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Everything You Need to Know About Planet Earth

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Everything You Need to Know About Planet Earth

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A comprehensive guide that explains Earth's landforms, water bodies, and geological features in an engaging way perfect for middle school students. Includes colorful diagrams and real-world examples.

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Geography for Kids: Earth Sciences, Landforms, and More

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Geography for Kids: Earth Sciences, Landforms, and More

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An accessible introduction to geographical concepts with a focus on landforms and water bodies. Features simple explanations and vibrant illustrations.

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A detailed exploration of Earth's water features, explaining how they form and their importance to our planet's ecosystems.

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An interactive resource featuring articles, videos, and activities about various landforms and water bodies around the world.

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A landform is a feature on Earth's surface that is part of the terrain. Mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains are the four major types of landforms.

Subjects

Earth Science, Geology, Geography, Physical Geography

A landform is a feature on Earth's surface that is part of the terrain. Mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains are the four major types of landforms. Minor landforms include buttes, canyons, valleys, and basins.

Tectonic plate movement under Earth can create landforms by pushing up mountains and hills. Erosion by water and wind can wear down land and create landforms like valleys and canyons. Both processes happen over a long period of time, sometimes millions of years.

It took six million years, in fact, for the Colorado River to carve out the Grand Canyon in the U.S. state of Arizona. The Grand Canyon is 446 kilometers (277 miles) long.

The highest landform on Earth is a mountain: Mount Everest in Nepal. It measures 8,850 meters (29,035 feet) above sea level. It is part of the Himalaya range that runs across several countries in Asia.

Landforms can exist under water in the form of mountain ranges and basins under the sea. The Mariana Trench, the deepest landform on Earth, is in the South Pacific.

Fast Fact

And It's Getting Deeper
At the Grand Canyon's deepest point, it is over one mile (1.83 kilometers) from its top to its floor.

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Illustrators

Mary Crooks, National Geographic Society

Editors

Jeannie Evers, Emdash Editing, Emdash Editing

Producer

National Geographic Society

other

Last Updated

October 19, 2023

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A landform is a feature on Earth's surface that is part of the terrain. Mountains, hills, plateaus, and plains are the four major types of landforms.

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Educational content about Earth's various landforms with satellite imagery and explanations of how these features form and change over time.

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climate change, global climate change, global warming, natural hazards, Earth, environment, remote sensing, atmosphere, land processes, oceans, volcanoes, land cover, Earth science data, NASA, environmental processes, Blue Marble, global maps

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Comprehensive information about water systems, watersheds, and how water shapes our landscape.

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Watersheds and Drainage Basins | U.S. Geological Survey

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When looking at the location of rivers and the amount of streamflow in rivers, the key concept is the river's "watershed". What is a watershed? Easy, if you are standing on ground right now, just look down. You're standing, and everyone is standing, in a watershed.

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A collection of interactive videos and activities that help students understand different types of landforms and water features.

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Learn about different water bodies and the various characteristics that make them distinct from one another in this multimedia gallery from WGBH. Water bodies are natural accumulations of water that make up about three-quarters of Earth's surface. Each one looks different when viewed from the ground (ground view) and from above (aerial view).

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Fun and educational content about mountain formation, types of valleys, and related geographical features.

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Valleys are long, low areas that can typically be found between hills and mountains. They are often formed by the erosion of land over time by ice (glacial erosion) or a source of moving water, such as a river or stream. Read on to find out more!

Download FREE teacher-made resources covering 'Valleys'

Valleys for Kids - Definition and Examples

Valleys are areas of the landscape that have been carved out by gravity, moving water, ice, or a mixture of two or more of these factors. They all take the shape of a 'U' or 'V', except for flat valleys, which started out as one of these two shapes, but were worn away by running water. The river cuts down into the landscape, forming cracks that the water uses to further break down the rock. The water freezes at night, putting pressure on the rock until bits begin to break off. This makes the valley even steeper. These broken rock parts also aid in corrosion. It takes tens of thousands of years (or more!) for valleys to form.

Teaching Wiki Contents

Types of Valleys

Now that you know the basic definition of the word 'valley', it's time to find out about the different kinds of valleys. There are quite a few, but what are the three types of valleys you'll come across most often? Here's some more information about them, plus a handful of other fascinating valley types.

