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Major Landforms of the Earth - Coggle Diagram
Major Landforms of the Earth
Landforms are land features on the surface which play an important role in sustaining life on Earth.
Continents
They are very large land masses that are surrounded by oceans on all sides. They are the primary divisions of land.
Asia
Asia occupies about 1/3 of the land area of our planet.
Asia is joined to Europe and the term for this combined landmass is Eurasia.
The Ural Mountains, Black Sea, and the Caspian Sea separate Asia from Europe.
N - Arctic Ocean
E - Pacific Ocean
S - Indian Ocean
Africa
Second-largest continent.
N - Mediterranean Sea (Separates from Europe)
E - Indian Ocean
W - Atlantic Ocean (Separates from Americas)
North America
3rd largest continent.
Joined to South America by the Isthmus of Panama.
E - Atlantic Ocean
W - Pacific Ocean
South America
4th Largest continent.
Roughly shaped like an inverted triangle.
E - Atlantic Ocean
W - Pacific Ocean
Antarctica
Most bleak and barren part of the world. Almost circular in shape.
Even colder than the Arctic. Surrounded by stormiest seas.
Contains 90 percent of the world's ice.
Europe
Most indented coastline among continents. Has numerous ports and some of the finest harbours.
N - Arctic Ocean
W - Atlantic Ocean
Australia
"The Land Down Under" is the smallest continent and is called the island continent.
W - Indian Ocean
E - South Pacific Ocean
S - Southern Ocean
N - Arafura Sea
Mountains
They are huge areas of the earth's surface that rise to great heights above their surroundings.
They occur in long narrow chains called ranges.
Formed when two large tectonic plates collide, leading to the plates being pushed upwards to form peaks.
Subduction occurs when the heavier plate is pushed below the lighter plate.
This entire process of forming mountains and volcanoes is endogenous, meaning, coming from inside.
Types of Mountains
Fold Mountains
Old Fold Mountains
Formed over 250 million years ago.
Have gentle slopes and low altitude due to weathering.
Ex. Urals in Russia, Appalachians in North America, and the Aravallis in India.
They are formed when the layers of the earth's crust are folded by compression caused by forces generated by endogenous movements.
Young Fold Mountains
Formed over 25 million years ago.
Comprise the world's highest mountain ranges.
They are rugged and lofty.
Ex. the Rockies of North America, the Andes of South America, the Alps of Europe, the Great Dividing Range in Australia, the Atlas Mountains in Africa and the Himalayas of Asia.
Block Mountains
Block mountains are formed due to faulting.
Faulting is the rupturing or fracturing of rock strata due to strain, causing the land between the cracks to sink, leaving upstanding blocks on either side of the fault known as block mountains.
The edges of such mountains are steep and the surfaces are almost level.
Ex. The Vosges and the Black Forest of Europe, and the Vindhyas in India
Volcanic Mountains
They are made when molten lava, ash, cinder, and dust from deep inside the earth come out through cracks and accumulate in the shape of high cones.
The opening through which lava and other materials come through is called a vent.
The funnel shaped depression at the top of a vent is called a crater.
Ex. Mt Fuji in Japan, Mt Mayon in the Philippines, Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and Mt Vesuvius and Mt Etna in Italy
Importance of Mountains
They provide a lot of water because rivers originate from the glaciers there.
Water from mountains is used for irrigation and hydro-electricity.
Mountains support a lot of different flora and fauna.
Mountains affect the climate of an area.
Mountains are rich in mineral and metal deposits.
Around 720 million people live in mountains.
Mountainous forests provide a lot of different products.
They provide an ideal holiday destination.
Many recreation, sporting, and tourism activities take place there.
Plateaux
They are the uplifted sections of the earth's crust that are almost flat or level and usually descend steeply to the surrounding lowlands.
A plateau is also referred to as a plain-in-the-air or tableland.
Ex. Tibet in Asia, East African Plateau in Africa, the Colorado Plateau in North America. The Deccan plateau and the Chota Nagpur Plateau in India.
The former covers a large area and is fertile, while the latter is a storehouse of mineral wealth.
They are of great economic value. Ex. The South African Plateau yields gold, diamond, copper, manganese, and chromium. The plateau in Western Australia is rich in gold and iron.