2.2 THE EARTH´S RELIEF

2.2 THE EARTH´S RELIEF

1. CONTINENTAL RELIEF

   • MOUNTAINS: They are high landforms with steep sides. Groups of mountains form mountain ranges.
   • VALLEYS: They are areas of low land between mountains. Rivers flow through many valleys.
   • PLAINS: They are low,flat areas of land. Many plains are found near the coast,or are formed by large rivers
   • PLATEAUS: They are high, raised plains (i.e. found in Tibet, in Asia and Bolivia).
   • BASINS They are natural depressions that are lower than the land around them.

2. COASTAL RELIEF

   • PENINSULA is an area of land that is mainly surrounded by water.
   • ISTHMUS connects a peninsula to a continent.
   • CAPE is a strip of land that extends into the sea.
   • ISLAND is an area of land surrounded by water on all sides.
   • GULF is an area of the sea that is partly surrouded by land.
   • BAY is a small gulf.

3. RELIEF ON THE OCEAN FLOOR

   • CONTINENTAL SHELF is a large plateau that surround a continent reaching a depth of 200m.
   • ABYSSAL PLANES are vast plateaus at a depth of 3000-7000m.
   • MID-OCEAN RIDGES are long mountain that are found on the abissal plains. Some of the peaks rise above surface and form islands.
   • OCEAN TRENCHES are long, deep cracks in the ocean floor. The deepest trench is in the Oceanic Pacific (11000 m).
   • CONTINENTAL SLOPE leads down from the continental shelf into the deeper part of the ocean.

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