UT Landforms Flashcards
Define Landform
natural features of the Earth’s surface
Topography
a detailed map of the surface features of land
Plates
flat dishes used for eating or large chunks of rock that make up the Earth’s crust.
Tectonics
a branch of geology concerned with the structure of the crust of a planet (as earth) or moon and especially with the formation of folds and faults in it.
Internal Processes
plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes, and the formation of mountains and other geological features.
External Processes
geological processes that occur at or near the Earth’s surface, driven by energy from the sun and agents like water, wind, and ice, shaping the landscape through weathering, erosion, and deposition.
Explain what Pangaea was
a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, encompassing all of Earth’s present-day landmasses, which then broke apart to form the continents we know today.
the evidence that supports its existence.
the jigsaw-like fit of continents, matching fossil distributions across continents, and the presence of similar rock formations and mountain ranges on different continents
Identify the rate at which tectonic plates move
Tectonic plates move at an average speed of 4 to 5 centimeters per year
Identify the THREE plate tectonic movements, how they move and what landforms they create
divergent (plates move apart), convergent (plates move together), and transform (plates slide past each other),
Define Weathering
the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on Earth’s surface
Identify the EIGHT things weathering is caused by
Water, ice, acids, salts, plants, animals and changes in temperature
Define Erosion
the gradual destruction and removal of rock or soil in a particular area by rivers, the sea, or the weather
Tributary
a smaller river or stream that flows into and joins a larger river
Identify and explain the THREE forces of erosion and an example of each
water, wind, and ice
Plain
a large, relatively flat expanse of land with little variation in elevation
Delta
a landform created at the mouth of a river where sediment carried by the river is deposited as it enters a larger body of water like a lake or ocean, often forming a triangular or fan-shaped area of land
Canyon
a deep, narrow valley with steep sides, typically carved by a river through rock, creating a large trench-like formation with sometimes extreme depths
Mouth
the place where a river or stream enters a larger body of water
Peninsula
a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water but is still connected to a larger landmass on one side, essentially making it a “nearly-island”
Strait
a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water, such as oceans or seas
Prairie
a large, flat, and mostly treeless grassland in North America
Island
a piece of land smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water, and not part of a larger landmass
Volcano,
a vent or opening in the Earth’s crust through which molten rock (magma), ash, and gases erupt, often forming a cone-shaped landform over time.
Plateau,
a flat area of land that is significantly elevated above the surrounding terrain, often with steep sides, essentially resembling a “tabletop” of land raised above the ground
Archipelago
a group of islands that are close together or in a chain in a body of water
Bay
a recessed, partially enclosed body of water along a coastline that connects to a larger body of water like an ocean or lake, usually with a wide opening to the sea and often smaller and less enclosed than a gulf
Isthmus
a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses, essentially acting as a land bridge between them, while separating two bodies of water on either side
Badland
a type of dry, eroded terrain with steep slopes, few plants, and many gullies
Alluvial fan
a fan-shaped deposit of sediment (like silt, sand, gravel, and boulders) that forms where a river or stream, carrying sediment from a mountainous area, slows down and deposits its load onto a flatter plain
Fjords
a long, narrow body of water with steep sides
Be able to identify Utah’s land regions by name and on a map (how they divide Utah
the Rocky Mountains (Middle Rocky Mountains) in the north and northeast, the Basin and Range in the west, and the Colorado Plateau in the southeast.
Define basin, plateau, and mountain
A basin is a bowl-shaped depression in the Earth’s surface, often surrounded by higher land; a plateau is a large, flat, elevated area of land; and a mountain is a tall, steep-sided landform that rises above the surrounding terrain.