U-shaped Valleys

U-shaped valleys are sometimes called trough valleys or glacial troughs. Multiple types of valleys are U-shaped, including glacial valleys and tunnel valleys. But how are these valleys formed?

The name of this process is glaciation. Glaciation happens when a glacier carves into a valley and scours it into a distinctive 'U' shape with high, straight sides and a rounded or flat bottom. U-shaped valleys are the result of glaciers moving downhill and 'scouring' the earth with friction as gravity pulls the glacier from the top of an elevated area to the bottom. The huge size and heavy weight of the glacier create a thick, slush-like layer of ice and water beneath the ice mass. Gravity means that the glacier is moved downhill, sliding on this slush layer. The ice can't be compressed, so the glacier ends up carving into the ground underneath it.

While the glacier is moving, stones and rocks are picked up and carried along with the glacier to form eskers. This is called 'plucking'. These rocks can end up stuck to the bottom of the glacier. They then end up contributing to the erosion of the surface that the glacier is moving along. There are different kinds of eskers called tills and moraines. Eskers are the long lines of rocks found on each side of the glacier as it continues to move downwards. Tills are the rocks scraped up by the glacier as it travels downhill. Moraines are the rocks that are pushed along at the front of the glacier.

It can take tens of thousands of years for a U-shaped valley to form. Geologists did not always believe that glaciers created U-shaped valleys. As ice is quite soft, it seemed impossible that something made of ice (no matter how huge) could carve into rock. It took until the late 20th century for this theory to be taken seriously by multiple scientists.

V-shaped Valleys

V-shaped valleys are valleys formed by rivers. Due to this, they are often called 'river valleys'. They have very steep sides and form a thin, flat divot at the bottom, resembling the letter 'v'.

These valleys are formed by erosion from the flow of moving water. In the upper course of the river, water flows quickly downhill and cuts into the landscape through hydraulic action. The river also carries small stones and rocks that help to erode the banks by banging into the rocky sides: a process known as corrasion or abrasion.

The river water can also cause corrosion, breaking down the rocks chemically by dissolving the minerals held in them.

Once exposed to the elements, the sides of the valley become vulnerable to further erosion. Freeze-thaw weathering begins to crumble the sides of the valley, loosening rocks which break free and tumble into the water.

Over thousands of years, the valley becomes deeper and wider. The force of the water and the scouring of rocks scrub the riverbed and carve out a valley.

When the river reaches material that is harder to break down, it will often leave behind interlocking spurs on either side of the valley as it bends around them, following the path of least resistance. These jut out and are said to look like the teeth of a zip.

Flat Valleys

Flat valleys, also known as plain valleys or flat-floored valleys, are the most common type in the world. These valleys, just like V-shaped valleys, are formed by streams. They start out as V-shaped or U-shaped valleys, but over time the stream continues to erode the soil of the valley. This eventually turns the valley into one with a broad, flat floor. These valleys therefore tend to be a lot older than other kinds of valleys.

Other Types of Valleys

Hollows - These are small valleys that are nestled between hills or mountains.#

Hanging Valleys - This kind of valley is a tributary valley that is higher than the main valley. They are U-shaped and can be found in areas of the world with high altitudes, such as mountainous regions. In rare circumstances, these hanging valleys can end up being larger than the main valley! They can also sometimes be found underwater.

Rift Valleys - Rift valleys are primarily created by earth movements instead of erosion. They form in places where the planet's crust is splitting apart. This type of valley is usually narrow, with steep sides and a flat floor. There are lots of underwater rift valleys.

Examples of Valleys

Here are some examples of the different kinds of valleys that you can find all over the world.

Where can I find U-shaped valleys?

There are many U-shaped valleys all over the world, formed when the temperatures dropped and glaciers began to form. These valleys are usually found in places with mountains or fjords. You'll also find hanging valleys in places of high altitude. This includes some of the most famous mountain ranges on the planet, such as:

Where can I find V-shaped valleys?

V-shaped valleys can be found high up in the hills or mountains, too, where rivers begin to form.

A famous V-shaped valley is the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA. The Grand Canyon is over a mile deep and around 277 miles long. Another is the Muretto Pass, which can be found in the Swiss Alps.

Where can I find flat valleys?

Perhaps the most well-known flat valley is the Nile River Valley. This valley remains the home of most of the population of Egypt to this day. The Nile has been used as the main source of freshwater dating all the way back to the Stone Age. It was used for drinking water, fishing, travel, washing, sewage and more by ancient Egyptians.

