BEAUTY IN THE ELEMENTS:
A LOOK AT LANDFORMS
Tyler Mohr
Tyler Mohr is a fourth year Landscape
Architecture student at Colorado State
University. Along with his experience in
management he worked for Fort Collins
Nursery where he built on his knowledge of
landscapes and horticulture. Working with
different garden elements and site design at
Fort Collins nursery, he increased his
ambition to gain knowledge about the
profession of Landscape Architecture.
1. Esker:
An Esker, as defined by
Britannica encyclopedia, is “a
long, narrow, winding ridge
composed of stratified sand
Abstract: Every day we walk by landforms and
objects but it is very unlikely that we think too much
about them. Specifically, what are they, where they
come from, and why they’re there. Landforms are
not only geologic phenomenon, but shaping pieces to
life as we know it. Many architects, engineers, and
designers draw inspiration from these landforms.
While the way landforms come to be differs from
form to form, all of which have a distinct beauty and
purpose in the world.
has melted. While ranging in
size, an esker can be up to 160
feet tall and 1600 feet wide.
Eskers snake through the
land, almost as if they were
sediment size, anywhere from
gravel to sand. The placement
of these sediments depends
on the former water flow of
the area. Esker locations
range across the world from
Figure 1: Esker Model – Tyler
Mohr
and gravel deposited by a
subglacial or englacial
meltwater stream.” Eskers are
formed from a former glacial
tunnel that becomes apparent
after the surrounding glacier
planned. The eloquent nature
of an esker gives a sense of a
meandering inverted stream.
Eskers composition has
different size sediments that
are usually sorted by
Sweden to Canada. Great
Esker Park, located in
Weymouth, Massachusetts,
runs along the Back River and
is the tallest esker in North
America. Adirondack State
Park in New York is also home
to several Eskers. It is
common to see roads run
along Eskers. An example of
this is the Denali Highway in
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Alaska. Several designed
landscapes and landscape
elements resemble Eskers. A
and 100 feet tall. Drumlins are
known for their naturally
occurring symmetry,
resembling an upside-down
spoon. Drumlins have a steep
side ,the side that was the side
located against the glacier,
and a more gradual sloped
side, which is the side
opposite of the glacier.
Figure 2: Esker Aerial –
Location Unknown
terrific example of a small,
unnatural esker in a
landscape is a berm or a
mound. These can be used for
drainage or just an
aesthetically pleasing
element.
2. Drumlin:
Glaciers are associated and
responsible for many
naturally occurring
landforms; One of which
being a Drumlin. A drumlin is
a naturally formed hill that
can reach over a mile wide
Figure 4: Drumlin Model –
Tyler Mohr
Drumlins are formed along
the streamlined movement of
a glacier using the sediments
along the side, or till, to build
up the drumlin. Though the
size and composition of
drumlins can vary, they
usually have an approximate
width to length ratio of 4:7.
Though drumlins can be
found alone in nature, it is
common for drumlins to be
found in sets of several or
swarms, sometimes reaching
up to over 1,000. Drumlins
are found in many places
around the world such as
Europe, North America, South
America, Asia, and Antarctica.
Along with eskers, drumlins
are commonly found in New
York, Massachusetts, and
other places in the New
England area. Drumlins are
also commonly found in
Canada with every province
or territory containing them.
Many different designed
landscapes contain features
that resemble drumlins. Many
berms are similar to drumlins,
but a great example of a
designed landscape
containing drumlin-like
elements is the U.S.
Courthouse Plaza in
Minneapolis. The plaza was
designed by Martha Schwartz
and is often times referred to
as “Drumlin Park”. This plaza
contains a set of grass berms
that resemble swarms of
Drumlins that naturally occur
in nature.
Figure 3: Wisconsin Drumlin
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3. Moraine:
A moraine is the material left
behind by a moving glacier.
Though this is a very broad
definition, moraines can be
classified into more specific
categories such as Lateral
are formed when two glaciers
meet and the material
between them is scraped and
deposited. Superglacial
Moraines are moraines made
from the material found on
top of a glacier when the
glacier melts. Both Lateral and
types of moraines, they can
vary in size, shape, and
composition. One aspect that
stays constant throughout the
different types of moraines is
the fact that they are made of
the material left behind after a
glacier runs its course.
