1. January 25, 2010
Landforms and Changes in the Earth's Surface
Vocabulary Guide
Weathering is the wearing away of earth materials. It is a constant
process. Weathering is caused by many things including wind, ice, water
and chemicals.
Erosion is when weathered earth materials move from one place to
another.
Deposition is when eroded earth materials stop moving and settle in a
new place. One way to remember this is to think DEPOSIT.
Key Point: often times "erosion" is used to describe all 3 process above.
However on your assessment, you will need to be able to understand all 3
terms independently.
2. January 25, 2010
Weathering: the water
has worn down the
earth material forming
the V-shaped canyon.
Erosion: The earth
materials or sediments
are moving down the
channel.
Deposition: The
sediments have settled
to create a delta.
Hopefully this diagram will help you to remember how
all 3 of these terms work together
3. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Plains
Plains are generally flat landforms. In some cases plains
were formed by glaciers that pushed across the earth.
Most of the western half of Ohio is considered a plain.
Plains are also usually considered lowlands.
4. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Plateaus
Plateaus are like plains,
but they are generally
because they are flat
surfaces. They are
different because plateaus
are higher than the
surrounding areas. Plateaus
can be formed in many ways,
but the most common way is
that over a long period of
time, pressure from inside
Creating a plateau is a slow process.
the earth pushed a large
section of the earth upward.
5. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Valleys
Valleys are have more gently sloped wall and are more U-shaped than
canyons. Valleys are often thought to be between mountains or
mountain ranges. Some valleys are the result of a glacier moving
through an area between mountains. The floor of a valley can be very
large and often times, valleys have fertile soil in them.
6. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Canyons
Canyons are steep-walled, V-
shaped landforms that are caused
by a river weathering and eroding
away materials from a plateau.
The making of a canyon is a very
slow process, sometimes taking
millions of years.
Sometimes the rift between two
mountain peaks is also called a
canyon.
7. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Dunes
Creating dunes is a
slow process.
Dunes are landforms that are caused by wind eroding or
moving large amounts of sand and depositing the sand in a
new location. Dunes can be found in deserts and near
oceans very easily.
8. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Deltas
Deltas are "fan-shaped"
landforms that are caused
by the erosion or movement
of sand, rock and other
earth materials by a river.
When a river moves these
material down river, the
deposition of the materials
into the ocean or sea is the
delta.
Nile River Delta as seen from a satellite.
Creating deltas is a slow process.
9. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Hill
Hills are landforms that
are generally smaller than
1,000 feet tall. Hills
generally have rounded
tops and smoothed sides.
Hills can be formed in
many ways, but one
interesting way is that
over a very long time a
mountain can be
weathered down into a hill.
10. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Mountains
Mountains are landforms
that have been caused
because pressure from
inside the earth uplifts
the earth's crust.
Tectonic Plates that
push together is another
way mountains are
formed. Mountains
generally are taller than "Making" a mountain is a slow process.
1,500 ft and have
pointed tops or peaks.
11. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Volcanos
Volcanos are landforms that are formed when magma inside the
earth pushes through the earth's crust. Volcanos can be active
or dormant. Many volcanoes start in the ocean and can
eventually form islands after millions of years.
Even though it can take a
very long time for a
volcano to form an island,
volcanic eruptions can
change the surface of the
earth very quickly so we
call a volcano's effect on
the earth a fast process.
12. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Glaciers
Glaciers are massive sheets of ice that move very, very slowly over land
(maybe a foot a year). Glaciers are formed by a process where lots and
lots of snow accumulate over many years and the freezing/thawing cycle
cause the formation of layers of ice and snow. When there is enough
pressure because of the build up of ice and snow, glaciers will start to
move.
13. January 25, 2010
Landforms: Glacial Moraines
Glacial moraines are formed by the deposition of material from a
glacier and glacial moraines are exposed after the glacier has
retreated. Glacial moraines usually appear as linear mounds of a mixture
of rock, gravel, boulders and a fine powdery material. Terminal or end
moraines are formed at the foot or terminal end of a glacier.
The formation of a glacial moraine is a slow process.
14. January 25, 2010
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are not landforms, but they do change the earth's
surface a great deal. We would classify an earthquake as a fast
process for changing the earth's surface. Earthquakes happen
when there is a sudden release of energy in the earth's crust
that creates waves of energy. These waves of energy cause the
earth's crust to shake and crack.
Geologists observing the
effects of an earthquake in
Alaska.
