Landform 1: MountainLandform 1: Mountain

• Elevated land, higher than 2,000 feet

• Because of the elevation plant life and climate could be different

• Famous ones: “Rockies”, “Appalachians”, “Everest”, “Himalayas”

Landform 2: VolcanoLandform 2: Volcano

• An opening in Earth’s crust where lava, ash, and gases erupt

• Many active ones in the “Ring of Fire”

• Islands have been formed from the lava that spews from these

• Famous ones: Mt. Saint Helens, Krakatoa, Vesuvius, Kilauea (Hawaii)

Landform 3: ValleyLandform 3: Valley

• Area of low land between hills or mountains

• Many have been formed by erosion (waterways or glaciers)

• Can be found in many different climate areas

• Famous ones: “Fox River Valley”, “Death Valley”, “Valley of the Kings”, “Silicon Valley”

Landform 4: RiversLandform 4: Rivers

• Natural flow of water that runs through the land

• Part of the water cycle (runoff ends up here possibly)

• Plays a part in erosion by moving sediment

• Famous ones: “Mississippi”, “Amazon”, “Nile”, “Fox”, “Yangtze (Yellow)”

Landform 5: DesertsLandform 5: Deserts

• Extremely dry area with little water and few plants

• Home to plants like cactuses

• Very little precipitation• Famous ones:

“Sahara”, “Gobi”, “Kalahari”

Landform 6: IslandsLandform 6: Islands

• Area of land completely surrounded by water

• Two types: Continental (on the continental shelves and formed during continental drift) and Volcanic (formed when tectonic plates separated)

• Famous ones: “Greenland”, “Ireland”, “Madagascar”, “Hawaiian”, “Alcatraz”

Landform 7: PlainsLandform 7: Plains

• Land that is relatively flat or rolling

• Prairies and steppes are types of this landform

• Important for agriculture (very common landform in the Midwest)

• Famous ones: “Great Plains”, “Corn Belt”, “Coastal Plains”

Landform 8: CanyonLandform 8: Canyon

• Deep, narrow valley with steep walls

• Formed by weathering and erosion

• Many have rivers running through them

• Famous ones: “Grand Canyon”, “Copper Canyon”, “Valles Marineris (on Mars)”

Landform 9: PlateauLandform 9: Plateau

• Large, flat, elevated area of land

• Can be formed by volcanic magma/lava, or by erosion (water or glaciers)

• Major ones: Tibetan, Andean, Antarctic, Colorado

• Mexico City sits atop one of these

Landform 10: PeninsulaLandform 10: Peninsula

• Area of land that sticks out into a lake or ocean

• Surrounded by water on three sides

• Famous ones: “Florida”, “Michigan (Upper and Lower), “Italian”, “Iberian (Spain and Portugal)

Landform 11: IsthmusLandform 11: Isthmus

• Narrow piece of land connecting two larger land areas

• Usually have bodies of water on two sides

• Many times canals are located here

• Famous ones: “Panama (connects North and South America)”, “Suez (connects Africa to Asia)”

Landform 12: GlacierLandform 12: Glacier

• Large area of slow moving ice• Responsible for shaping many

other landforms through erosion

• Much of Earth’s freshwater is frozen in these

• Where you would find them: Antarctica, Alaska, Northern Canada, Greenland, Northern Russia

• Many are being threatened by Global Warming

Landform 13: DuneLandform 13: Dune

• A hill (hills are elevated areas of land smaller than a mountain) of sand that has been shaped by wind

• Weathering causes rock to break down into sediment, sediment is carried by the wind and eventually can form dunes

• Constantly being shifted by the wind

• Examples: Sleeping Bear Dunes, Indiana Dunes

Landform 14: StraitLandform 14: Strait

• Narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water

• The opposite of an isthmus

• Often times very important shipping (boats) lanes

• Often find high winds and rough seas in these areas

• Famous ones: Straits of Mackinac, Strait of Magellan, Strait of Gibraltar

Landform 15: DeltaLandform 15: Delta

• Area where rivers deposit soil (silt) into the ocean

• Form at the mouth of the river

• River current bring sediment which over time can accumulate and form land