If you look at school textbooks, you can see that the children get their first idea of the types of relief in their elementary grades. This article will answer the question of what landforms generally exist, what they are caused by and what they are.
Section 1. Definition
Terrain types represent the most diverse surface forms of our planet: both low and high, both simple and complex, both old and young. The word "relief" itself is of Latin origin, although in that once very widespread language, it was not a noun at all, but a verb that could be translated into modern Russian as "lift" or "lift".
In most cases, relief is understood to mean elevated parts of the Earth's surface, for example, hills and mountains. However, one should not forget about such important components of the landscape as lowlands, depressions and valleys. Few, by the way, think about the fact that, in fact, some forms of relief are completely planetary in nature. Doubt it? Then from what point of view should one consider them, such as the continents or the ocean bed?
If we imagine a peculiar scheme, which is based on the sizes of the elements of the earth's surface surrounding us , we will see that, below the continents and the bed of the ocean, one can place hollows, mountain peaks and plains. To large forms, scientists also include intermountain depressions, as well as ridges of mountain ranges.
Ravines, valleys and hills can be considered average, and small, low-lying depressions and ravines belong to small or so-called microforms. And where, you ask, should be attributed to such numerous cracks in the soil and hummocks in our area? To a smaller form of organization, to nanoforms of relief.
Section 2. How did the main relief forms originate?
We offer to look at this issue from a not quite familiar point of view. Let's imagine that the entire landscape of the Earth is the creation of the hands of an unknown master. Who can act as a "sculptor"? There were probably several, or rather, two:
- The first is active from the outside. These include cosmic forces, namely solar and lunar attraction, as well as the planet's rotation force.
- The second prefers to change the earth's surface from the inside.
According to the point of view of modern scientists, all relief forms necessarily bear the results of exposure to both internal and external forces. However, vast types of lowlands, deep depressions and various kinds of ridges are created by purely tectonic (i.e., internal) forces of the planet. External ones, on the contrary, make every possible effort to level the earth's surface as soon as possible and destroy the aforementioned “buildings”. This is how the eternal struggle of two forces of opposite nature is being waged on Earth, finding an imprint in our landscape.
Section 3. Landforms and their main types
The main types of terrestrial landscape include mountains (or hills), hollows, a hollow, a saddle and a ridge. And now let’s dwell on each of them in more detail.
- The mountain is a cone-shaped hill. It is characterized by the presence of a peak, side slopes, which are also commonly called slopes, and a characteristic sole line.
- The hollow is a kind of mountain, but directed not up, but strictly down. However, the conical shape in this case is preserved, as, however, are the side slopes. Instead of the sole there is a brow, which connects the slopes of the basin with the surrounding relief.
- The ridge can be considered an elevation, the characteristic features of which include an elongated shape and its gradual decline in one direction.
- A hollow is an elongated and open form at one end, which is a lowering depression. The components of the hollow are considered to be the spillway line and two edge lines.
- And finally, the saddle should be understood as a relatively small decrease, which is observed between the mountains located in the immediate vicinity.