Landscapes and Landforms

Landscapes and Landforms

• Landforms are surface features shaped by geological processes
• Landscapes consist of combinations of these landforms

Shapes and Forms

• Landforms vary in shape, size, and formation
• Mountains, hills, valleys, plains, plateaus, and cliffs are examples

Definitions

• A landform is a naturally occurring feature, such as a mountain or valley
• A landscape is a large area with specific physical features or landforms
• Types of landforms include mountains, valleys, lakes, beaches, plateaus, and volcanoes

Tectonic Plates

• The Earth's lithosphere is divided into large plates floating on the asthenosphere
• The movement of tectonic plates results in earthquakes, volcanic activity, and mountain formation
• Convergent boundaries: plates move towards each other, causing mountains or volcanic activity like the Himalayas and the Andes
• Divergent boundaries: plates move apart, creating mid-ocean ridges or underwater volcanoes
• Transform boundaries: plates slide past each other, causing earthquakes
• Tectonic plate movement creates mountains, mid-ocean ridges, and earthquakes

Value

• Landscapes and landforms have practical and cultural significance
• Aesthetic value includes scenic beauty like the Grand Canyon
• Spiritual value: certain places hold cultural significance like Mount Fuji or the Ganges River
• Economic value: natural resources, tourism, agriculture, and industry depend on landscapes
• Emotional value: landscapes evoke peace, awe, or pride

Changing Landforms

• Natural processes and human activities cause landform changes
• Pollution from industrial and urban activities results in the degradation of natural landscapes
• Deforestation causes soil erosion and loss of biodiversity
• Increased salinity degrades soil and damages plant life
• Desertification expands desert-like conditions, often due to overgrazing or deforestation
• Over-irrigation causes waterlogging, saturating the ground and destroying land
• Land degradation depletes soil, vegetation, and natural resources

Managed (Human) Landscapes

• Human landscapes include cities, agricultural fields, and constructed environments

Natural Landscapes

• Natural landscapes like forests, deserts, mountains, and oceans are undisturbed by humans
• Mountains are formed by tectonic forces or volcanic activity
• Deserts are large, dry areas with little rainfall, like the Sahara or Atacama
• Coastal landscapes are shaped by the interaction between land and sea

Elements Compose Landscapes

• Natural elements are mountains rivers, and forests
• Living elements includes plant and animals
• Human elments includes infrastructure, settlements, and agriculture
• Changeable elements are continuously evolving landscapes

Landscape Types

• Biophysical landscapes are natural environments or those influenced by natural forces
• Managed and constructed landscapes are altered by human activity

Landform Examples and Descriptions

• Rivers flow across the landscape to shape valleys and floodplains
• River erosion or glacial movement forms valleys
• Lakes are bodies of water surrounded by land formed by tectonic activity or glacial erosion
• Volcanoes are mountains or hills formed by magma eruptions
• Beaches are areas of land along the shore formed by sand or pebbles
• Plateaus are flat or gently sloping elevated areas

Tectonic Plates

• Convergent plates cause Mountains, earthquakes, or volcanic activity, the Himalayas
• Divergent Plates create mid-ocean ridges or underwater volcanoes, an example is the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
• Transform plates cause Earthquakes, an example is the San Andreas Fault

Elements

• Natural elements include rivers, mountains and oceans
• Landscapes evolve due to natural forces and human activities

Changing Landforms

• Pollution leads to land degradation
• Deforestation leads to soil erosion
• Salinity leads to agriculture and ecosystem destruction
• Desertification leads to land destruction
• Waterlogging leads to crop damage
• Land degradation leads to general land detrition

Key Definitions

• Landscape: An area with specific physical features formed by geological processes
• Landform: Naturally formed feature of the Earth's surface shaped by geological processes

Processes that effect Earth

• Weathering breaks down rocks in place
• Erosion moves broken down rocks

Weathering

• Weathering encompasses physical, chemical, and biological processes
• Physical weathering includes freeze-thaw, exfoliation, and thermal expansion
• Chemical weathering includes oxidation, carbonation, and hydrolysis
• Biological weathering includes plant root expansion, lichens and moss, and burrowing animals

Erosion

• Erosion is the transport of weathered material by water, wind, and ice
• Water erosion: abrasion, hydraulic action, corrosion, attrition
• Wind erosion: saltation, suspension
• Ice (glacial) erosion: abrasion, hydraulic action

Processes in Water, Air, and Ice Erosion

• Abrasion smooths and wears down surfaces
• Attrition breaks down particles as they collide
• Corrosion chemically breaks down rock surfaces in water
• Hydraulic action is the physical force of flowing water
• Solution dissolves minerals in water
• Suspension moves fine particles in water
• Saltation is the hopping movement of particles in wind or water
• Traction rolls or drags large particles

Negitive Human Impacts

• Pollution: Degrades landforms from waste and air pollution
• Deforestation: Soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, and climate change
• Salinity: High salt levels hurt agriculture and ecosystems
• Desertification: Expands deserts from climate change and human activity
• Waterlogging: Saturated soil reduces soil fertility
• Land Degradation: Deteriorates land from pollution, overuse, and erosion

Further Negitive Human Impacts

• Energy usage leads to deforestation by energy factories
• Pollution is released by energy creation
• Habitiat lost in the creation of energy
• Carbon Dioxide is aiding climate change