LandformsLandforms

Chapter 6, Section 1Chapter 6, Section 1

LandformsLandforms

• 3 basic types • Plains

• Plateaus

• Mountains

PlainsPlains

• Plains • Large flat areas– 2 types:

• Coastal plains• Interior plains

PlainsPlains

• Coastal Plains

• Exposed region of the continental shelf.– The continental shelf is the

part of the continent that extends into the ocean.

• Size varies over time with changes in sea level.

• Characterized by low hills, swamps, and marshes.

PlainsPlains

• Interior Plains • Found in the interior of continents.

• Thick, fertile soil.

PlateausPlateaus

• Plateaus • Flat, raised areas of land with steep sides.

• Consist of horizontal layers of rock that have been slowly uplifted.

• Often cut by canyons formed by rivers.

MountainsMountains

• 4 Types: • Folded• Upwarped• Fault-Block• Volcanic

MountainsMountains

• Folded Mountains

• http://howard.nebrwesleyan.edu/hhmi/fellows/gbrand/mtbld.htm

• Consist of folded rock layers.

• Formed by horizontal forces (rocks are squeezed together)

• Examples,– Alps, Himalayas

MountainsMountains

• Upwarped Mountains

• Formed when blocks of crust are pushed up.

• Examples:– Black Hills, Adirondacks

MountainsMountains

• Fault-Block Mountains

• Huge tilted blocks of rocks with faults on the side.

• Examples: Grand Teton, Sierra Nevada

MountainsMountains

• Volcanic Mountains

• Formed by volcanism.

• Examples: Hawaii, Mount Shasta