Landforms and the Earths Surface

Mountains
Volcanoes
Valleys
Plateau
Peninsula
Hills

Landforms
Topography refers to the elevation and

relief of the Earths surface.

Landforms are the topographic features

on the Earths surface.

Geomorphology is the study of earth

surface processes and landforms.

Topography
Topography

is a term used to describe the

Earths surface. Topography includes a variety
of different features, collectively referred to as
landforms.

Topography

is measured by the differences in

elevation across the earths surface.

Differences

between high and low elevation

are referred to as changes in relief.

Topography

Landforms
Landforms

are the individual topographic

features exposed on the Earths surface.

Landforms

vary in size and shape and include

features such as small creeks or sand dunes,
or large features

Landforms

are dynamic features that are

continually affected by a variety of earthsurface processes including weathering,
erosion, and deposition.

Landforms and Scale

First

Order of Relief:
The broadest landform scale is divided into
continental landmasses.

Second

Order of Relief:
The second order of relief includes regionalscale continental features such as mountain
ranges, plateaus, plains, and lowlands.
Examples include the Rocky Mountains,
Atlantic Coastal Plain, and Tibetan Plateau.

Landforms and Scale

Third

Order of Relief:
The third order of relief includes
individual landform features that
collectively make up the larger
second-order relief landforms.
Examples include individual
volcanoes, glaciers, valleys, rivers,
flood plains, lakes, marine terraces,
beaches, and dunes.

I. First Order or Relief:

II. Second Order of Relief:
ontinental Landmasses and Ocean Basins
Major Continental and Ocean Landforms

Landforms and Scale

III. Third Order of Relief:

Genetic Landform Features
Beaches

Rivers and Flood Plains

Mountains

Geomorphology
Geomorphology

landforms.

is the process-based study of

Geo-morph-ology originates from Greek: Geo

meaning the Earth, morph meaning its

shape, and ology refers to the study of.
Scientists who study landforms are
Geomorphologists.
Geomorphology

defines the processes and

conditions that influence landform
development, and the physical, morphological,
and structural characteristics of landforms.

Mountains
and
Orogenesis

Folding
Faulting
Fractures

Mountains
Mountains

are
parts
of
the
landscape
with
steep slopes that
rise 300 metres or
more above their
surroundings.

Orogenesis
Orogenesis

is the thickening of the continental

crust and the building of mountains

Orogeny

encompasses all aspects of mountain

formation including plate tectonics and terrain
accretion.

Orogenesis

is primarily covered in the plate

tectonics section of the earth science
education materials

Deformation
Deformation

earths crust

Folding

processes deform or alter the

and faulting are the most common

deformation processes.
Folding occurs when rocks are compressed
such that the layers buckle and fold.
Faulting occurs when rocks fracture under the
accumulation of extreme stress created by
compression and extensional forces.

Faulting

Folding occurs when rocks are

compressed or deformed and they

buckle under the stress.

The diagram below is a cartoon

illustrating how rocks fold.

Folding
Anticline
Syncline

Folding

Faulting
Faulting

occurs when the rocks fail under

deformation processes. A fault is a planar
discontinuity along which displacement of
the rocks occurs.
There are four basic types of faulting:
normal, reverse, strike-slip, and oblique.

Reverse

Normal

Strike-Slip

Faulting
Normal:

rocks
above the fault
plane, or hanging
wall, move down
relative to the
rocks below the
fault plane, or
footwall.

Normal

Faulting
Reverse:

rocks
above the
hanging wall
moves up
relative to the
footwall

Reverse

Faulting
Strike-slip: rocks on
either side of a nearly
vertical fault plane
move horizontally
Oblique-slip: normal or
reverse faults have
some strike-slip
movement, or when
strike-slip faults have
normal or reverse
movement

Strike-Slip

Major Mountain Ranges

Antarctica: Antarctic Peninsula, Transantarctic
Mountains
Africa: Atlas, Eastern African Highlands, Ethiopian
Highlands
Asian: Himalayas, Taurus, Elburz, Japanese
Mountains
Australia: MacDonnell Mountains
Europe: Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathians, Apennines,
Urals, Balkan Mountains
North American: Appalachians, Sierra Nevada,
Rocky Mountains, Laurentides
South American: Andes, Brazilian Highlands

European Alps

Rocky
Mountains

Andes
Mountains

Appalachian
Mountains

Himalayas
Mountains

Formation of Mountain Ranges

Oceanic

Oceanic Crust
Islands (Alaska) and Japan)

(Aleutian

Oceanic

Continental Crust (Andes

Mountain Range)

Continental

Continental
Crust
(Himalayas (Asia), Urals (Russia), and
Appalachians)

Oceanic Continental Crust

Continental Continental Crust

Rocky Mountain and The Himalayas

Types of Mountains
Volcanic:

Shield and composite

Fault-block: normal faulting and tension
Folded: reverse faults and compression
Complex: mixture of most of the above

Volcanoes

Types and Structure

Volcanoes
A

volcano is a place
where lava reaches
the surface
An opening on the
Earths crust where
hot molten materials
from
the
earths
interior expelled in
the earths surface

How Volcanoes formed?