Moraines have a build up of
material and often times
cause some of the most
interesting and beautiful
naturally occurring elements
in nature. Moraines often
times act as dams and can
create ponds or lakes in some
of the most unlikely of places,
such as in mountainous
valleys. Moraines are found in
several different places, from
Canada to Switzerland.
4. Jencks:
Moraines, Medial Moraines,
Superglacial Moraines,
Ground Moraines, and
Terminal Moraines. Lateral
Moraines are formed when a
glacier moves through a
landscape and scrapes off
material from both sides of
the glacier. Medial Moraines
Figure 5: Moraine in Canada
Medial Moraines can be
Superglacial. Ground
Moraines are made from the
compilation of the sediment
found beneath a moving
glacier. Unlike other
moraines, ground moraines
have an uneven shave and are
irregularly distributed.
Terminal Moraines, as the
name indicates, are moraines
found where a glacier ends.
Similar to a bulldozer,
terminal moraines are
comprised of material that
was picked up and pushed
while the glacier was moving
through a landscape. Because
there are so many different
Figure 6: Jencks/Oxbow
Model – Tyler Mohr
Charles Jencks is a landscape
architect and theorist. He is
responsible for several
influential designs, but the
Figure 7 – The Universe
Cascade by Charles Jencks
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landform that he is well
known for is an elongated hill
with almost terraced landings.
The size and character of
these hills varies from project
Charles Jencks’ most beautiful
projects and well-known
landscapes is “Cells of Life”
located in Eidenberg,
Scotland. This landscape has
to project but has a similar
format regardless of the
project. These rolling terraced
hills are often times
accompanied by a water
feature. The hills also often
time surrounding these water
features giving them a
backdrop that almost makes
the water appear as if it isn’t
completely flat. The
contrasting ideas of a rolling
hill mixed with a geometric
terrace shape make these hills
fascinating. Sometimes the
terraced sections are parallel
and organized, other times
they are random and cross
over one another. These
landforms resemble smaller
scale eskers and drumlins, but
contain elements that make
them more deliberate and
planned than these naturally
occurring features. One of
these rolling terraced hills
surrounding a pond with an
island. This landscape is so
striking that at first look, you
may be fooled into thinking it
is naturally occurring, but
with further examination of
the individual elements, you
realize the eloquently
designed nature of the site.
5. Pyramid:
A pyramid is a threedimensional triangular
structure that resembles the
geometric shape of a pyramid.
The amount of sides of a
pyramid can vary, but usually
has three or four. The most
common and influential
example of a pyramid is the
Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The
pyramids of Giza have an
estimated building date of
around 2600 BCE. The most
amazing part about these
pyramids is their symmetry.
When they were built there
was no way of transporting
the materials up and down
the sides of the pyramid other
than by manpower alone. The
near perfect symmetry of
these pyramids has baffled
philosophers for hundreds of
years and some people even
Figure 8 – The Pyramids of
Giza, Egypt
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believe that the only way
these pyramids could have
been build so perfectly is by
the help of some kind of nonhuman or extra-terrestrial
life. The pyramid has a sleek
shape that is very visually
appealing. Some people
Figure 9 – Pyramid Model –
Tyler Mohr
believe that the pyramid
shape is meant to reflect the
descending rays of the sun.
While it is believed that most
pyramids were build as
burials and sanctuaries for
important cultural leaders,
some believe that pyramids
were built to transport
diseased inhabitants into the
heavens for the afterlife. The
pyramid of Khufu in Egypt is
the only remaining site of The
7 Wonders of the World to
still exist today. While
pyramids are typically
thought to have smooth sides,
several pyramids are
constructed in a “step” style.
This means that the sides of
the pyramids are steps that
wrap around the structure
and eventually lead to the top.
The pyramids of Giza are step
pyramids and this is thought
to be how the workers that
constructed the structure
reached the top in the process
of building. The chambers and
tunnels within the pyramids
was a system of random
paths. There were many “false
tunnels” that led to no where
that were made to detour
potential burglars from
reaching the room that
contained the diseased
member and their belongings
they were buried with.
6. Plinth:
A plinth is traditionally
thought of as a base to a
column. Plinths, under a
column, provide for stability
as well as give a unique look
to the column. A plinth is
off. Plinths can be naturally
occurring in rock formations.
There are several
examples of plinth rock
formations in different parks.
A specific example of this is
“Balanced Rock” at the Garden
Figure 11: Balanced Rock,
Utah
of the Gods in Colorado
Springs. Here, a large rock
balances on top of a plinth.
