Types of Landforms

"The Waiting Pool", painting by Amy Crehore copyright 2010, 12"x 24", oil on linen

Arch

An ARCH is an elongated lowland between ranges of mountains, hills or other uplands, often having a river or stream running along the bottom.

Archipelago

An ARCHIPELAGO is a chain of islands.

Atoll

An ATOLL is basically an island that is constructed of coral and encircles a lagoon. It is considered one of the most beautiful of formations to be found in warm waters; most often in tropical sections of the Pacific and Indian oceans.

Basin

A BASIN is a large, bowl shaped depression in the surface of the land, often drained by a single river.

Bay

A BAY is part of a body of salt water that reaches into the land; usually smaller than a gulf.

Beach

A BEACH is a coastal landform consisting of deposits of sediments that run parallel to the shore.

Blowhole

A BLOWHOLE is formed as sea caves grow landwards and upwards into vertical shafts and expose themselves towards the surface, which can result in blasts of water from the top of the blowhole.

Breakwater

A BREAKWATER is a structure built to break the force of the waves or stop the erosion of a beach.

Butte

A BUTTE is a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding area and has sloping sides and a flat top.

Canal

A CANAL is a man-made waterway connecting two bodies of water and is designed to shorten travel time or irrigate.

Canyon

A CANYON is a narrow valley with steep sides; usually created by erosion.

Cape

A CAPE is a curved or hooked piece of land extending into a body of water.

Cataract

A CATARACT is a large or high waterfall.

Cave

A CAVE is a large hole in the ground or in the side of a hill or mountain.

A CIRQUE is bowl-shaped depression formed by snow and ice; found on mountains in glaciated areas.

Cirque

Cliffs

CLIFFS are steep faces of rock and soil.

Coast

A COAST is land along the sea or ocean.

A CONTINENT is a very large land mass.

The seven continents of planet Earth are:Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America.

Note:Some scientists believe we only have six because Europe and Asia are connected but separated by mountains. The six are Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Eurasia, North America, and South America.Eurasia is Europe and Asia combined.Others believe we have five as North America and South America are referred to as ‘Americas’.The five are: Africa, Americas, Antarctica, Eurasia, Australia.

Continent

Coral Reefs

CORAL REEFS help prevent erosion of beaches, provide breeding and feeding grounds for marine life and control carbon dioxide in the water.

Cove

A COVE is small, horseshoe-shaped body of water along the coast; the water is surrounded by land formed of soft rock.

Dam

A DAM is a wall built across a stream or river to hold back water.

Delta

A DELTA is a place at the river’s mouth, where the river spits into many different sections, forming a marshy triangle.

Desert

A DESERT is an area with very little rainfall or vegetation.

Desert

A DESERT is an area with very little rainfall or vegetation.

Escarpment

An ESCARPMENT is an extended ridge of high land often with a steep slope on one side and a gently slope on the other.

Fjord or Fiord

A FJORD or FIORD is a long, narrow inlet of the sea, bordered by steep cliffs, and carved by glacial action.

Forest

A FOREST is a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush; extensive wooded area.

Geyser

A GEYSER is a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and steam above the ground.

Glacier

A GLACIER is a huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass.

Gulf

A GULF is a large area of a sea or ocean partially enclosed by land.

Harbour

A HARBOUR is a sheltered part of a body of water deep enough to provide anchorage for ships.

Headland

A HEADLAND is a point of land or promontory that juts out into the sea.

Hill

A HILL is a raised part of the earth’s surface with sloping sides; an old mountain which because of erosion has become rounder and shorter.

Iceberg

An ICEBERG is a large floating piece of ice that has broken away from an ice shelf or a glacier.

An INLET is a small part of a body of water (lake, sea) that reaches into a coast.

Inlet

Island

An ISLAND is a piece of land completely surrounded by water.

Isthmus

An ISTHMUS is a narrow strip of land, like a bridge, connecting two larger strips of land.

Lagoon

A LAGOON is a shallow body of water that is located alongside a coast.

Lake

A LAKE is a large inland body of fresh water or salt water.

Marsh

A MARSH is an area of soft, wet, low lying land, with grassy vegetation, often forming a transition zone between water and land.

Mesa

A MESA is a broad, flat topped elevation with one or more cliff-like sides.

Moraine

A MORAINE is an accumulation of boulders, stones, or other debris carried and deposited by a glacier.

Mountain

A MOUNTAIN is a high, rocky land, usually with steep sides and a pointed or rounded top, higher than a hill.

Oasis

An OASIS is a fertile place in the desert where there is water and some vegetation.

Ocean

An OCEAN is the largest body of salt water; these cover ¾ (three quarters) of the earth’s surface.

Peninsula

A PENINSULA is a piece of land that extends into a body of water and is surrounded on three sides by water.

Plains

PLAINS are broad, flat or gently rolling areas; usually low in elevation.

Plateau

A PLATEAU is a flat highland area with one steep face; an elevated plain.

Prairie

A PRAIRIE is an extensive area of flat or rolling, mostly treeless grassland.

Rapids

RAPIDS are a part of a river, generally shallow, where the currents move swiftly over rocks.

Reservoir

A RESERVOIR is a man-made lake that is primarily used for storing water. Based on its use, there are three types: • a valley dammed reservoir; • a bank-side reservoir (formed when water is taken

from an existing stream or river) and • a service reservoir (mainly constructed to store water

for later use i.e. towers, elevated structures).

River

A RIVER is a large natural stream of water emptying into an ocean, lake or other body of water.

Sea

The SEA is a large body of water, usually salt water, partly or completely surrounded by land.

Sea Stack

A SEA STACK is a block of erosion-resistant rock isolated from the land by sea. A SEA STACK begin as part of a headland or sea cliff. Relentless pounding by waves erodes the softer, weaker part of a rock first, leaving harder, more resistant rock behind.

Steppe

A STEPPE is a vast grass covered plain.

Strait

A STRAIT is a narrow channel of water joining two larger bodies of water.

Swamp

A SWAMP is an area of land that is always soaked with water; low, wet land that supports grass and trees.

Tombolo

A TOMBOLO is a natural bridge that is formed when sand is deposited between the shoreline and an island.

Valley

A VALLEY is an elongated lowland between ranges of mountains, hills or other uplands, often having a river or stream running along the bottom.

A VOLCANO is a mountainous vent in the Earth's crust. When a volcano erupts, it spews out lava, ashes, and hot gases from deep inside the Earth.

Volcano

Waterfall

A WATERFALL is when a river falls off steeply; a place where running water makes a sheer drop, usually over a cliff.

"The Angel at Gossamer Creek", painting by Amy Crehore copyright 2010,16"x16", oil on linen

Assembled by Angela Ballas