Landform: Difference between revisions
ClueBot NG (talk | contribs) m Reverting possible vandalism by 186.32.133.225 to version by Hmains. False positive? Report it. Thanks, ClueBot NG. (1392692) (Bot) |
|||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
A '''landform''' in the [[earth sciences]] and [[geology]] sub-fields, comprises a [[geomorphology|geomorphological]] unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the [[terrain]], and as such, is typically an element of [[topography]]. Landform elements also include [[seascape]] and oceanic [[waterbody]] interface features such as [[bay]]s, [[peninsula]]s, [[sea]]s and so forth, including sub-aqueous terrain features such as [[mid-ocean ridge]]s, [[volcano]]es, and the great [[ocean basin]]s. |
A '''landform''' in the [[earth sciences]] and [[geology]] sub-fields, comprises a [[geomorphology|geomorphological]] unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the [[terrain]], and as such, is typically an element of [[topography]]. Landform elements also include [[seascape]] and oceanic [[waterbody]] interface features such as [[bay]]s, [[peninsula]]s, [[sea]]s and so forth, including sub-aqueous terrain features such as [[mid-ocean ridge]]s, [[volcano]]es, and the great [[ocean basin]]s. |
||
pig |
|||
==Physical characteristics== |
|||
Landforms are categorised by characteristic physical attributes such as elevation, slope, orientation, [[Stratum|stratification]], rock exposure, and soil type. |
|||
Gross ''physical features or landforms include intuitive elements such as [[berm]]s, [[mound]]s, [[hill]]s, [[ridge]]s, [[cliff]]s, [[valley]]s, [[river]]s, [[peninsula]]s and numerous other structural and size-scaled (i.e. [[pond]]s vs. [[lake]]s, [[hill]]s vs. [[mountain]]s) elements including various kinds of inland and oceanic [[Waterbody|waterbodies]] and sub-surface features. |
|||
{{wide image|Cades Cove Panorama.JPG|600px|This panorama in [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]] has the readily identifiable '''physical features''' of a rolling [[plain]], actually part of a broad [[valley]], distant [[hill|foothills]], and a backdrop of the old, much [[weathering|weathered]] [[Appalachian Mountains|Appalachian mountain range]]}} |
|||
==Hierarchy of classes== |
==Hierarchy of classes== |
||
Revision as of 19:05, 12 December 2012
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2012) |
.jpg)
A landform in the earth sciences and geology sub-fields, comprises a geomorphological unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography. Landform elements also include seascape and oceanic waterbody interface features such as bays, peninsulas, seas and so forth, including sub-aqueous terrain features such as mid-ocean ridges, volcanoes, and the great ocean basins.
pig
Hierarchy of classes
Oceans and continents exemplify the highest-order landforms. Landform elements are parts of a high-order landforms that can be further identified and systematically given a cohesive definition such as hill-tops, shoulders, saddles, foreslopes and backslopes.
Some generic landform elements including: pits, peaks, channels, ridges, passes, pools and plains, may be extracted from a digital elevation model using some automated techniques where the data has been gathered by modern satellites and stereoscopic aerial surveillance cameras.[1] Until recently, compiling the data found in such data sets required time consuming and expensive techniques of many man-hours.
Terrain (or relief) is the third or vertical dimension of land surface. Topography is the study of terrain, although the word is often used as a synonym for relief itself. When relief is described underwater, the term bathymetry is used. In cartography, many different techniques are used to describe relief, including contour lines and TIN (Triangulated irregular network).
Elementary landforms (segments, facets, relief units) are the smallest homogeneous divisions of the land surface, at the given scale/resolution. These are areas with relatively homogenous morphometric properties, bounded by lines of discontinuity. A plateau or a hill can be observed at various scales ranging from few hundred meters to hundreds of kilometers. Hence, the spatial distribution of landforms is often scale-dependent as is the case for soils and geological strata.
A number of factors, ranging from plate tectonics to erosion and deposition, can generate and affect landforms. Biological factors can also influence landforms— for example, note the role of vegetation in the development of dune systems and salt marshes, and the work of corals and algae in the formation of coral reefs.
Landforms do not include man-made features, such as canals, ports and many harbors; and geographic features, such as deserts, forests, grasslands, and impact craters.
Many of the terms are not restricted to refer to features of the planet Earth, and can be used to describe surface features of other planets and similar objects in the Universe. Examples are mountains, hills, polar caps, and valleys, which are found on all of the terrestrial planets.
See also
References
- ^ Robert A. MacMillan, David H. McNabb, R. Keith Jones (September 2000). "Conference paper: "Automated landform classification using DEMs"". Retrieved 2008-06-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