The plinth acts as a stabilizer
to the larger rock that sits on
top of it.
Though structures that
resemble plinths are very
Figure 10: Plinth Model –
Tyler Mohr
usually shaped as a
trapezoidal box, meaning the
base is slightly larger than the
top. This shape resembles a
pyramid with the top half cut
prominent in different places
throughout history, Mayans
and Aztecs are very well
known for using plinths in
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landscapes. These formations
are often times thought of as
and pyramids have withstood
the test of time and still exist
pyramids, but they actually
differ in a sense that they
never come to a point at the
top, but instead have a flat
platform at their apex. These
plinth formations were
thought to be places for
ancient rituals, sacrifices, and
even burial mounds – similar
to the pyramids in Egypt.
Several Aztec and Mayan
plinths still stand to this day.
The largest and perhaps most
astounding plinth formation
in the world is The Great
Pyramid of Cholula in the
Mexican state Puebla.
Depending on where you are
viewing this Aztec structure
from, The Great Pyramid of
Cholula can appear as a grassy
hillside or a constructed
landscape element. It is
thought that this great plinth
was built nearly 2000 years
ago. Because of their
durability and environmentalfriendly shape, many plinths
to this day in great condition.
higher altitudes. Plains are
different than plateaus in a
sense that plateaus have a
steep or several steep walls
leading up to the flatland:
Plains do not have this. The
process of erosion forms
plains. When all of the land
topography changes erode
away due to weather or other
impacts, you are left with a
plain. Plains are not typically
thought to have a prominent
role in landscapes, but many
landscapes contain
formations that almost mirror
the characteristics of a Plain.
Think of any grass field in
7. Plain:
Plains are a section of land
that has relatively low relief.
Plains can be found in
different types of
environments such as near a
Figure 12: Mammoth Cave
Plain
coast or farther inland. In
most cases, plains are slightly
lower in elevation than the
land around them. Coastal
plains usually continue up
from the sea or ocean around
them and continue on until
they meet an area of land with
higher relief such as a
mountain. Inland plains can
be found in a multitude of
locations, but are common at
parks, including soccer fields,
football fields, and open grass
areas. Though there aren’t too
many defining characteristics
or grade changes, all of these
fields are taken from plains.
Plains, while to the naked eye,
may seem flat, but they aren’t.
Their gradual grade change
allows for rain to not
accumulate and become a
marshland. Grass playing
fields are designed the same
way: Whether the field is
sloped from one end to the
other, linearly from the
center, or radial, all fields
have a very subtle grade
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change that helps them drain
water.
8. Peak:
Peaks are one of the most
enormous and beautiful
naturally occurring landforms
in the world. Peaks are
located all over the world.
Tectonics. Plate Tectonics are
responsible for several
different landforms such as
trenches and mid-ocean
ridges, but none perhaps
more beautiful than Peaks.
Underneath the earth there is
a set of “plates” that are ever
changing. These plates fit
Some of the most well known
peaks are Mount Everest - the
highest peak in the world, The
Matterhorn - a spike shaped
peak in the Swiss Alps, and
Mount Olympus in Greece.
Peaks can vary in size, shape,
and other physical attributes.
together similarly to a puzzle,
and when these plates move
they have a tendency to
collide with one another.
When this happens there are
two options that result in the
formation of mountain
ranges: 1. The plates collide
Figure 13: Peak Model by
Tyler Mohr
Peaks are found within
mountain ranges and are
usually substantially taller
and larger than their
surroundings. Mountain
ranges and peaks are formed
by a process called Plate
plates collide and both of the
plates are thrusted upward,
thus also creating a mountain.
The place where these plates
collide is usually the place
where the peak is located.
This is because as the collision
area begins to thrust upward,
the surrounding areas also
are, but the farther away from
the collision spot, the longer it
will take for the area to begin
its upward thrust. Peaks play
a crucial part in landscapes.
One of the main reasons is
attributed to their elevation.
As elevation rises, the amount
of vegetation decreases until
an imaginary line called “tree
line” is reached. Tree line is
the point on a peak or a
mountain range where you no
longer see vegetation because
it cannot survive at such a
high elevation. Peaks viewed
from a distance are usually
very beautiful. Mt. Hood, in
northern Oregon, is a prime
example of a peak. Mt. Hood
has a very circular shape that
gives it a beautiful
appearance. Mt. Hood reaches
over 11,000ft in height and is
usually covered in snow.
