landforms
Mountains and valleys
Landforms are the natural physical features of Earth's surface—mountains, valleys, plains, plateaus, canyons, and the like.
The term appears mainly in geography and geology: Students learned to identify landforms on topographic maps.
Landforms result from processes like erosion, volcanic activity, and tectonic movement operating over geological time.
Tall natural landmass
- peakUtmost height attained
- summitPeak or diplomatic gathering
- ridgeNarrow raised strip
- plateauFlat highland area
mesa · butte · hill · knoll · escarpment · cliff · crag · tor
Low ground between heights
- canyonDeep river-cut gorge
- gorgeDeep, narrow valley
- ravineDeep, narrow valley
- basinConcave water receptacle
depression · dale · glen · hollow · dell · vale · gully · chasm
Land almost encircled by water
- islandWater-bounded land mass
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
- capeShouldered sleeveless wrap
- bayPartially enclosed water
gulf · strait · fjord · atoll · isthmus · delta · estuary · lagoon
Open grassy flatland
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- steppeTreeless Eurasian grassland
- savannaTropical grassland, sparse trees
- tundraFrigid treeless biome
pampas · veld · meadow · lowland · floodplain · flats · loess · coastal plain
Grassy waterlogged lowland
- swampWaterlogged land with vegetation
- bogAcidic peat wetland
- fenLow marshy ground
- mireBoggy, waterlogged terrain
peatland · bayou · slough · mangrove · tidal flat · oxbow lake · riparian · wetland
Earth's fiery vent
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
- lava fieldSolidified volcanic rock terrain
- cinder coneSteep volcanic debris hill
shield volcano · stratovolcano · lava dome · fumarole · geyser · hot spring · volcanic island · lava tube
mountain
Tall natural landmass
plateau · mesa · butte · hill · knoll · escarpment · cliff · crag · tor · pinnacle
valley
Low ground between heights
basin · depression · dale · glen · hollow · dell · vale · gully · chasm · defile
peninsula
Land almost encircled by water
- islandWater-bounded land mass
- archipelagoChain of scattered islands
- capeShouldered sleeveless wrap
bay · gulf · strait · fjord · atoll · isthmus · delta · estuary · lagoon · beach
prairie
Open grassy flatland
- grasslandTreeless herb-covered ecosystem
- steppeTreeless Eurasian grassland
- savannaTropical grassland, sparse trees
tundra · pampas · veld · meadow · lowland · floodplain · flats · loess · coastal plain · peneplain
marsh
Grassy waterlogged lowland
mire · peatland · bayou · slough · mangrove · tidal flat · oxbow lake · riparian · wetland · lagoon
volcano
Earth's fiery vent
- craterImpact or volcanic basin
- calderaCollapsed volcanic summit basin
- lava fieldSolidified volcanic rock terrain
cinder cone · shield volcano · stratovolcano · lava dome · fumarole · geyser · hot spring · volcanic island · lava tube · volcanic plateau
dune
Wind-formed sand ridge
- elementary schoolclassroom, student, first grade teacher, reading skills, teacher
- geographycontinents, continent, oceans, countries, country
- earth scienceatmosphere, earthquake, geology, volcano, crust
- entitiesentity, being, object, thing, item
- Topographycontour lines, contour line, terrain maps, terrain map, elevation gain
- soil sciencesoil, topsoil, subsoil, clay, sand
landformsbodies of water
Natural water accumulations
water features · oceans · seas · waterways · water bodies
landformsbuilt environment
Human-created physical surroundings
infrastructure · urban development · architecture · artificial islands · landfills
landformsatmosphere
Gaseous layer around planets
airspace · sky · climate · weather patterns · air currents