Plateau a Flat, Raised Area

KEY

Find the definition or description of all landforms and write them here. Draw or find a picture of each landform. You must choose 7 of the 15 landforms for your project.

Plateau – a flat, raised area

usually formed when a plain

is uplifted at fault lines or

during mountain-building.

Mountain – rises high above the surrounding area

usually formed at converging plate boundaries.

Plain – a flat, level surface

usually smoothed by

wind and erosion.

Canyon – a long narrow valley with high cliffs on each side

often formed slowly by a river or wind eroding away

softer rock or by the movement of a glacier.

Cliff – steep face of rock and soil

which may be formed by

erosion or breaking and uplifting

at a fault line.

Stalagmites – rock shaped like upside-down icicle

that builds up on the floor of a cave because

of water dripping down from the ceiling. The

water contains minerals which, very slowly,

form layers of minerals as the water evaporates.

Stalactites – rock shaped like icicles that hang

from the roof of a cave. They are formed

when water drops seep through the ceiling

and evaporate, leaving minerals behind.

Cave – hollow place inside the earth, often an

opening in the side of a hill that forms when

wind and water erosion wash out softer rock.

Delta – triangle-shaped piece of land at the mouth of a river

formed when soil is deposited at the mouth of a river as

its velocity decreases.

Valley – low land lying between hills or mountains

that may be formed many ways. It may just be

a low area between hills or it may be caused by

erosion or pumping oil or water out of the ground.

Alluvial fan – fan-shaped deposit of earth material

from where a stream flows from a steep slope onto

flatter land.

Levee – an embankment along a stream that

protects land from flooding – can be natural

or man-made.

Peninsula – body of land that is surrounded

by water on three sides. This is caused

by plate shape or tectonic movement.

Saying this may be formed by continual

deposition such as a delta over time

would be a possible answer.

Moraine – large accumulations of

rock debris piled up by glaciers.

Volcano – mountainous vent in the Earth’s crust.

May spew out lava, ashes, and hot gases from

deep inside the Earth. Volcanoes form when

plates collide and the subducted plate melts

and the resulting lava comes to the surface

through cracks and fissures.