Landforms are defined as the natural physical features found on the surface of the earth created as a result of various forces of nature such as wind, water, ice, and movement of tectonic plates. Some landforms are created in a matter of a few hours, while others take millions of years to appear.
There are many types of landforms on the earth’s surface. Following are some of the common types of landforms and their characteristics.
Archipelago – An archipelago is a group or chain of islands clustered together in a sea or ocean.
Atoll – An atoll is a ring (or partial ring) of coral that forms an island in an ocean or sea. The coral sits atop a submerged volcanic cone.
Butte – A butte is a flat-topped rock or hill formation with steep sides.
Cliff – A cliff is a steep face of rock and soil.
Canyon – A canyon is a narrow, deep valley cut by a river through rock.
Cape – A cape is a pointed piece of land that sticks out into a sea, ocean, lake, or river.
Cave – A cave is a large hole in the ground or in the side of a hill or mountain.
Deserts – Due to lack of adequate rainfall, the desert is a dry piece of land with little or no vegetation. They are mostly found mainly in rain shadow areas which are leeward of a mountain range with respect to the wind direction. In deserts, the atmospheric air is very dry, and the daytime temperature is high.
Deltas – Deltas are low-lying, triangle-shaped areas, located the mouth of rivers. In the course of creating a delta, the sand, silt, and rock particles are accumulated in a nearly triangular shape.
Dunes – Dunes are mounds or small hills made up of sand that are created due to the action of water flow (underwater dunes). It may be dome-shaped, crescent-shaped, star-shaped, linear-shaped, and many more. The height of a dune hill can be as low as 1 meter, or as high as 10 meters and more.
Glaciers – Glaciers are slow-moving huge bodies of ice formed due to the compression of the snow layers. They move depending on the pressure and gravity. There are two types of glaciers
Hills - Hills are a type of landform that tends to be covered in grass and are usually within a warmer climate than that on mountain tops, which are often covered in snow and ice at their peaks.
Island – An island is a piece of land that is surrounded by water from all sides and formed either due to volcanic eruptions or due to hot spots in the lithosphere.
Isthmus – An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and separates two bodies of water. The most famous isthmus is Panama, which connects the North and South American continents. Other isthmuses include the isthmus between Africa and Asia, in Egypt where the Suez Canal is located; and the Kra Isthmus which joins the Malay Peninsula with mainland Asia. The first isthmus so named is the Isthmus of Corinth, in Greece. Because isthmuses are narrow, they are logical places to build canals.
Loess – Loess is the deposition of silt, with a little amount of sand and clay. They appear yellowish or brownish in color. Wind action or glacial activities are responsible for the formation of loess.
Peninsula – Peninsulas are large land areas that extend into water bodies. They remain surrounded by water on three sides. Peninsulas are formed by lithospheric movements and action of water currents.
Plains – Plains are flat or the low relief areas on the surface of the earth. It might be formed as a result of the sedimentation of eroded soil from the top of the hills and mountains or might be due to flowing lava deposited by the agents of wind, water, and ice.
Plateaus – Plateaus are flat highlands that are separated from the surroundings due to steep slopes. They are formed by collisions of tectonic plates, magma action that causes the elevation in the earth’s crust.
Mesa – A mesa is a land formation with a flat area on top and steep walls – usually occurring in dry areas.
Mountains – Mountains are landforms higher than the surrounding areas. They are formed due to the tectonic movements, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and erosion of the surrounding areas caused due to the wind, water, and ice. Mountains are found in the oceans and on land.
Valleys – Valleys are low-lying areas of land between hills and mountains that are formed due to the actions of glaciers and rivers over millions of years. Depending on the shape they are classified as V-shaped valleys and U-shaped valleys.
Volcano – 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.