Though Mt. Hood considered
“dormant” meaning it has no
volcanic activity at the time, it
is considered the “most likely
volcano to erupt” in Oregon.
Figure 14: Mt. Hood, Oregon
and one plate slides
underneath the other, causing
the upward plate to thrust up
forming a mountain. 2. The
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9. Saddle:
A saddle is the area between
two mountains and is also
referred to as a “Mountain
Pass”. Saddles are
characterized by being the
roads run through. When
making a path or road
through the mountains, it is
ideal to weave through the
mountains while staying at
the lowest elevation possible
in attempt to limit distance
Peak and Mount Meeker.
Longs Peak reaches over
14,000ft and Mount Meeker is
close behind, just under
14,000 feet. These
magnificent peaks and their
saddle can be seen from
Longmont, Colorado.
10. Mound:
Mounds, though visually
simple, are complex by
nature. Mounds are nearly
symmetrical spherical convex
protrusions coming from the
land. Mounds can range vastly
Figure 15: Mt. Meeker Saddle
lowest point between two
mountaintops, but the highest
point between the to
perpendicular valleys. In a
sense, a saddle is a
perpendicular mountain in
between two other
mountains. This definition
stays true with an actual
saddle, such as one you would
use on a horse. Saddles are
usually places where paths or
traveled. In the case of a road,
staying at the lowest elevation
possible throughout the
mountains is to minimize the
amount of paving and money
spent as possible. Saddles
between mountains mark the
highest point that these paths
or roads will travel over to get
to the destination. Saddles
occur in virtually every
mountain range that exists
and the size or length of these
saddles can vary greatly
depending on mountain size,
distance between mountains,
and mountain width. An
excellent example of a saddle
is the area between Longs
Figure 16: Burial Mound,
Hungary
in size from small,
unintentional bumps on the
ground to enormous
landforms. Mounds are
constructed by deliberately
piling heaps of soil, rock, or
other land types into a given
area in a symmetrical shape.
The most popular form of
mounds used in history are by
Native Americans. Native
Americans used mounds as
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burial areas for their diseased
and gathering places. Native
American burial mounds are
found in different places
across the United States, each
characterize this open space.
After 4 years of construction,
this open space was opened in
2008. The largest of the
mounds is 22 acres and
Figure 17: Mound/Kettle
Model by Tyler Mohr
having different
characteristics. It is believed
that mounds have been a part
of landscapes since the B.C.
era, and a mound that is
though to be 3500 years old
was recently discovered in
Arkansas. Mounds were also
used as one of the first forms
of small-scale horticulture.
Plantings would take place on
these mounds due to their soil
vastness and. After burying a
body in the mound, they
would plant different food
providing plants over it to
help supplement their
hunting. Many of these
mounds from thousands of
years ago still exist today.
A more recent example
of mounds in a landscape is
the Northala Fields in London.
Several large-scale mounds
that are covered in grass
A kettle is a depression in the
land that is formed with a
partially buried portion of ice
melts and leaves an imprint.
When glaciers start to recede,
pieces of them often time
break off and are wedged into
the ground. These wedged ice
pieces are responsible for the
kettle depression in the land
after the ice bit melts. Kettles
are often times filled with
Figure 18: Kettle Lakes, Canada
provides for a view of the
surrounding areas, including
Central London and Canary
Wharf. These mounds were
build with different soils, all of
which can facilitate different
vegetation growth and
sustainability.
11. Kettle:
water, vegetation, and other
sediments. When a kettle is
filled with water it is referred
to a kettle lake. Kettle lakes
can be shallow and wide, deep
and small, or any combination
of sizes. When vegetation and
moisture accumulate in these
kettles a bog is formed. Many
lakes in the Michigan area are
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defined as kettle lakes. A very
well known, if not the most
well known kettle lake is
Walden Pond in Concord,
Massachusetts. Though the
name pond usually indicates a
smaller body of water,
Walden Pond is anything but
that; spanning over 60 acres
and reaching to depths of over
100ft. As with most kettle
lakes, Walden Pond was
created by retreating glaciers
an estimated 10-12 thousand
years ago. Kettle lakes
immense beauty comes from
the fact that they are naturally
Figure 19: Mound/Kettle
Model by Tyler Mohr
occurring. Glaciers are
responsible for several
different landforms, but
perhaps none as vast and
breathtaking as kettle lakes.
