Landforms
Mr. Perez
What is a landform?
 A landform is a natural feature of the landscape or
natural physical features of the Earth’s surface
 Examples include:
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Valleys
Plateaus
Mountains
Plains
Hills
Beaches
Canyons
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Deserts
Rivers
Straits
Archipelago
Peninsulas
Swamps
Lanforms
Mountains
 Mountains are formed when two plates converge or
collide and begin to rise
 Some times, mountains are formed by the process of
weathering and erosion.
 Mountains are broken down by wind, water and ice
 This causes the shape of the rock to change
 Other times, mountains can be formed by volcanism
 Volcanism is any volcanic activity
Examples of Mountains
Rocky Mountains
Himalayan Mountains
Adirondack
Mountains
Plains
 Plains are broad, nearly level stretches of land that
have no great changes of elevation
 Plains may be found along the coast or inland
 Coastal plains: generally rise from sea level until they
meet higher landforms such as mountains or plateaus
 Inland plains: may found at high altitudes
 Flood plains are the floor of a river valley beyond
the riverbed
 These are formed by mud, sand and silt that are
carried off by the river as it erodes the land upstream
Examples of Plains
Plateaus
 Plateaus are large highland areas of fairly level land
separated from surrounding land by steep slopes
 Some lie between mountain ranges
 Some are basaltic, forming from many lava flows
 Other are formed by upwarped folding
 Plateaus may also be formed due to eroding land
 Weathering and erosion take affect on the upland,
creating slopes
Examples of Plateaus
Tibetan Plateau
Island in the Sky- Utah
Kukenan
TepuiVenezuela
Florida Landforms
 Florida consists of
these major landforms:
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Beaches
Aquifers
Sinkholes
Caverns
Coastal plains
Upland (hilly areas)
Swampy Everglades
Florida Keys
(archipelago)
(Peninsula)
Beaches
 Beaches are formed
by the constant
battering of the
ocean, wind and
other natural
conditions wear
down the rock and
other materials on
shore
Aquifers & Sinkholes
 Aquifers are bodies of
permeable rock that can
transmit or contain
groundwater
 The major source of
ground water supply in
Florida is the Floridan
Aquifer System, which
underlies the entire state
 Sinkholes are natural
draining systems formed
by chemical weathering
 Limestone is dissolved,
forming sinkholes
Caverns
 Caverns are natural underground spaces large
enough for humans to enter
 They form naturally by weathering of rock and
often extend deep underground
Upland (hilly areas)
 Upland, or hilly areas, are raised areas of land
 In Florida, hilly areas are found in the northern
panhandle and central part of the state.
Swampy Everglades
 Swamps are types of freshwater
wetlands that have spongy,
muddy land and a lot of water.
 Many trees and shrubs grow in
swamps
 Before humans began
developing land in South
Florida, almost 11,000 square
miles was covered in the
swampy Everglades
 The Everglades is the only
place where alligators and
crocodiles can exist side by side
(because of the salt and
freshwater mix)
Florida Keys (archipelago)
 An archipelago is a group or
chain of islands clustered
together in a sea or ocean.
 Some archipelago are formed
due to volcanic activity, while
others can form due to
weathering and erosion of
land
 The Florida Keys are an
example of an archipelago
Optional Project
(for those who would like to boost their project grade)
 Create a 10-15 slide PowerPoint about 3 or more
landforms following these guidelines:
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The first slide should include:
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2.
Include the following information about your landforms:
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Name, Date due, period
Name of Landforms included in your PowerPoint
Description, how they are formed, picture(s), examples of
your landform on Earth
The last slide should include a list of websites or
references of where you found information
Email your PowerPoint presentation to
eperez@miamiartscharter.net by A: 1/11 B: 1/14 with
“Landform Project” written in the subject line of your
email
Sources
 http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/landforms.htm
 Google Images
 http://www.beachcalifornia.com/beaches.html
 http://www.dep.state.fl.us/swapp/aquifer.asp
 http://www.dep.state.fl.us/geology/geologictopics/sinkhole.
htm
 http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/landforms/
glossary.shtml
 http://www.dep.state.fl.us/evergladesforever/about/default
.htm