GEOMORPHOLOGY TERMS
Geomorphology: The study of landforms and the processes that shape the Earth’s surface.
1. Weathering
Breakdown of rocks at or near Earth’s surface in place.
2. Erosion
Removal and transport of rock or soil by water, wind, ice, or waves.
3. Deposition
Settling of sediments in a new place by water, wind, ice, or gravity.
4. Denudation
Overall lowering and wearing away of Earth’s surface through weathering, erosion, and mass wasting.
5. Mass Wasting
Downward movement of soil and rock mainly due to gravity.
6. Fault
A fracture in Earth’s crust along which movement has occurred.
7. Fold
Bending or deformation of rock layers, mainly caused by tectonic forces.
8. Plateau
An elevated area of relatively flat or gently rolling land, often bounded by steep slopes.
9. Plain
A broad area of relatively flat or gently rolling lowland with little relief.
10. Mountain
A large, elevated landform that rises prominently above its surroundings.
11. Valley
A low area between hills or mountains, often containing a river or stream.
12. Rift Valley
A long, narrow depression formed by crustal extension and faulting.
13. Volcano
An opening in Earth’s crust through which magma, ash, and gases erupt or have erupted.
14. Lava
Molten rock that erupts onto Earth’s surface.
15. Magma
Molten rock located beneath Earth’s surface.
16. Delta
A landform of sediment deposited at or near the mouth of a river, often where it enters a lake or sea.
17. Meander
A curve or bend in a river channel.
18. Waterfall
A steep or nearly vertical drop in a river or stream channel.
19. Floodplain
A flat or gently sloping area beside a river, formed mainly by repeated flooding and deposition.
20. Levee
A natural raised embankment along a riverbank, formed mainly by deposition during floods.
21. Glacier
A slow-moving, persistent mass of ice that flows over land.
22. Cirque
A bowl-shaped hollow or depression carved by glacial erosion.
23. Moraine
An accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris deposited by a glacier.
24. Drumlin
An elongated, streamlined hill composed mainly of glacial till, shaped beneath moving ice.
25. Esker
A long, winding ridge of sand and gravel deposited by meltwater streams flowing beneath or within a glacier.
26. Sand Dune
A hill or ridge of sand formed mainly by wind deposition.
27. Yardang
A streamlined, elongated ridge carved by wind erosion in arid regions.
28. Mushroom Rock
A rock pedestal formed by differential wind erosion, commonly in desert environments.
29. Sea Cliff
A steep rock face along a coast formed mainly by wave erosion.
30. Beach
An accumulation of sand, gravel, pebbles, or other sediments along a shore.
