The types of relief They can be classified into land or continental relief, coastal relief and underwater relief. They can also be classified according to location. The different shapes that the earth's crust has on the surface are called relief, either in the areas that are above sea level, as well as in those that are at the bottom of it..
The relief is basically the set of inequalities that constitute the ecosystems of the planet. These inequalities are not uniform and therefore a name is assigned to each one.
Most of the concavities or depressions of planet Earth are covered by water; thanks to this phenomenon, oceans and seas were formed.
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The terrestrial or continental relief is one that is related to the accidents and the forms that exist on the emerged surface of the Earth, that is, on the continents. This type of relief is found in 30% of the planet, since this is the space occupied by the continents on Earth.
The emerged relief, as it is also known, is located in all areas of the lithosphere that are not covered by the ocean. The following are the main landforms:
These are natural elevations of the land that are characterized by their altitude and slope. This landform occupies almost a quarter of the planet's surface.
Most of the mountains that exist have been formed as a result of the arching and folding of the earth's crust. This process is commonly known as deformation.
Mountains are made up of several parts. One of them is the foot, which is the lowest part. The top is the highest part and the slope or skirt is the sloping part of the mountain, which is located between the foot and the top. There are also valleys, which are the piece of land between two mountains. Mountains are grouped in different ways:
The hills or hills are also natural elevations of the terrain. This type of geological formation has particular characteristics in terms of shape, height, etc., which allow it to be differentiated from others..
Unlike mountains, hills generally do not exceed 100 meters in height. They are also characterized by having an extensive base, but a slightly steep and rounded top..
Many specialists in the area have called the hills as ancient mountains deeply worn, either by water or wind erosion..
This form of relief is the one that is at a low height with respect to sea level. The plains can rise to 200 meters and even a little over 300 meters.
These are flat land extensions or with slight undulations, which at some point come into contact with mountainous areas.
A plain is a field that has neither high nor low, which means that it is an equal surface throughout its extension.
Within the plains, there are those created by diastrophism, among which are the coastal plains and the interior plains. There are also those of geomorphological origin, which are the sedimentary plains and the plains on metamorphic rocks. Then there are the so-called vast plains.
Plateaus, also called plateaus, are large, slightly undulating flat land areas. They are higher than the plains and are usually between 200 and 5000 meters above sea level.
In addition to the height, the plateaus differ from the plains because the former are higher than the rest of the territory around them. This landform is born as a result of the erosion of ancient mountain systems or by the action of tectonic forces..
Depending on their location, plateaus can be classified in three ways. The first is the intramontana, which is the one that is formed in conjunction with mountains and that is also surrounded by them, either totally or partially..
The second is Piedmont, which includes those between the mountains and the ocean. Finally, there are the continental plateaus, which are the plateaus that rise abruptly, either from the coastal plains or from the sea..
Valleys are those areas between mountain ranges where a river usually runs in the lower part. In fact, it is precisely due to the erosive action of this river course that the valleys are formed.
They can also be formed by tectonic movements or by the melting of a glacier. This landform is basically a terrain that is sunk in the terrain that surrounds it, which can be occupied by mountains or mountain ranges. There are at least eight types of valleys.
Depressions are the different areas in which the land relief is located at a lower height than the regions that surround it.
In other words, these are regions of subsidence that are below sea level. The size and origin of the depressions can be very varied.
A dune is an accumulation of sand and they are typical of the beach or the desert. They can be longitudinal, transverse, parabolic or star, among others..
Coastal relief is called those geographical features that are in the contact zone between land and sea. The coastal landscape usually has different shapes. They can be steep or flat. This type of relief is made up of the following forms:
It is the flat area by the sea. This is formed due to the waves dragging and depositing materials such as sand, stone or gravel on the low coasts.
It is a vertical and steep coastal formation, composed of rock, which has been shaped by erosion of both the waves and the currents derived from it. This is how steps are formed against which the waves break.
It is a part of the sea that enters the land. Usually shaped like a bow or shell.
It is a land area through which the sea, an ocean or lake enters. It is surrounded by dirt on all sides except for an opening. This is usually wider than the rest.
It is about extensions of land that are surrounded by water on all sides except for one that is called the isthmus..
This is a small piece of land or peninsula that goes from the coast to the interior of the sea..
