FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in SSE 102 Physical Geography Module No. 5

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 5

LANDFORMS

MODULE OVERVIEW

This module introduces the different kinds of landforms in the surface of the Earth specifically
mountains, plain and plateau. Furthermore, the differences of these landforms with emphasis on
their transformation are also discussed.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, you should be able to

1. identify the different kinds of landforms; and

2. discuss the difference of mountain, plain and plateau.

LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)

Different Kinds of Landforms

The earth is formed of diversified physical structures which are known as landform. These
physical structures include the high mountains, vast traces of plain lands and also feature of
intermediate heights. The mountainous regions cover about 18 per cent, plateaus and hills about 24
per cent and the plain lands about 58 per cent of the total area of the earth.

Mountains

A mass of rock considerably very high occupying a vast area is known as a mountain.
Higher altitude and steep slopes are its main characteristics. This altitude may reach to several
thousand metres from the sea level. Some of the mountains may be located in isolation viz, the
Kilimanjaro of East Africa. Again some mountains with several peaks may cover a large area
(several thousand kilometres). These types of mountains are folded like the waves viz., the
Himalayan Mountain which extends from Pamir Knot in the east. The Rocky and the Appalachian
Mountains of North America, the Andes of South America, the Alps, the Ural, the Caucasus of
Europe and the Fujiyama of Asia are noteworthy among other mountains. Several mountain building
processes known as orogenesis work together in the formation of the mountain. Greek word oros
means mountain and Genesis means formation or creation. Tremendous weathering particularly the
wind, water and glacier bring substantial changes in the landforms.

Types of Mountains

The mountains can be classified into four groups according to their major characteristics viz.,
(a) Fold Mountain, (b) Volcanic Mountain, (c) Block Mountain, and (d) Laccolith Mountain.

(a) Fold Mountain. This type of mountains is generally constituted with the union of several
vast and high mountain ranges. It can be said easily that when a tectonic plate enters into another
adjacent plate then huge quantity of sediments are accumulated along the joint line of the two plates
and due to lateral pressure, these sediments are folded giving rise to anticlines and synclines. The
Fold Mountains are formed consisting of the synclines and anticlines covering a vast area. The

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 1

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in SSE 102 Physical Geography Module No. 5

Himalayan Mountains, the Alps, the Ural and the Rocky Mountains are the appropriate examples of
the Fold Mountains.

(b) Volcanic Mountain. Generally, the volcanic mountains are formed by the accumulation
and solidification of the molten materials ejected through the volcanoes. This type of mountains are
generally conical is shape. Depending on the nature of lava flow ejected through volcanoes, this
type of mountain in some cases, may cover small area with steep slope as Mount St. Helena of the
United States of America, and in other cases, may cover a large area with gentle slope like the
Fujiyama (Japan) and the Mouna Loa (Hawaii Island).

(c) Block Mountain. The block mountain has got at least one side to be very steep with
natural fault. Movement of the earth creates fractures in the earth’s crust. So, the rock strata on both
the sides cannot match together and displacement starts among the strata. So, the earth’s crust is
displaced along the crack which is known as fault. So in some part, this displacement may be
upward and in another part it may be downward. The uplifted part along the fault is known as Block
Mountain. The Black Forest of Germany and the Salt Mountain of Pakistan may be cited as
examples. The valley which is formed due to the downward movement of the land between two
faults is known as the Rift Valley.

(d) Laccolith Mountain. The molten magma tries to come out of the interior of the earth
being displaced by the pressure of the gas, but these molten materials, instead of coming out to the
surface of the earth solidifies beneath the surface of the earth’s crust. Due to upward thrust, the
rock layer takes the shape of a tomb. The mountain thus formed is known as Laccolith or Relict
Mountain. The Henry Mountain of the United States of America is an example of this type of
mountain.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Multiple Choice

_____ 1. What kind of mountain is the Black Forest of Germany?

a. Fold
b. Volcanic
c. Block
d. Laccolith

_____ 2. The Delta deposition plains are formed

a. At the foot of mountain

b . At near to the mouth of the river
c. The depositional work of the wind
d. The deposition of glacial moraines

_____ 3. The characteristics of the Mountains are

i. Higher altitude and steep slopes area

ii. An extensive high land above the sea level with gentle slope
iii. Generally the high and plain lands

Which one is correct below?

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in SSE 102 Physical Geography Module No. 5

a. i
b . ii
c. iii
d. i, ii and iii

4. The cause of the formation of the Delta

i. Through the deposit sediments of both sides of the river

ii. The layer of the river through deposition at the bank of the river
iii. Rivers through their mountainous course can form valley

Which one is correct below?

a. i
b . ii
c. iii
d. i, ii and iii

_____ 5. Which statement is correct against plateau?

a. The volcanic lava at the mouth of the river through deposition creates
b. The sediments are deposited by sluggishing the transportation power of river creates high
landforms on the bank of the river
c. The volcanic lava by the process of weathering and denudation in the old mountainous
regions form the plain landforms
d. This type of plains are formed due to continuous erosion accompanied by river, wind and
glacier

LEARNING CONTENTS (title of the subsection)

Plateau

The vast plain area lowers than the mountain but higher in elevation than the plain land is
known as Plateau. The formation of plateau is mainly linked with the mountain building processes.
The volcanic lava, in some cases, has formed a vast plain land as in the case of the Deccan
Plateau of South India. Besides, the old mountainous regions, by the process of weathering and
denudation have been converted into a plateau.

