GROSS FEATURES OF THE EARTH Flashcards
refers to the sum total of conditions which surrounded man at a given point in space and time
Environment
It consists of land, air, water and life.
+ The land contains mountains, valleys
and flat areas.
Earth
a feature on the Earth’s surface that is part of the terrain.
Landform
Major Types of Landform
- Mountains
- Hills
- Plateaus
- Plains
Minor Types of Landform
- Buttes
- Canyons
- Valleys
- Basins
Tectonic plate movement under the Earth can create ____ by pushing up mountains and hills.
landforms
_____ by water and wind can wear down land and create landforms like valleys and canyons.
Erosion
It took 6 million years, in fact, for the Colorado River to carve out the _____ in the U.S. state of Arizona.
Grand Canyon
The highest landform on Earth is a mountain: ______ in Nepal. It measures 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) above sea level. It is part of the Himalaya range that runs across several countries in Asia.
Mount Everest
Landforms can exist under water in the form of mountain ranges and basins under the sea.
+ The _______, the deepest landform on Earth, is in the South Pacific Ocean.
Mariana Trench
landform that rises prominently above its surroundings, generally exhibiting steep slopes, a relatively confined summit area, and considerable local relief.
Mountain
Mountains generally are understood to be larger than ____, but the term has no standardized geological meaning.
hills
A piece of land that rises higher than everything surrounding it.
Hills
It looks like a little bump in the Earth, easier to climb than mountains, and they are less steep and not as high
Hills
extensive area of flat upland usually bounded by an escarpment (i.e., steep slope) on all sides but sometimes enclosed by mountains.
Plateaus
The essential criteria for plateaus are low ____ and some _____.
relative relief and altitude
are tall, flat-topped, steep-sided towers of rock.
Buttes
Buttes were created through the process of _____, the gradual wearing away of earth by water, wind, and ice.
erosion
_____ were once part of flat, elevated areas of land known as mesas or plateaus
Buttes
a deep, narrow valley
with steep sides.
Canyons
“Canyon” comes from the Spanish word cañon, which means:
“tube” or “pipe”
“Canyon” comes from the Spanish word cañon, which means:
“tube” or “pipe”
The term _____ is often used to mean “canyon,” but a ____ is almost always steeper and narrower than a canyon
“gorge”
are depressed areas of land–scoured and washed out by the conspiring forces of gravity, water, and ice.
+ Some hang; others are hollow. They all take the form of a “U” or “V.”
Valleys
a depression, or dip, in
the Earth’s surface.
+ are shaped like bowls, with sides higher than the bottom.
Basin
They can be oval or circular in shape, similar to a sink or tub you might have in your own bathroom. Some are filled with water
Basin
The Grand Canyon is __________ long
446 kilometers (277 miles)
It took ______ years, in fact, for the Colorado River to carve out the Grand Canyon in the U.S. state of Arizona.
6 million
