Land Forms 1
1. What is a Mountain?
2. What is a Hill?
1. A very tall, high, landform on Earth much taller than a hill.
2. A wide, low landform with a rounded top much smaller than a mountain. Most hills were mountains worn away by the weather.
What is a Pond?
A small body of freshwater surrounded by land on all sides.
What is a Valley?
A low-lying area between Mountains and Mountain Ranges that get plenty of Mountain ice cap water and are usually very green and fertile as a result.
1. What is a Gulf?
2. What is similar to a Gulf?
1. A part of the Ocean that is partly surrounded by land.
2. A Bay is similar to and usually smaller than a Gulf.
What is a Glacier?
A Gigantic Mountain or Huge Chunk/Block of Solid Ice formed in the Arctic Ocean (North Pole) drifting in the Ocean. Most of a Glacier exists under ocean water ~90% or more. Glaciers sometimes travel over land ERODING the surface of the Earth.
What is an Oasis?
A landform made fertile by a source of freshwater in the Desert.
What is a Stream?
A Stream is a very small River that flows into bigger Rivers, Lakes, and Ponds.
What is a Plateau?
A Plateau is a Huge, Wide, Flat Landform that extends for miles and miles High Above the surrounding Earth's Surface. Many Plateaus were once Tall Mountains and Mountain Ranges, but the Power and Direction of Wind Currents WEATHERED the tops of them causing them to be Flat.
1. How many Oceans are there on Earth?
2. Name them all.
1. There are 5 Oceans on Earth that make up 71%* of the Earth's Surface.
2. Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, Southern, Indian
1. What is a Compass Rose? Importance.
2. What are Cardinal Directions?
3. What are Intermediate Directions?
1. A Compass Rose is a symbol on a map that shows the cardinal directions.
2. Cardinal Directions are the 4 main directions: N, S, E, W.
3. Intermediate Directions are: NE, NW, SE, SW.
What is a Cavern?
A Large Hole carved into the Side of a Mountain or Hill. Caves can be found underground, under the Earth's surface. They can be very deep, winding, dark, and dangerous to explore.
1. What is a Sea? What is the difference between a Sea and an Ocean?
A Sea is a Small Ocean and many are almost completely surrounded by Land. Seas are in Oceans and Oceans are NOT in Seas. The main difference between a Sea and an Ocean is that Oceans are much bigger than Seas and are major sources of saltwater of the Earth.
1. What is a Canyon?
2. Name 1 famous Canyon.
1. A Canyon is a Very Deep Valley with Extremely Steep Sides (surrounded by Cliffs) Caused/Formed by WEATHERING and EROSION from a running River over millions of years.
2. The Grand Canyon
1. How much total water is on the Earth's Surface?
2. How much of this total is made up of Ocean & Sea Saltwater?
3. How much freshwater is on planet Earth?
4. How much of this is drinkable and useable by Humans?
1.71%
2.96-97%
3.3% (Rivers, Lakes, Ponds, Freshwater Wetlands)
4.LESS than 1%!
1. What are wetlands?
2. Why are they so important and do we need to care about them?
1. Wetlands are landforms where the ground is saturated/soaked with vast amounts of water. Wetlands are like sponges storing a huge water supply. They can be freshwater or saltwater and the ground is usually covered with shallow water. Wetlands are also classified as swamps, marshes, and bogs
2. We need to care about them because they are valuable freshwater source especially during times of mega-droughts. Wetlands are also special homes to rare animals and plants that cannot survive anywhere else on planet Earth.
What is a Delta?
Delta is a Triangular, Low, Watery Landform that forms at the Mouth (End) of Rivers where they empty into the Ocean.
What is a Waterfall?
Optional Bonus Question: Can you name a place in California where you find many Waterfalls?
A Waterfall is where a River falls off a steep landform like a Cliff or Steep Side of a Mountain.
Optional Bonus Answer: Yosemite National Park, Big Sur, Mammoth Lakes, Sequoia Park, ...
1. What are Peninsulas?
2. Name 2 famous Peninsulas.
1. Peninsulas are Landforms that are surrounded by water on three sides and are connected to the mainland or a Continent.
2. Italy, Arabia, State of Florida, Baja, California, India.
1. What is a River?
2. What are the Main Features of most Rivers? Name at least 2 of them.
1. A River is a long, winding, wide, "Ribbon" of Freshwater that flows Downhill from a Mountain due to gravity. Rivers wind a wide, deep path to the Ocean where it ends and empties.
2. The main features of all Rivers include:
-Source = Melting Mountain Ice Peaks
-Mouth = Where the River Ends and Empties into the Ocean
-Deltas = Triangular shaped landforms at the Mouth of the River caused by the River water dragging sediment, soil, rocks, pebbles, sand, etc.
What are the causes of Weathering and Erosion? Name 3.
The 3 main causes of Weather and Erosion are:
-Water - like Rivers
-Wind (& Sand in Wind) - like Plateaus, Mesas, Buttes, Sand Dunes
-Glaciers - when they move over land, they grind rocks and landforms into smaller pieces and carry them away to a new location forming new landforms.
1. How many Continents are there on Earth?
2. Name all of them.
1. There are 7 Continents on Earth.
2. They are: North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, Antarctica.
1. What is a Canal?
2. Name one famous Canal.
1. A Canal is a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water like two Oceans.
2. The Panama Canal, the Suez Canal.
1. What is a Volcano?
2. What causes them to form?
3. If a Volcano erupts on the Ocean floor, what does it usually trigger?
4. Optional Bonus: Can you name one event?
1. A Volcano is a High Crater or a Mountain with a Large Open Vent/Hole into the Earth's Mantle. From Deep under the Earth's Surface, from the Mantle, *Magma can violently Erupt/Explode onto the Earth's Surface as Lava that burns and destroys everything in its path. Volcanos explode with suffocating Ash, Heat Destruction, and Hot Dangerous, Toxic Gases. *Note: Magma deep in Mantle becomes Lava on Earth's Surface. They are the same thing.
2. When Tectonic Plates push against each other, Volcanos and Mountains are usually formed.
3. Underwater Erupting Volcanos can trigger Tsunamis.
4. Optional Bonus: The recent Volcanic explosion on the Island of Tonga caused catastrophic damage to the island and triggered a Tsunami.
1. What is an Isthmus?
2. Name 1 famous one.
1. An Isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects 2 main Landforms such as 2 Countries or Continents.
2. Isthmus of Panama, Isthmus of Suez
1. What is a Butte?
2. What is a Mesa?
3. How are they alike and how are they different?
4. What causes them?
Both Buttes and Mesas are Landforms with Flat Areas on Top and Steep Walls.
1. A Butte is a small Plateau that is Taller and Steeper than it is Wide.
2. A Mesa is a small Plateau or part/section of a Plateau.
3. Weathering and Erosion by Wind and Sand causes Plateaus, Mesas, and Buttes.