Classification of Plateau

According to the mode of location, the plateau may be classified into three types viz., (a)
intermontane plateau, (b) piedmont plateau, and (c) continental plateau.

(a) The Intermontane Plateau. The elevation of the intermontane plateaus ranges from
3000 to 5000 metres. These plateaus are generally remain enclosed by mountains and are formed
by the different mountain building processes. The Tibetan Plateau is of this type. This plateau is
surrounded on the north by Kunlun, on the south by Himalaya and on the east and west by other
mountain. The average elevation of this plateau is more than 4000 metres and the area are also
more than 52 lakh square kilometres. Besides, the Bolivian Plateau of South America, the Mexican
Plateau of Central America, the Mongolian and the Tarim Plateau of Asia are examples of this type
of plateau.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 3

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in SSE 102 Physical Geography Module No. 5

(b) The Piedmont Plateau. This type of plateau is formed at the piedmont of high
mountains. Due to extensive weathering in the mountainous slope, the eroded materials are
deposited in the lower slopes of the mountains creating an extensive plain land which is known as
Piedmont Plateau. However, the lower part of this type of plateau joins with the adjacent plain lands.
Colorado located in the south western tip of the Rocky Mountain of the United States of America
and Patagonia of South America is the Piedmont plateaus.

(c) The Continental Plateau. The vast high plain land enclosed by seas or lowlands are
known as Continental Plateau. This kind of plateaus does not have any relation with the mountains.
Arabian Peninsula, Spain, Australia, Greenland are the best examples of this type of plateau. The
population is very thin due to rugged relief and dry climate. However, these plateaus are rich in
different minerals like tin, copper etc. Moreover, hydroelectric plants have also been established in
the rapid flowing rivers of the plateaus.

Plains

An extensive high land above the sea level with gentle slope is known as Plains. Here, the
plain means the land which is less rugged. These types of plains have been formed by the erosional
and depositional work of different land forming activities like river, glacier, and wind. Gently
undulating land with less rugged relief is most suitable for agriculture, settlement and road
construction. So, dense settlements have been developed on the plain lands. On the basis of the
origin of the plain land, the plains have been classified into two as erosional and depositional.

Plains Formed by Erosion

This type of plains is formed due to continuous erosion accomplished by river, wind and
glacier. The upper rocks are eroded gradually and the lands with steep slope are transformed to
plains. The plains at the foot of the Appalachian and the Siberian plains are the glaring examples of
this type of plains. Madhupur and Barind region are the two examples of such plains formed by
erosion in Bangladesh. During the Pleistocene era that means about 8 to 10 lakh years ago, these
areas were uplifted from the ocean by diastrophic action. In the later eras, these uplifted areas had
been transformed to plains due to erosional activities by river.

Plains Formed by Deposition

The plains are also formed by deposition. Formation of this kind of plains can be found
anywhere starting from the mountainous regions to the sea coast. Rivers during their course can
form valley such as the valley of Nepal. Alluvial fan can be formed at foot of the mountain or hill by
deposition. In the lower course of a river, when its transportation power becomes sluggish, it
overflows the banks creating flood and the sediments are deposited gradually on both sides of the
river forming a plain land which is known as Flood Plain. Flood plains of the Dhaleswari and the
Jamuna can be mentioned as examples. A type of plain land is formed at the mouth of the river
through deposition which is known as Delta. The south western part of Bangladesh includes such a
delta which is known as the Ganges Delta. Besides, the plains are also formed in the coastal areas
due to the influence of ebb and tides are known as coastal plain. The coastal plains of Chittagong
stretching from the mouth of the Feni river up to Teknaf is an example of this type of plains. The
plains are also formed by the deposition of glacial moraines in the cold areas. The Prairie of Canada
is an example of such plains.

Sometimes, the plains can also be formed by the depositional work of the wind. The loess
soil of North China and the Pampa of Argentina are the examples of such plains. The Loess soil is
very fertile but very much erosion prone.

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 4

 FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev. 0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in SSE 102 Physical Geography Module No. 5

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

1. The earth is not equal everywhere. There are high mountains and plateaus. In some places there
are hills and vast traces of plain lands. The high mountains through denudation formed plateau and
plains. Again, a type of plain land is formed at the mouth of the river through deposition. Sometimes,
different types of landforms are created by the ascending of the earth crust or by decaying. The
delta in plains at the mouth of the river is very fertile. The Delta formed by the deposition of the river
Padma, Brahmaputra and Jamuna is world famous.

a. Analyze the economic importance of this plain lands formed at near to the mouth of the river.

SUMMARY

A mass of rock considerably higher than its surroundings occupying a vast area is known as
mountain. The Mount Kilimanjaro of East Africa, the Himalayan Mountain and the Fujiyama of Asia,
the Rocky Mountain of North America, are examples of different types of mountains.

The types of mountain are: (a) Fold Mountain, (b) Volcanic Mountain, (c) Block Mountain,
and (d) Laccolith Mountain.

Plateau is an extensive flat elevated land lower than the mountains but higher than the plain
land is known as plateau. According to their location, plateaus can be of three types viz., (a)
Intermontane Plateau, (b) Piedmont Plateau, and (c) The Continental Plateau.

Plains are an extensive area of level land of gentle slope usually of low altitude from sea
level is known as plains. The plains are of two types such as (a) Erosional, and (b) Depositional.

REFERENCES

http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/contents.html

http://164.100.133.129:81/econtent/Uploads/Physical_Geography.pdf

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY 5