12. Oxbow:
An oxbow is an atypical type
of lake. When people think of
lakes, they think of a circular
or ovular shape filled with
water. Oxbows are different in
a way that they aren’t shaped
like a usual lake, but instead
are crescent shaped. Oxbows
are found along the side of
rivers and this is due to the
way that they are formed.
Oxbows were initially a part
of a meandering river system.
Over time as the meandering
river starts to erode and
decompose, the edges of
different bends in the river
will meet, eventually voiding
the original u shaped edge of
the river no longer relevant.
As this former path of the
river ages, the edges of the
riverbank build up and leave
the crescent shape former
path of the river filled with
water, thus forming the
oxbow. The Nowitna river in
Alaska has a perfect example
of an oxbow in the making.
Though the river has not fully
eliminated the bank
separating the two edges of
the river, it is only a matter of
time and meters until the
river will eventually form an
oxbow. The crescent shape of
an oxbow as well as the
elegant shape of meandering
rivers is very influential in not
only landscapes but also
Figure 21: Near Oxbow
Formation, Location Unknown
paintings. The natural flowing
shape and natural repetition
of a meandering river is a
common pattern used in
different instances
throughout landscape history.
Figure 20: Jencks/Oxbow Model – Tyler Mohr
13. Escarpment:
An escarpment is defined as a
long cliff that can occur due to
a couple of natural processes.
The first being erosion. When
one area of ground differs
from another, the softer soil
will tend to erode at a more
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rapid rate. When this occurs
to a great extent in a linear
formation a cliff is often times
formed. The second way an
escarpment can form is on a
one area of land from another.
An example of an escarpment
occurring in nature is the
Niagara escarpment that runs
all the way from New York to
fault line. A fault line is an
imaginary line that divides
two separate moving pieces of
land. When these pieces of
land converge or diverge, the
land level changes. When they
converge, one piece of land is
Ontario Canada. This
escarpment, as with most, is
characterized by two different
types of sedimentary rock
that erode at a different rate.
This difference in erosion rate
causes many variations in cliff
size and area. A picturesque
example of an escarpment is
Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls
defines the southern end of
the Niagara Gorge. Niagara
Falls is a waterfall area where
the Niagara River crosses over
the great Niagara Fault line
forming some of the most
massive and popular
waterfalls in the United
States. Niagara Falls is a
popular tourist spot for
people in the United States as
well as people from other
counties due to its vast size
and the ability to get up close
Figure 22: Niagara Falls, New York
usually forced below the
other, leaving the upper land
hanging over and thus
forming a cliff or escarpment.
Escarpments are often times
describes as a sudden change
in land elevation that divides
and personal with the cliff and
waterfalls.
14. Anticline:
An anticline is an area where
layers of rock are stacked and
then bent, forming a convex
land formation. Similar to a
hill, an anticline has two
sloped sides and an apex. A
similar landform to an
anticline is a syncline. The
Figure 23: Zagros Mountain
Anticline
difference between the two is
that an anticline forms a hill
and protrudes from the
earth’s surface where as a
syncline forms a gap in the
earth and has a concave
shape. Both of which still have
layered sheet rock composing
them. Anticlines can be one
singular fold of rock or a set of
rolling hills composed of these
layers of rock. The layers of
rock are organized by age, the
layer at the top being the
newest and the layer on the
bottom of the fold being the
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oldest. If an anticline has
existed for a long time, the top
apex or top point to the
anticline. Anticlines are found
Figure 24: Anticline Model by Tyler Mohr
layer will often times be
eroded and from a section
view, it will look as though
there is not actually a true
all over the world and are
formed from various types of
rock. The reason that
anticlines are so common is
because they can occur
anywhere there is a fault line
or fault movement. When
driving through a
mountainous area where
roads have been carved, it is
easy to see these anticlines
and layers of rock that
compose them. Anticlines
range in size, from small rock
formations that are no taller
than the size of a human to
anticlines that form a whole
hillside or mountain, such as
can be found Ehdan, Lebanon.
The scale of the anticline can
be determined by age and
strength of fault.
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
http://www.landforms
.eu/cairngorms/esker.
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
http://www.aztechistory.com/cholulapyramid.html

http://www.encyclope
diaofarkansas.net/enc
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3

http://www.mass.gov/
dcr/parks/walden/

http://www.britannica
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
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

http://www.collaborat
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_Minneapolis,_MN
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
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
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
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
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
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
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