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Landscape Development
What are the characteristics of a landscape?
Elevation
Stream
Drainage
Patterns
Evidence of Human
Occupation
Slope/gradient
Soil Profile
Bedrock Structure
Types of Landscapes:
Mountains
Grand Teton Mountains, Wyoming
Mountains are areas
of high elevation with
steep slopes and
gradients. The
elevation of a
mountain is usually
much higher than that
of surrounding areas.
Mountains usually
form as a result of
crustal change due to
tectonic plate
movements.
Mountains are
characterized by
deformed rock strata,
igneous intrusions,
and areas of regional
and contact
metamorphism.
NYS Mountain Landscapes: Adirondack Mountains,
Taconic Mountains
Types of Landscapes: Plateaus
Bryce Canyon, Utah
Plateaus are areas
of high elevation
with steep slopes
and gradients.
Area of plateaus
often have flat
surfaces.
Plateaus are
characterized by
undistorted,
horizontal layers of
sedimentary rocks
and/or extrusive
igneous rocks.
NYS PLateau Landscapes: Allegheny Plateau,
The Catskills, Tug Hill Plateau,
Types of Landscapes: Plains
Great Plains, Nebraska
Plains are areas of
low elevation with
little to no slope or
gradient of the
land. Plains are
often called flat
lands or lowlands.
Plains are
characterized by
sedimentary rocks
and/or sediments.
Some plains
represent the
eroded remains of
old mountains.
NYS Plains Landscapes: Hudson-Mohawk Lowlands, ErieOntario Lowlands, Champlain Lowlands,
St. Lawrence Lowlands, Newark Lowlands
Landscapes Regions
Which landscape
region is Elmira
located in?
Elmira is located in the
Allegheny Plateau
RT = Pg. 3
Landscape Development
Landscapes are continually evolving as uplifting and leveling forces alter landscapes.
UPLIFT
LEVELING
FORCES
Landscapes that are uplifted experience
changes within the crust which forces the
land upward. Convergent plate boundaries
are associated with uplift.
Leveling forces reduce the
elevation and slope of
landscapes. Weathering, erosion
and deposition are leveling
forces.
The convection currents within the
astheosphere provides the energy associated
with uplifting forces.
Insolation and gravity provide the energy for
weathering, erosion and deposition agents to
change landscapes.
Craters
A crater is a landscape feature created by the impact of a
celestial object (ex: asteroid, comet, meteor) with the Earth.
Craters tend to be the
dominant landscape
feature for celestial
objects such as
planets and moons
Landscape and Climate
Plateaus in an arid climate have
steep slopes. There is a lack of
vegetation to hold sediment.
Weathered sediment erode
quickly from arid plateaus.
Plateaus in a humid climate have
gentle slopes. There is an
abundance of vegetation to hold
sediment. Weathered sediment
erode slowly from humid
plateaus.
Landscape Stages and Time
A
C
B
D
***NOTE: The landscapes depicted above have not
necessarily been exposed to uplifting forces.
A/B: YOUNG – The landscape
has been “cut” by two streams.
The slopes alongside the stream
are steep.
C: MATURE – Leveling forces
have reduced the elevation of the
landscape. High mountaintops
have been replaced by rolling
hills.
D: OLD– Leveling forces have
further reduced the elevation of
the landscape to a lowland
floodplain. Streams have also
matured creating meanders in
the landscape.
Stream Drainage Patterns
The pattern of
stream drainage
is often
dependent upon
the elevation
and slope of the
landscape.