surface.
Valley
Low, narrow area on the crust.
Some valleys are formed by
glaciers while others are formed
by rivres.
Glacier
A large, moving body of ice. It
forms in cold places where snow
and ice pile up year after year. It
slowly moves downhill.
Volcano
Is an opening in Earth's crust
through which hot, melted rock is
forced up by pressure inside the
Earth.