Geography: Landforms and Plate Tectonics

Mountain Formation

• Types of Mountain Building:
  • Volcanic Arcs: formed when oceanic plates subduct under continental plates, resulting in volcanic activity
  • Continental Collision: formed when two continental plates collide, resulting in the formation of mountains
  • Block Faulting: formed when large blocks of the Earth's crust are pushed upwards or downwards
• Mountain Building Processes:
  • Folding: when rocks are bent and deformed due to tectonic forces
  • Faulting: when rocks are broken and displaced along faults
  • Volcanic Activity: when magma rises to the surface, resulting in volcanic eruptions and the formation of volcanic rocks

Plate Tectonics

• Theory: the Earth's lithosphere is broken into several large plates that move relative to each other
• Types of Plate Boundaries:
  • Divergent: where two plates move apart, resulting in the creation of new crust
  • Convergent: where two plates move towards each other, resulting in subduction or collision
  • Transform: where two plates slide past each other horizontally
• Plate Tectonics and Landforms:
  • responsible for the formation of mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes
  • shapes the Earth's surface through the process of plate movement

Volcanic Landforms

• Types of Volcanoes:
  • Shield Volcanoes: gently sloping volcanoes with a broad base
  • Composite Volcanoes: tall, conical volcanoes with a narrow base
  • Cinder Cones: small, steep-sided volcanoes formed from accumulated ash and cinder
• Volcanic Features:
  • Lava Flows: molten rock that flows out of a volcano
  • Volcanic Ash: small particles of rock and mineral that are ejected into the air
  • Calderas: large depressions formed when a volcano collapses or erupts explosively

Desert Landforms

• Types of Deserts:
  • Hot Deserts: characterized by high temperatures and low humidity
  • Cold Deserts: characterized by low temperatures and low humidity
• Desert Features:
  • Dunes: ridges of sand formed by wind action
  • Oases: isolated areas of vegetation in the desert
  • Playas: dry lake beds that are formed when a lake dries up
• Desert Landform Processes:
  • Erosion: the removal of rock and soil through wind and water action
  • Deposition: the accumulation of rock and soil through wind and water action

Coastal Features

• Types of Coasts:
  • Emergent Coasts: where the land is rising relative to the sea
  • Submergent Coasts: where the land is sinking relative to the sea
• Coastal Features:
  • Beaches: areas of sand and pebbles along the coast
  • Cliffs: steep slopes of rock along the coast
  • Headlands: areas of land that jut out into the sea
• Coastal Processes:
  • Erosion: the removal of rock and soil through wave action
  • Deposition: the accumulation of rock and soil through wave action
  • Longshore Drift: the movement of sediment along the coast due to wave action