5 Interesting Facts about Valleys

1. Some of the earliest human civilisations started around valleys. The running water allowed people to drink fresh water, bathe, fish and dispose of waste. Some of these river valleys include those around , the Indus and .

2. Other terms for valleys include coves and dells. There are some British regional terms for valleys too! These include corries, vales, cloughs, glens and dales.

3. Did you know that there are valleys on other planets too? The largest can be found on Venus. It is a lava channel called 'Baltis Vallis' and is around 4200 miles long and 2 miles wide. Our Moon even has valleys too!

4. The biggest valley on Earth is thought to be the Great Rift Valley. This vast valley stretches from Jordan in Southwest Asia all the way to Mozambique in East Africa. It is around 4000 miles long and about 30 to 40 miles wide on average.

5. When a U-shaped valley extends into the sea, it's called a fjord.

Teaching Video about Valleys

This fantastic video is ideal for helping children to understand the differences between human and physical geographical features.

Teaching Resources on Valleys

If you've enjoyed reading this Teaching Wiki about valleys, then why not have a look at some of our brilliant geography resources? You can find resources for KS1 and KS2 on all sorts of different topics. Here are a few of our favourite valley-themed activities and worksheets:

Geography of a River (KS1)

Our Geography of a River labelling activity is an excellent option for testing your pupils on their understanding of rivers, valleys and more! Can your young learners correctly identify each of the river features? Once completed, this worksheet makes a great revision resource.

KS2 Features of a River - Lesson Plan 3 - Year 6 Geography

This lesson plan has everything you need to teach a lesson about rivers and their features. Inside this pack, you'll find handy PowerPoints, activity sheets and even a set of success criteria grids.

Valley Poster | Display Posters | Primary Resources

This lovely poster is ideal for displaying in your classroom as a part of a display about valleys or landforms. It features an annotated illustration of a valley, plus some of the animals that can be found living in valleys.

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What are Valleys? | Geography | Teaching Wiki - Twinkl

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Are you teaching about natural features in your geography lessons? Learn all about the different kinds of valleys with this informative Teaching Wiki.

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Detailed information about underwater landforms and ocean topography, designed for middle school students.

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A key part of exploration is creating maps to plan efficient and safe expeditions. Multibeam sonars collect high-resolution data using multiple, simultaneous sonar beams (sound waves) at once in a fan-like pattern or "swath." Multibeam sonar data allow teams to spot previously unseen features such as seamounts, deep-sea sandwaves, faults, ancient coral reefs, shipwrecks, and more.

Choose from the sections below to further explore ocean exploration education resources on seafloor mapping.

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Education: Themes: Seafloor Mapping: NOAA Ocean Exploration

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A key part of exploration is creating maps to plan efficient and safe expeditions. Multibeam sonars collect high-resolution data using multiple, simultaneous sonar beams (sound waves) at once in a fan-like pattern or "swath." Multibeam sonar data allow teams to spot previously unseen features such as seamounts, deep-sea sandwaves, faults, ancient coral reefs, shipwrecks, and more.

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Educational content explaining how rivers shape the landscape and the different stages of river development.

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The process of can create different landforms. The erosional features are often found in the of the river.

Waterfall and gorges

A is a sudden drop along the river course. It forms when there are horizontal bands of resistant rock (hard rock) positioned over exposed, less resistant rock (soft rock).

1. The soft rock is eroded quicker than the hard rock and this creates a step.

2. As erosion continues, the hard rock is undercut forming an overhang.

3. Over time this gets bigger, increasing the size of the overhang until the hard rock is no longer supported and it collapses.

4. This process continues and the waterfall retreats upstream.

5. A steep-sided valley is left where the waterfall once was. This is called a .

Interlocking spurs

In the upper course there is more . The river cuts down into the valley. If there are areas of hard rock which are harder to erode, the river will bend around it. This creates of land which link together like the teeth of a zip.

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Erosional landforms - River landforms - AQA - GCSE Geography Revision - AQA - BBC Bitesize

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The process of can create different landforms. The erosional features are often found in the of the river. A is a sudden drop along the river course. It forms when there are horizontal bands of resistant rock (hard rock) positioned over exposed, less resistant rock (soft rock).