Download The Surface of Earth

Shaping and reshaping
 Landforms
are the natural features
of the Earth’s surface.
 They are the landscapes around us.
 They are shaped by volcanoes,
earthquakes, uplifts, weathering,
and erosion.
 These landforms have names.
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.
A
plateau is a large highland area of fairly
level land separated from surrounding land
by steep slopes.
 Bowl
shaped area of land that either does
or used to hold water.
 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.
 Mountains are formed by volcanism, erosion,
and disturbances or uplift in the earth's
crust.
 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
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.
 Ice
sheets and glaciers form the largest
component of persistent ice on this planet.
 Over 75% of the world's fresh water is
presently locked up in these frozen
reservoirs.
A
steep walled valley created by a river or a
stream.
 Large
body of water surrounded by land.
 Man
made storage area for fresh water.
 Large
natural stream that flows into a larger
body of water.
 Part
of river that empties into another body
of water.
 Deposit
of sediment where a stream enters a
large body of water.
A
water ecosystem such as mud flats,
swamps, and marshes.
a
broad inlet of the sea where the land
curves inward.
a
very large expanse of sea, in particular,
each of the main areas into which the sea is
divided geographically.
a
pebbly or sandy shore, especially by the
ocean between high- and low-water marks
a
piece of land surrounded completely by
water.
 the
expanse of salt water that covers most of
the earth's surface and surrounds its
landmasses.
a
narrow passage of water connecting two
seas or two large areas of water.
a
deep inlet of the sea almost surrounded by
land, with a narrow mouth.