Geography Assignment 1

Landforms are naturally formed features on the surface and often with a recognizable shape
like a valley or a mountain. They range in size and can be small or big. These are found in areas
of certain climatic conditions who which depends on types of landforms to be found.

This essay serves to account the formation of landforms on the subduction zone, divergent
margin and collision margin. The writer is going to define subduction zone and landform as the
key terms.

Landforms are features on earth which are not made by human for example hills, mountains,
valleys. According to Merrian Webster (2023), landforms are natural features of a land surface.
Manuel Pubellier (2013), postulates that landforms are features on earth which are due to
tensional or compressional forces. Subduction zone is a convergent of tectonic boundary where
one plate slides beneath the other. It might be oceanic versus oceanic or oceanic versus
continental plate. Bob Stern (2002) defined subduction zone as a place where sediments,
oceanic crust and mantle lithosphere return to reequilibrate with earth's mantle. Robert J.
Stern said that the subduction zones are limbs of convection cells and are the dominant
physical and chemical system of earth's interior.

There are several landforms formed on a subduction zone. We find out that there are deep
oceanic trenches. These are formed when either oceanic and oceanic or continental and
continental converge and meet. During oceanic and continental,the oceanic plate is more
densier than continental. Therefore, the oceanic plate is forced to subsides into the mantle
thereby leaving a trench. These trenches might be deep enough for about 50km depth. Doug
Bennett (2017)discovered the Aleutian trench that stretches from the Southwestern of Alaska.
Trenches are the deepest parts of the ocean floor and are created by subduction. Bowen
(1928), found a good geodynamic contextualisation in the subduction environments of plate
tectonics. During this trench formation formation there might be severe earthquake since there
is rubbing together of plates. Nevertheless, continental - continental crust, and earthquakes
caused by downgoing plate present a growing hazard to society.

There is also formation of volcanic mountains during subduction. Volcanic mountain ranges are
found at oceanic - continental convergent boundaries. As one plate is forced under the other
one, it begins to melt, and a line of volcanoes forms in parallel to the French. If it is continental
crust, then it will be a line of volcanic mountains like the Cascade Range in the western U. S. A.
Useful historical review of the subduction zone concept is given by White et al (1970).When
continental crust is caught in the maw of subdubction zones, the smooth operation of the
subduction zone is spectacularly disrupted and a mountain range such as the Himalayas may
result, O Brien (2001).Subduction zones are also our planet's largest recycling system. One can
speculate that if subdubction zones did not exist to produce continental crust, the large
exposed surfaces of rock known as continents would not exist.

We also find island arcs on the subdubction zone. Island arcs are found at oceanic - oceanic
convergent boundaries. These are curved landforms that result from oceanic to oceanic
convergence or the seaward extension of a continental plate and rogeny. The subdubction of
one plate under the other creates new land, and when that erupts above the surface a chain of
islands are formed often curved in a line such as Aleutian Islands near Alaska. These island arcs
may be associated with volcanoes. One of the first-time studies to compute focal mechanisms
for earthquakes occuring beneath island arcs was that by Isacks et al (1969).Island arcs play a
key role within the concept of plate tectonics, marking the sites of volcanic activity associated
with subdubction of oceanic crust. Daoxiong Hu(2013)published the formation mechanism of
Island arc. Island arcs can be either active or inactive based on their seismicity and presence of
volcanoes.

Divergent margin comes after certain plates move apart. It is also known as the constructive
margin since new features are formed. This is where we find mid - oceanic ridges. These are
usually found in oceans. They are formed when two oceanic plates move away from each other.
They are the most pronounced features on earth. Mid - oceanic ridges are essential broad,
fractured swell, a huge feature generally more than 50km wide. Example is the Mid - Atlantic
Ridge where America was moving away from Eurasian plates. Both volcanic and earthquakes
processes can occur during this. As the plates move apart, magma rises up to fill the gap and
this accumulates over time to become taller and wider. Iceland owes its experience to the Mid
Atlantic Ridge. In a nutshell, divergent boundaries construct plate material through cooled
magma, or new oceanic crust.

Rift valleys are also formed during divergent margins Rift valleys occur when a continent is
broken apart by a divergent boundary. As the plates move apart, the crust stretches and
fractures. Areas of crust drop down between faults to create a valley. The African Rift Valley in
East Africa is the example of this occurrence. Eventually, the ocean will separate East Africa
from the rest making a large lsland. The area is also characterised by volcanoes. Rift valleys are
due to tensional forces. In the rift valleys, springs of hot, mineral - laden waters spew from
chimneylike vents. Many rift valleys are closely depressions and have partly filled with water to
form the large fresh water lakes of East Africa.

We also find out that block mountains are formed during the divergence of plates. Fault block
mountains are formed by the movement of large crustal blocks along fault lines formed when
tensional forces pull up apart the crust. It is a raised piece of land or block bordered by fault
scarps. Host or block mountains are formed due to faulting. There are two basic types of block
mountains which are titled and lifted block mountains. Titled block mountains have one steep
side contrasted by a gentle slope on the other side. Lifted block mountains have a flat top and
extremely steep slopes. Example of block mountains are Sierra Nevada mountains, New
Mexico. Block mountains are formed due to the upward movement of the middle block
between two normal faults. The up-thrown block is what we call a host.

During the collision margin, two plates of similar density are forced towards each other. The
land between the plates is forced upwards to form fold mountains. Example is the Himalayan
mountains which were discovered by Kashmir (2005).Fold mountains are formed when two
plates collide ahead on and their edges crumble. Great amounts of melted rocks pushes its way
under the earth crust, but it does not crack it. The most common form of mountain ranges, like
the Rockies, are fold mountains. Amazon (2013) said that fold mountains occur at a collision
plate boundary where two pieces of continental crust meet eg, the Alps and the Himalay9. The
formation of fold mountains is extremely complex.

Conclusively, landform formation is more essential in a society because landforms beutify our
society. Some landforms become sources of water. Apart from that, they provide foreign
currency through tourists since they are tourists attraction features.