Where volcanoes located?

Convergent plate boundaries

Divergent plate boundaries
Hot Spots

Hot Spot Volcanoes

Structure of a Volcano
Magma

the molten, or liquid-like, rock within

the Earth

Lava

magma that reaches Earths surface

Vent

an opening through which molten

(liquid-like) rock flows onto Earths surface

Volcanoes always have one central vent,

but can also have several smaller side vents.

Structure of a Volcano
ash cloud
lava
old layers
of lava

central
vent

magma

side vent

Earths crust

Volcanic Types

Cinder
Composite (Stratovolcano)
Shield
Caldera

Volcanic Types
Active
Dormant
Extinct

Cinder

Cinder cones are relatively

small cone shaped hills (<
2000 ft of relief) formed by
the accumulation of cinders
and ash during volcanic
eruptions.

Simplest type of volcano

Combination of composite
and shield vocano.

Shield Volcanoes
Shield

volcanoes are broad shaped

mountain
landforms
built
by
the
accumulation of fluid basaltic lava.
Shield
volcanoes
form
the
largest
volcanoes on Earth.
Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands are
examples of shield volcanoes
Found over hot spots

Shield Volcanoes

Composite (Stratovolcanoes)
Strato-volcanoes,

also referred to as
composite cones, are large, nearly
symmetrical mountainous landforms

Found

in subduction zone

Consists

of alternating layers of lava

and pyroclastic materials

Composite (Stratovolcanoes)

Calderas

Calderas are bowl-shaped collapse depressions formed

by volcanic processes.
Calderas most likely result from one of three collapse
type events:
1. Collapse of the summit following an explosive
eruption of silica-rich pumice and ash pyroclastics
2. Collapse of the summit following the subterranean
or fissure drainage of the magma chamber
3. Collapse of a large area following the discharge of
silica-rich pumice and ash along ring fractures that
may or may not have been previously active
volcanoes

Crater Lake,Oregon

Volcanic Eruption

Explosive
Non explosive
Lava

Violent(Explosive) Eruptions

Non-Violent (calm or quiet) Eruptions

VEI

VEI

Lava
Aa
Pahoehoe
Pillow
Blocky

Lava
Hot

molten
materials
that
reach the earths
surface
Magma hot molten
materials
inside
the volcano

Viscosity
Viscosity

is resistance to flow
Viscosity determined by:
Temperature (hotter magmas are less
viscous)
Composition [Si02 (silica) content]
High silica high viscosity (e.g., rhyolitic
lava)
Low silica more fluid (e.g., basaltic lava)
Dissolved gases (volatiles)
Mainly water vapor and carbon dioxide
Gases expand near the surface

Aa
produces

very
rough surface
when it cools
and solidifies.

Pahoehoe
Pahoehoe

lava flows
have
a
relatively
smooth surface texture
because of their low
eruption rates.
When
the pahoehoe
lava flow cools, it often
solidifies to a smooth
surface.

Pillow Lava
Pillow

lava forms
from
underwater
eruptions
Pillow lava is socalled because it
forms
rounded
lumps that look like
fat pillows.

Blocky Lava
Cool

stiff lava
that does not
travel far from
the
erupting
vent.
It cools and form
sharp
edged
chunks.

Pyroclastic Materials
Volcanic blocks
Volcanic bombs
Lapilli
Volcanic Ash

Bombs
Volcanic

bombs are
large pieces of
magma that harden
in the air as the
erupt out of a
volcano.

They

can form in a
variety of sizes and
shapes.

Blocks
Volcanic

blocks are
solidified rock
fragments greater
than 64 mm in
diameter.
Blocks commonly
are ejected during
explosive eruptions
and consist of older
pieces of the
volcano.

Lapilli
Lapilli

means
little stones in
Italian.

They

are tiny
pieces of
magma that
harden before
they hit the
ground.

Volcanic Ash
Volcanic

ash is a volcanic
rock which is exploded
from a vent in fragments
less than 2mm in size.

Volcanic

ash-particles are
like small sharp glassparticles that damage
anything they come
across.

Pyroclastic Flow
Mixtures

of hot gas, ash and other

volcanic rocks travelling very quickly
down the slopes of volcanoes.
They are one of the most dangerous
hazards posed by volcanoes.
are so hot and choking that if one is
caught in one the person will certainly
be killed. Because these flows are very
fast they cannot be out-runned!

Mt. Vesuvius

Pyroclastic Flow

Pompeii

Lahar
Lahars

are
mudflows formed
by the mixing of
volcanic particles
and water.

Ash Fallout
Ash load
Collapses roofs
Brings down power
lines
Kills plants
Contaminates water
supplies
Respiratory hazard for
humans and animals

Lava Flow
Iceland, January
23,1973.
Large fissure
eruption
threatened the
town of
Vestmannaeyjar.