Work of Wind

The wind is the active form of erosion and deposition in deserts. In deserts, rocks in the shape of mushrooms are seen, known as mushroom rocks. Winds erode the upper portion more than the lower portion, and hence bottom is narrow and wider at the top. When the wind stops blowing, the sand falls and gets deposited in low hill structures known as sand dunes. When such sands are deposited in large amounts, it is called loess.

Major Landforms of the Earth

Major Landforms of the Earth: Landforms refer to the physical features that are present on the surface of the Earth. It includes mountains, plateaus, and plains. Natural processes which include the weathering, water, sinking, elevation, and erosion of soil lead to the constant re-shaping of the surface of the earth and take thousands of years to formulate. Landforms are originated from geological processes:

External Process

External processes include external factors like rain or wind and it causes both erosion and deposition. Erosion refers to the processes in sediments that get deposited or dropped off in different areas.

Internal Process

Internal process refers to those processes that occur within the surface of the earth and examples include volcanic eruptions and also the movement of tectonic plates.

Table of Content

  • What are Landforms?
  • Factors Affecting The Formation of Major Landforms
  • Processes Shaping The Major Landforms 
  • Types of Major Landforms on the Earth

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What are Landforms?

A landform refers to a natural or artificial feature made of the solid surface of Earth or other planetary bodies. A terrain is made up of landforms together, and their arrangement in the landscape is known as topography....

Factors Affecting The Formation of Major Landforms

Two processes continuously wear out the landscape- weathering and erosion. Weathering refers to the process of breaking the rocks on the surface of the earth. Erosion refers to the process of wearing away the landscape with the help of different agents like water, wind, and ice. The portion of material eroded is carried away or transported by agents of water, wind, and ice and is deposited eventually. This process creates different landforms on the earth....

Work of River

The water running in the river erodes the landscape, and when it tumbles at a steep angle over some hard rocks, it forms a waterfall. As the river twists and turns, forming bends known as meanders. Due to the continuous process of erosion and deposition along the sides of the meander, the ends of the loop come closer, and over the course of time, the loop cuts and forms a cut-off lake called an oxbow lake....

Work of Sea Waves

The process of erosion and deposition of sea waves leads to the rise of coastal landforms. Cracks develop as sea waves strike the rocks continuously, and they become bigger and wider over time; thus, hollow-like caves are formulated and are known as sea caves, and as the cavities become bigger, only the roof of the caves remains and forms sea arches....

Work of Ice

Glaciers refer to “rivers of ice,” which erode the landscape by bulldozing soil and stones to expose solid rock; below, the glaciers crave deep hollows, and as the ice melts, they are filled up with water and become lakes. The deposits carried by the glaciers form glacial moraines....

Work of Wind

The wind is the active form of erosion and deposition in deserts. In deserts, rocks in the shape of mushrooms are seen, known as mushroom rocks. Winds erode the upper portion more than the lower portion, and hence bottom is narrow and wider at the top. When the wind stops blowing, the sand falls and gets deposited in low hill structures known as sand dunes. When such sands are deposited in large amounts, it is called loess....

Processes Shaping The Major Landforms

There are numerous physical features on the surface of the Earth known as landforms. On Earth, there are at least three major kinds of landforms: mountains, plateaus, and plains. In addition to height, enduring, sinking, water, and soil degradation, the Earth’s surface is continually shaped by natural cycles. It isn’t something that just happens. It will take thousands or even hundreds of years for these changes to take effect. Different kinds of landforms will emerge from these cycles. Topographical cycles are responsible for bringing about landforms....

Types of Major Landforms on the Earth

Landforms are mostly classified into three groups based on their elevation and slope:...

FAQs On Major Landforms Of The Earth

What are Earth’s 4 major landforms?...