Landforms: Types and Formation

Study Notes

A landform is a naturally occurring feature on the surface of the Earth.
The four major types of landforms are mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains.
Rivers, lakes, buttes, canyons, basins, and valleys are also considered landforms.

Landforms are created by natural processes such as tectonic plate movement, weathering, and erosion.
Most landforms on Earth were formed over millions of years, although cataclysmic events such as volcanic eruptions can also create new landforms.

The United States contains all types of landforms.
The Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Mississippi River, and Great Lakes are among the most famous landforms within the U.S.

The United States is home to several mountain ranges, including the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, and Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The Rocky Mountains are the largest range in the United States, stretching across the western United States from New Mexico to Canada.
The Appalachian Mountains are located on the eastern side of the country and are among the oldest on Earth, with formation beginning 1.1 billion years ago.
The Sierra Nevada Mountains are located along the eastern side of California and are the youngest of the three major United States ranges, with uplift beginning 4 million years ago.

Death Valley is the hottest place on Earth, located in southern California, and can regularly reach summer temperatures of over 120 degrees.
The Great Appalachian Valley is a region that encompasses land from Canada to Alabama.
The Tennessee Valley is located on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains, and the Shenandoah Valley is located to the east of the range.

The Grand Canyon is the most famous canyon in the United States, located in Arizona, and is 227 miles long and 18 miles wide.
The second largest canyon in the United States is Palo Duro Canyon, located in the Panhandle region of Texas.

Rivers are bodies of freshwater that flow downhill from a source known as the headwaters.
The Mississippi River is the most famous river in the United States, stretching 2,350 miles from its headwaters to its final destination at the Gulf of Mexico.
The Great Lakes are a major source of freshwater, stretching over 750 miles across the border of the United States and Canada.
The Great Lakes were formed by melting glaciers around 14,000 years ago.

The topographical map of the United States provides an overview of the location of major landforms in the United States.
The map shows the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, the Mississippi River, and the Great Lakes.

The map shows the major landforms of the North American continent, including the extension of the Rocky Mountains into the Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico and the Canadian Rockies in Canada.
The map also shows the clear boundary created by the Great Lakes between the United States and Canada.
The map also clearly shows the glaciers located on the island of Greenland.