Landforms: 60 Landforms - Vocabulary

Landforms: 60 Landforms - Vocabulary with meanings.

Sheet to accompany PowerPoint: Landforms: 60 Landforms

1. SOSE – Geography – Landforms and their descriptions P a g e | 1

SOSE Geography
Landforms and their descriptions

Landforms Description
1 Arch
This landform is an elongated lowland between ranges of mountains, hills or
other uplands, often having a river or stream running along the bottom.
2 Archipelago This landform is a chain of islands.
3 Atoll
This landform is basically an island that is constructed of coral and encircles
a lagoon. It is considered one of the most beautiful of formations to be
found in warm waters; most often in tropical sections of the Pacific and
Indian oceans.
4 Basin
This landform is a large, bowl shaped depression in the surface of the land,
often drained by a single river.
5 Bay
This landform is part of a body of salt water that reaches into the land;
usually smaller than a gulf.
6 Beach
This landform is a coastal landform consisting of deposits of sediments that
run parallel to the shore.
7 Blowhole
This landform is formed as sea caves grow landwards and upwards into
vertical shafts and expose themselves towards the surface, which can result
in blasts of water from the top of the blowhole.
8 Breakwater
This landform is a structure built to break the force of the waves or stop the
erosion of a beach.
9 Butte
This landform is a hill that rises abruptly from the surrounding area and has
sloping sides and a flat top.
10 Canal
This landform is a man-made waterway connecting two bodies of water and
is designed to shorten travel time or irrigate.
11 Canyon This landform is a narrow valley with steep sides; usually created by erosion.
12 Cape
This landform is a curved or hooked piece of land extending into a body of
water.
13 Cataract This landform is a large or high waterfall.
14 Cave
This landform is a large hole in the ground or in the side of a hill or
mountain.
15 Cirque
This landform is bowl-shaped depression formed by snow and ice; found on
mountains in glaciated areas.
16 Cliffs These landforms are steep faces of rock and soil.
17 Coast This landform is land along the sea or ocean.
18 Continent This landform is a very large land mass.
19 Coral Reefs
These landforms help prevent erosion of beaches, provide breeding and
feeding grounds for marine life and control carbon dioxide in the water.
20 Cove
This landform is small, horseshoe-shaped body of water along the coast; the
water is surrounded by land formed of soft rock.

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21 Dam This landform is a wall built across a stream or river to hold back water.
22 Delta
This landform is a place at the river’s mouth, where the river spits into many
different sections, forming a marshy triangle.
23 Desert This landform is an area with very little rainfall or vegetation.
24 Escarpment
This landform is an extended ridge of high land often with a steep slope on
one side and a gently slope on the other.
25
Fjord
(Fiord)
This landform is a long, narrow inlet of the sea, bordered by steep cliffs, and
carved by glacial action.
26 Forest
This landform is a large tract of land covered with trees and underbrush;
extensive wooded area.
27 Geyser
This landform is a natural hot spring that occasionally sprays water and
steam above the ground.
28 Glacier This landform is a huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass.
29 Gulf This landform is a large area of a sea or ocean partially enclosed by land.
30 Harbour
This landform is a sheltered part of a body of water deep enough to provide
anchorage for ships.
31 Headland This landform is a point of land or promontory that juts out into the sea.
32 Hill
This landform is a raised part of the earth’s surface with sloping sides; an old
mountain which because of erosion has become rounder and shorter.
33 Iceberg
This landform is a large floating piece of ice that has broken away from an
ice shelf or a glacier.
34 Inlet
This landform is a small part of a body of water (lake, sea) that reaches into
a coast.
35 Island This landform is a piece of land completely surrounded by water.
36 Isthmus
This landform is a narrow strip of land, like a bridge, connecting two larger
strips of land.
37 Lagoon This landform is a shallow body of water that is located alongside a coast.
38 Lake This landform is a large inland body of fresh water or salt water.
39 Marsh
This landform is an area of soft, wet, low lying land, with grassy vegetation,
often forming a transition zone between water and land.
40 Mesa
This landform is a broad, flat topped elevation with one or more cliff-like
sides.
41 Moraine
This landform is an accumulation of boulders, stones, or other debris carried
and deposited by a glacier.
42 Mountain
This landform is a high, rocky land, usually with steep sides and a pointed or
rounded top, higher than a hill.

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43 Oasis
This landform is a fertile place in the desert where there is water and some
vegetation.
44 Ocean
This landform is the largest body of salt water; these cover ¾ of the earth’s
surface.
45 Peninsula
This landform is a piece of land that extends into a body of water and is
surrounded on three sides by water.
46 Plains
These landforms are broad, flat or gently rolling areas; usually low in
elevation.
47 Plateau This landform is a flat highland area with one steep face; an elevated plain.
48 Prairie
This landform is an extensive area of flat or rolling, mostly treeless
grassland.
49 Rapids
These landforms are a part of a river, generally shallow, where the currents
move swiftly over rocks.
50 Reservoir This landform is a man-made lake that is primarily used for storing water.
51 River
This landform is a large natural stream of water emptying into an ocean, lake
or other body of water.
52 Sea
This landform is a large body of water, usually salt water, partly or
completely surrounded by land.
53 Sea Stack
This landform is a block of erosion-resistant rock isolated from the land by
sea.
54 Steppe This landform is a vast grass covered plain.
55 Strait
This landform is a narrow channel of water joining two larger bodies of
water.
56 Swamp
This landform is an area of land that is always soaked with water; low, wet
land that supports grass and trees.
57 Tombolo
This landform is a natural bridge that is formed when sand is deposited
between the shoreline and an island.
58 Valley
This landform is an elongated lowland between ranges of mountains, hills or
other uplands, often having a river or stream running along the bottom.
59 Volcano
This landform is a mountainous vent in the Earth's crust. When a volcano
erupts, it spews out lava, ashes, and hot gases from deep inside the Earth.
60 Waterfall
This landform is when a river falls off steeply; a place where running water
makes a sheer drop, usually over a cliff.