Identify Landforms Quiz!

Name each landform by looking closely at the image above.

1

Mountain

Volcano

lake

valley

Waterfall

butte

plateau

canyon

tribulary

10

river

11

plain

12

harbor

13

beach

14

Clue: Strait.

15

cape

16

Clue: Gulf

17

isthmus

18

peninsula

19

islet

20

Clue: delta

21

Clue: Sound

22

Clue: ocean

23

Archipelago

Write a definition for each of the following landforms:

Alluvial fan

land formation that occurs when sedimentary materials such as rocks, gravel, and silt, are deposited onto land as a result of decreasing
or stopped water flow from a river or stream source.

Divide

the highest ridge of land separating river basins.

Mesa

a land formation having a relatively flat top and steep rock walls.

Moraine

deposits of rock and sediment left from a former or receding glacier.

Sandbar

an area of sand or sentiment that has been collecting and rises above or just below the water.

River mouth

A river mouth is the part of a river that flows into a lake, reservoir or ocean.

Flood Plain

an area of low-lying ground adjacent to a river, formed mainly of river sediments and subject to flooding.

Cloze activity

Complete the following cloze activity - fill in the gaps:

Landforms are often the result of natural changes on and within the Earth. Some changes occur gradually as water, wind and
changing temperatures wear away rock and soil. Other changes, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes , are quite dramatic.
Many islands have been formed as the result of volcanic eruptions.
One of the coldest spot on earth is on a high plateau in Antarctica.
Tiny sea creatures take 1000s of years to build a coral reef.
Very few people reach the summit of Mt Everest.
Earths highest waterfall flows over the side of a mountain in Venezuela.
You might find a cactus in a desert.

Landforms a-z
A
alluvial fan
B
badlands
butte
C
canal
canyon
D
delta
desert
E
equator
F
Waterfalls

G
geyser
Glacier
H
headlandhill
hillside
I
iceberg
island
J
Jungle
K
knob
knoll
L
lagoon
lake
lakebed
landform
M
marsh
meander
mountain
N
narrows
natural arch
O
oasis
ocean
oceanic trench
overhang
overlook
oxbow lake

P
peninsula
Plateau
R
reef
riverbed
S
sandbar
sand dune
T
tar pit
tundra
U
U-shaped valley
V
valley
volcano
W
waterfall
wetland
Y
Yardang

How mountains are formed

LI: Use SEEC paragraphing for all three paragraphs

Mountains are likely to be the most well known landform.

Many mountains were formed by tectonic plates colliding. The Earth's crust is made up of
multiple tectonic plates that still move today as a result of activity in the geosphere below the
surface. When two tectonic plates meet , their edges can crumple. The result of these tectonic
plates crumpling is huge pieces of rock being pushed up into the air. This is one way that
mountains can be formed.
Mountains can also form along natural fault lines. These are places where Earths tectonic
plates grind against each other. From time to time , two plates will grind together making one
plate lift up and one peeking over. This creates a mountain range.
One other way mountains form is with volcanic activity below Earth's surface. Sometimes
magma gets pushed up toward the surface. When that happens, it cools and forms hard rock.
Eventually, the softer rock above it wears away to reveal a mountain below. If the magma
breaks through to the surface it forms a volcano!
Mountains can also form by way of erosion. In an area with rivers and streams can carve away
stone. Over millions of it creates a mountain.