Landforms
9 questions tagged Landforms โ spanning every one of the seven Ws.
Where is the flattest place on Earth?
One of the flattest places on Earth is the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, a vast salt flat so level that it varies in elevation by only about one metre across its entire 10,000-square-kilometre expanse.
Where is the largest canyon on Earth?
The largest canyon on land is often considered the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in Tibet, the deepest in the world, while an even vaster canyon lies hidden beneath the ice of Greenland.
What is a mesa?
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped hill with steep sides, left behind after surrounding land has eroded away.
What is a plateau?
A plateau is a broad area of high land with a mostly flat top. It rises sharply above surrounding land and can be formed by uplift, lava, or erosion.
How do volcanoes create new land on islands and coastlines?
Lava and ash pile up and harden, gradually building new rock above sea level. If eruptions continue long enough, they can form islands, peninsulas, and even entire mountain ranges.
What is a delta in geology?
A delta is a landform built by sediment deposited where a river enters a lake or sea and slows down.
Why do shield volcanoes have broad, gentle slopes?
Their lava is very fluid, so it spreads far before cooling. Repeated thin flows build a wide, low-profile mountain instead of a steep cone.
Why do cinder cones form steep little volcanoes?
They are built from fragments of lava that fall back around the vent. Loose cinders and scoria pile up at a steep angle of repose.
What is a volcanic crater?
A volcanic crater is a bowl-shaped depression near a volcano's vent formed by eruption or collapse. It is usually much smaller than a caldera.