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EncyclopedicEntry
landform
Forthecompleteencyclopedicentrywithmediaresources,visit:
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/encyclopedia/landform/
AlandformisafeatureontheEarth'ssurfacethatispartoftheterrain.Mountains,hills,plateaus,andplainsare
thefourmajortypesoflandforms.Minorlandformsincludebuttes,canyons,valleys,andbasins.
TectonicplatemovementundertheEarthcancreatelandformsbypushingupmountainsandhills.Erosionby
waterandwindcanweardownlandandcreatelandformslikevalleysandcanyons.Bothprocesseshappenovera
longperiodoftime,sometimesmillionsofyears.
Ittook6millionyears,infact,fortheColoradoRivertocarveouttheGrandCanyonintheU.S.stateofArizona.
TheGrandCanyonis446kilometers(277miles)long.
ThehighestlandformonEarthisamountain:MountEverestinNepal.Itmeasures8,850meters(29,035feet)
abovesealevel.ItispartoftheHimalayarangethatrunsacrossseveralcountriesinAsia.
Landformscanexistunderwaterintheformofmountainrangesandbasinsunderthesea.TheMarianaTrench,
thedeepestlandformonEarth,isintheSouthPacificOcean.
VOCABULARY
Term
PartofSpeech
Definition
basin
noun
adipordepressioninthesurfaceofthelandoroceanfloor.
butte
noun
singlehillorrockformationthatrisessharplyfromaflatlandscape,usuallyina
desert.
canyon
noun
deep,narrowvalleywithsteepsides.
Earth
noun
ourplanet,thethirdfromtheSun.TheEarthistheonlyplaceintheknownuniverse
thatsupportslife.
erosion
noun
actinwhichearthiswornaway,oftenbywater,wind,orice.
Grand
Canyon
noun
largegorgemadebytheColoradoRiverintheU.S.stateofArizona.
hill
noun
landthatrisesaboveitssurroundingsandhasaroundedsummit,usuallylessthan
300meters(1,000feet).
Himalaya
Mountains
noun
mountainrangebetweenIndiaandNepal.
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landform
noun
specificnaturalfeatureontheEarth'ssurface.
Mariana
Trench
noun
deepestplaceonEarth,locatedintheSouthPacificOceanat11,000meters(36,198
feet)atitsdeepest.
mountain
noun
landmassthatformsastectonicplatesinteractwitheachother.
mountain
range
noun
seriesorchainofmountainsthatareclosetogether.
Mount
Everest
noun
highestspotonEarth,8,850meters(29,035feet).MountEverestispartofthe
Himalayarange,inNepalandChina.
plain
noun
flat,smoothareaatalowelevation.
plateau
noun
largeregionthatishigherthanthesurroundingareaandrelativelyflat.
sealevel
noun
baselevelformeasuringelevations.Sealevelisdeterminedbymeasurementstaken
overa19-yearcycle.
tectonicplate
noun
large,moveablesegmentoftheEarth'scrust.
terrain
noun
topographicfeaturesofanarea.
valley
noun
depressionintheEarthbetweenhills.
wind
noun
movementofair(fromahighpressurezonetoalowpressurezone)causedbythe
unevenheatingoftheEarthbythesun.
ForFurtherExploration
Websites
NationalGeographicScience:SurfaceoftheEarth
©1996–2015NationalGeographicSociety.Allrightsreserved.
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