Different Landforms

• Describe the landform and water forms in one’s community.

• Enumerate the different landforms.

• Give examples of each landforms.

• Define each landforms

Landforms

1.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 wind, water and ice. Mountains are found in the oceans and on land.

2.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 earth’s crust.

3. 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. V-shaped valleys are formed by the flowing rivers and U-shaped valleys are formed due to glaciers.

4. Deserts

Due to lack of adequate rainfall, 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 daytime temperature is high.

5. Dunes

Dunes are mounds or small hills made up of sand that are created due to the action of and water flow (under water 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 meter and more.

6. Islands

An island is a piece of land which is surrounded by water from all sides and formed either due to volcanic eruptions or due to hot spots in the lithosphere.

7. 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.