Chapter 5 Lesson 1- Earth’s Landforms
Vocabulary
1. Landform
2. Relief map
3. Topographical map
4. Atmosphere
5. Hydrosphere
6. Crust
7. Mantle
8. Outer core
9. Inner core
NOTES
What are landforms?
Earth’s Land Features
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A mountain is a landform that rises high above the ground.
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A hill is lower and rounder than a mountain.
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A valley is low land between hills or mountains.
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A canyon is a deep valley with high, steep sides.
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A cliff is high, steep section of rock or soil.
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A plain is a wide, flat area.
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A plateau is flat land that is higher than the land around it.
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A desert is an area with very little precipitation.
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A beach is the land along the edge of a body of water.
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A dune is a mound or ridge of sand.
Earth’s Water Features
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An ocean is a large body of salt water.
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A coast is where a body of water meets land.
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A tributary is a small river or stream.
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A river is a natural body of moving water.
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A waterfall is a natural stream of water falling from a high place.
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A lake is a body of water surrounded by land.
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An estuary is where river water and ocean water meet.
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A delta is the mass of land that forms at the mouth of a river.
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An inlet is a narrow body of water off of a larger body of water.
What the features of the ocean floor?
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An ocean basin is a large underwater area between continents.
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The continental shelf is the ocean floor along the coast of a continent.
o
This is covered by shallow water and gradually slopes down.
o
Ends at the beginning of a sharp slope.
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This sharp slope is called the continental slope.
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A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley in a continental slope.
o
Often found at the mouths of large rivers.
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A continental rise is another gradual downward slope at the end of a continental slope.
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The abyssal plain is a wide, flat area of ocean floor.
o

Trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean floor.
o
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Covers about 40% of the ocean floor.
Long and narrow.
A seamount is an underwater mountain that rises from the ocean floor but stops before it
reaches the surface of the ocean.
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Mid-ocean ridges are underwater mountain ranges.
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Rift valleys are indentations that occur along the top of these mountains.
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Scientists can tell the depth of the ocean floor by sending sounds into the ocean and waiting
for the echo to come back.
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Scientists use underwater vehicles to observe the ocean floor.
o
These vehicles may carry cameras, instruments to measure the underwater
environment, or mechanical arms to gather samples.
How are Earth’s features mapped?
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A surveyor is a person who takes measurements of land.
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First step in making a map is measuring elevation in a specific location.
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Elevation is the height of land above sea level.
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A benchmark is a permanent reference point.
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Mapmakers use the surveyor’s measurements to show changes in elevation on a map.
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One way to do this is to draw a shaded picture of the land.
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The shading makes a map look like it has 3 dimensions.
o
Length
o
Width
o
Height
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It really only has 2 dimensions, length and width.
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A map that uses shading to show elevations is called a relief map.
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A topographical map uses lines to show elevation.
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Contour lines represent different elevations.
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The number on the line, usually in meters or feet, gives the elevation.
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Contour lines can show you how steep or gradual a slope is.
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Contour lines that are close together mean that elevation is changing rapidly and the slope of
the land is very steep.
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Contour lines that are far apart mean that elevation is changing gradually.
What are Earth’s Layers?
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The air around you is Earth’s atmosphere.
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All of Earth’s water, solid and liquid, is the hydrosphere.
o
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Crust is the rocky layer.
o

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Hydrosphere covers about 70% of Earth’s surface.
Includes continents and ocean basins.
Below the crust is the mantle.
o
Divided into the upper and lower mantle.
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Top of upper mantle is solid rock.
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The crust and top of upper mantle is the lithosphere.
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The rest of the upper mantle is almost-melted rock called the asthenosphere.
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The lower mantle is solid rock.
Below the mantle is the core.
o
Divided into inner and outer core.
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Outer core is liquid metal.
o
Inner core is solid metal.
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Biosphere is the parts of Earth where living things are found.
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Organisms have been found from the lower atmosphere to the ocean floor.