These are saltwater lagoons that are separated from the sea by a cordon of sand, but which in turn has communication with the sea, either through one or several points..
This is an area of land that can be more or less extensive. It is completely surrounded by water.
The archipelago is a group of islands close to each other within a certain extension of sea. Besides the islands they can contain islets, keys or reefs. They can be continental archipelagos and oceanic archipelagos.
It is a water channel that connects two bodies of water that can be lakes, seas or oceans, which means that they are between two land masses.
This is a triangular territory that consists of several islands and that is formed at the mouth of a river.
These are the deep mouths of the rivers, which make the sea penetrate into these.
The marshes are areas of a humid type, some swampy, which are located below sea level. They may have been invaded by sea water or from an estuary.
It is a stream of water that flows naturally. It has similarities with the river, but the cove has much less flow, being able to appear and disappear in certain climatic seasons.
Mouth of a wide river. Its main characteristic is that it is an area where salt water is mixed with sweet.
As in the surface areas of the Earth, the seabed also has geographical features. But unlike the continental relief, in the underwater relief, being protected by the waters, erosive agents do not act to wear down the materials..
For this reason, in this type of relief other types of shapes stand out, such as rounded, level and others with gentle slopes..
This is the natural region that goes from the superficial part of the water, that is, from sea level on the coastline to 200 meters deep. It is called the continental shelf because although it seems that the continents end up on the seashore, it is not like that.
These continue underneath until they form a sloping socket that can be smooth or fast. It can be said that the underwater platform has great similarity with the continental relief that surrounds it.
After reaching its end, approximately 200 meters away, the continental shelf gives way to the continental slope. This descends to 3000 meters. The region where the continental slope is located is called the bathyal region.
Also known as the abyssal basin, it forms most of the underwater relief, since it covers depths from 2000 to 6000 meters. From here, knowledge about the underwater relief begins to decline. It is believed to be a relief formed by plains, ocean ridges and volcanic islands.
Also known as the submarine ridge, these are mountain ranges submerged in the sea that cover large areas. It is the area in which faults and extinct volcanoes are generated, which causes it to be a tectonically very active area.
The main ridges are the Central Indian, Central Atlantic, Central Pacific, Eastern Pacific or Hawaii.
They are very narrow cavities that can be more than 11,000 meters deep, as is the case in the Marianas. They are depressions that are located on the ocean floor, especially near areas where there are geological faults..
The relief of the American continent is made up of mountain ranges, plains, massifs and plateaus. The highest peak is located in the Andes mountain range and is Aconcagua. The most important islands are Victoria, Greenland, Newfoundland, Baffin, Aleutians, Antilles and Tierra del Fuego.
The following image belongs to a type of relief that borders South America passing through Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela. What is it about?
It is the Andes Mountains, a type of continental relief.
The relief of the Asian continent presents mountains, plains, plateaus and depressions. In this area the mountains are young and high and the plateaus are very high. In the case of depressions, these are occupied by seas.
The following image belongs to Bali, a province of Indonesia in the Indian Ocean that is very attractive to international tourism. What kind of relief does the photo reflect??
It is a beach, a type of coastal relief.
The relief of Africa is formed by extensive depressions and plateaus, by massifs, rifts, plains and two large mountain ranges.
Deserts occupy a large area of the northern half of Africa. Some are of great beauty like the one in this photo located in Namibia. What kind of relief can we see in the image?
They are dunes, very typical of deserts and beaches.
The relief of Europe has three basic units. Plateaus and mountains in the north and in the center: the Great European Plain in the center; and young high-altitude mountains in the south.
The following image is located in the Doñana Natural Park in Spain, a protected reserve of great environmental interest. In what kind of relief do flamingos rest?
They are marshes, typical of the types of coastal relief.
In this continent, the relief of Australia stands out, which is characterized by the MacDonnell and Hamersley Mountains, as well as by the Great Dividing Range. But there are also mountainous areas due to the volcanic origin of some islands.
In Victoria, Australia we can find this wonder of nature formed from limestone. What kind of relief are we talking about?
It is a cliff, a type of coastal relief.
This is the highest continent on the planet. Its relief is composed of mountains with volcanoes and plateaus.
The relief in Antarctica is very limited, as it is entirely covered by snow. Vinson is his highest point. What is it about?
It is a massif of continental type.
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