Geography: Formation of Landforms

Mountain Formation

• Types of Mountain Building:
  • Volcanic mountains: formed from volcanic activity
  • Fold mountains: formed from plate tectonic forces
  • Block mountains: formed from faulting and uplift
• Mountain Building Processes:
  • Continental collision: collision of two continental plates
  • Oceanic-continental convergence: collision of an oceanic and a continental plate
  • Volcanic activity: volcanic eruptions and accumulation of lava
• Features of Mountains:
  • Peaks and ridges
  • Valleys and gorges
  • Glaciers and snowfields

Plate Tectonics

• Theory of Plate Tectonics: the Earth's lithosphere is broken into plates that move relative to each other
• Types of Plate Boundaries:
  • Divergent: plates moving apart
  • Convergent: plates moving towards each other
  • Transform: plates sliding past each other
• Plate Interactions:
  • Sea-floor spreading: new oceanic crust is created at mid-ocean ridges
  • Continental drift: continents moving apart or together

Volcanic Landforms

• Types of Volcanoes:
  • Shield volcanoes: gently sloping, broad volcanoes
  • Composite volcanoes: tall, conical volcanoes
  • Cinder cones: small, steep-sided volcanoes
• Volcanic Features:
  • Craters and calderas
  • Lava flows and volcanic fields
  • Volcanic ash and pyroclastic flows

Coastal Features

• Types of Coasts:
  • Emergent coastlines: coastlines formed by uplift or volcanic activity
  • Submergent coastlines: coastlines formed by subsidence or sea-level rise
• Coastal Processes:
  • Erosion: wearing away of the coast by waves and currents
  • Deposition: accumulation of sediment along the coast
• Coastal Landforms:
  • Beaches and dunes
  • Headlands and bays
  • Cliffs and arches

Desert Landforms

• Types of Deserts:
  • Hot deserts: high-temperature, low-humidity deserts
  • Cold deserts: low-temperature, low-humidity deserts
• Desert Formation:
  • Rain shadow effect: dry air masses form deserts
  • Trade winds: trade winds create deserts
• Desert Landforms:
  • Dunes and sand seas
  • Playas and dry lakes
  • Canyons and badlands