Step outside and look around at the landscape surrounding you.
What you see underneath your feet and under the buildings and roads is the terrain.
When people talk about terrain, youll notice references to elevation, slope, and orientation of the land.
Knowing about terrain is also useful for things like farming, military tactics, aviation, and soil conservation.
Valleys can go on for miles, or they may only exist at the foot of two mountains.
Some valleys are V-shaped while others are U-shaped.
The bottom of a valley is called thefloor,which can also be U-shaped or V-shaped.
And the sides of a valley can be steep or gently sloping.
There are a few different types of valleys across the world.
These include:
Though they look similar, a canyon is not a throw in of valley.
Though at first glance it looks like valley, they are actually different types of terrain.
In fact, a canyon is deeper, more narrow and with steep sides.
Whats interesting is that sometimes valleys contain canyons in them.
River canyon is the most common pop in of canyon.
A good example of this is the famous Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Erosion and weathering also create canyons.
Hard-rock canyons that are open at one end are called box canyons.
The Hopi and Navajo people often used box canyons as natural corrals for livestock.
One really cool bang out of canyon is formed when limestone erodes and forms caves underground.
And those cave ceilings collapse leaving awesome underground limestone canyons, which are often referred to as cave canyons.
These canyons were carved by rivers long before our time on Earth when the sea level was lower.
Powerful ocean currents can also sweep away layers of sediment to create submarine canyons.
Heres a cool fact: plains cover more than a third of the land area on Earth.
And, you’re free to find this landform on every single continent in the world.
Throughout most of the world, grasslands are the throw in of plains that exist.
Deserts and forests can also be plains.
For instance, parts of the Sahara desert, in North Africa, are plains.
Plains can form from erosion, volcanic activity, and the movement of rivers.
When rivers flood onto the surrounding land, they deposit sediment.
As that sediment builds up over time, it creates what is known as flood plains.
Flood plains are perfect for farmland due to the high amount of nutrients in the soil.
If that rise above sea level happens, then you get a coastal plain.
Probably the coolest jot down of plain is the abyssal plain.
These plains are among the flattest, smoothest places on Earth.
Mountain
A mountain is a a throw in of terrain characterized by steeply rising ground.
Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world at over 29,000 feet.
You might be wondering how are mountains measured?
Curious about the differences between mountains and hills?
There are two kinds of plateaus: dissected plateaus and volcanic plateaus.
Dissected plateaus form as a result of upward movement in the Earths crust.
The shape of a plateau can be influenced by natural erosion over time.
Plateaus in the ocean are divided into two types.
One is made of continental crust and the other is made of igneous rock.
That makes it four times the size of the U.S. state of Texas!
Open
Open terrains are flat and open areas of land, such as grasslands.
By its definition, an open terrain must be free of any obstructions, such as buildings or trees.
Open terrain is also known as open country and open ground.
An open terrain does not have to be naturally occurring.
One important characteristic of an open terrain is the wind.
With no obstacles on the land, wind loading is high since theres nothing to break the wind.
Tundra
Tundra terrains are flat, treeless, cold, and often frozen wastelands.
There are three regions and associated types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine tundra, and Antarctic tundra.
Oasis
Oasis is a flat desert located near water.
More than one oasis is called an oases.
Desert
A desert is a barren terrain characterized by sandy and arid ground.
Theres not much precipitation in the desert, which means that it doesnt support much plant life or wildlife.
That being said, the desert is home to a variety of plants, animals, and other organisms.
These are things that throughout time have adapted to the harsh conditions of the terrain.
Its a common misconception that deserts are hot.
Some have mountains, salt flats, and rock.
There are five types of deserts, based on what causes the terrain to be dry.
Those types are:
Cool fact: The largest desert in the world is also the coldest.
Almost the entire continent of Antarctica is a polar desert, experiencing little precipitation.
Few organisms can withstand the freezing, dry climate of Antarctica.
Swamp
Swampy areas are characterized as muddy and with very wet grounds.
There are usually trees in the swamp, making it a forested wetland.
In fact, the terrain is dominated by the trees and water.
There are two main types of swamps: freshwater swamps and saltwater swamps.
Freshwater swamps are found inland while saltwater swamps are found in coastal locations.
Generally, a swamp is named based on the types of trees in it, such as hardwood swamps.
And you’re able to find swamps on every continent except for Antarctica.
Swamps vary in size from small to very large.
Some swamps are lakes that were overtaken by trees; and some are wetlands that flooded.
Forest
Forests are filled with many trees and usually not really populated by people.
Scientists think that around one third of the land on Earth is covered by forests.
There are three main types of forests: tropical, temperate, and boreal.
Tropical forests are found in areas near the equator; and tropical rainforests are in this category.
Temperate forests have four distinct seasons and are found throughout Eurasia and North America.
This pop in of forest is one of the worlds largest land biomes.
Temperatures in boreal forests average below freezing, which means lots of needle leaf plants thrive here.
This throw in of forest also plays a significant role in removing carbon dioxide from the Earths atmosphere.
Marsh
Marshy terrain is a wetland characterized by soft and wet ground.
There are three types of marshes: saltwater marsh, freshwater marsh, and freshwater tidal marsh.
As you could see, the throw in of marsh is determined by salinity and location.
Overall, you’re able to find marshes all over the world.
Saltwater marshes are typically found along areas of protected coastline at mid to high latitudes.
Freshwater tidal marshes are just a freshwater marsh that is affected by the tides.
Some tidal marshes have been embanked and artificially drained.
These are known as embanked marshes, or by the Dutch termpolders.
Wondering what the difference is between a marsh and a bog?
A marsh is different from a bog because bogs have poor soil and high peat content.
River
Rivers are broad areas of running water that flow downhill due to the force of gravity.
Rivers come in all sizes they can be small and shallow or wide and deep.
Flowing water that is smaller than a river is a stream, brook, or creek.
However, rivers can still carry salt (and other important nutrients for plant and animal life).
The starting point of a river is called the headwater.
And the end of the river is called the mouth.
Headwater often comes from snowmelt or rainfall in the mountains, but an also come from groundwater.
Hill
Hill terrain is a gently rising land, often referred to as abump.
Hills can be formed naturally or by people.
When formed by people, they are calledmounds.
Geological activity, such as faulting, creates natural hills in the landscape.
Faulting happens because the rocks underneath the Earths surface are constantly moving and changing the landscape.
And over time, hills created by faulting turn into mountains.
Though the U.S. Geological Survey states that there is no official difference between hills and mountains.
Erosion can both naturally create and destroy hills.
In fact, a mountain can be worn down by erosion and turn into a hill.
Here are the types of hills:
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