Teaching landforms in your classroom? If you’re searching for a quick and easy way to help students learn about landformsโwithout needing lots of extra suppliesโyouโve come to the right place! This post shares simple sorting and compare/contrast activities perfect for introducing landforms. All youโll need are some landform flashcards or pictures, making this activity both fun and hassle-free!
Materials
All you need for this simple learning activity is some good landform flashcards or pictures. I recommend downloading and printing my landform three-part cards. Optionally, you can also purchase my water features three-part cards. You’ll receive high-quality illustrations of each landform on printable flashcards, plus you’ll support my blog with your purchase!
Or, if you’re looking for EVEN MORE landforms materials for your lessons, I recommend checking out my complete Landforms Unit. It includes the landforms flashcards, a printable version of the directions in this blog post, and additional activities and printable materials.
Thereโs no need to scramble to put together the perfect landforms lesson โ Iโve already created it for you! This set includes all the printable materials you need for studying landforms in your classroom or homeschool!
Glaciers make a big mark on the landscapes beneath and around them. Both continental glaciation (ice caps, ice sheets) and alpine glaciation (valley glaciers in large mountains) shape the landscape. If you live in northern North America or northern Europe you may find landforms created by glaciation nearby! This is because during the last ice age, ice sheets covered large parts of northern Eurasia and North America. Smaller glaciers were also located (and often still are found) in tall mountain ranges like the Andes and Himalayas. Even thousands of years after a glacier disappears, you can still find evidence of its presence in the glacial landforms left behind!
Before you continue reading: if you need more background info about how glaciers form and why they are important, check out my blog post on glaciers.
A special note for educators: If you are teaching your students about glaciers, try out my Glaciers: Science on Ice unit. It is full of all the printable worksheets, handouts, and activity directions you’ll need for teaching about glaciers and glacial landforms. Plus, you’ll support this blog with your purchase! ๐
Before we can explore the different types of glacial landforms, we need to understand a little bit more about the forces at play. Glaciers shape the landscape in two main ways: through erosion and deposition. Basically, a glacier picks up materials like rocks and sediments in one place, then later sets them down in a different place. Erosion removes rocks and sediments, leaving behind scarred landscapes. The removed rocks and sediments are then deposited in different locations. Deposition builds up rocks and sediments on the landscape, creating a gently rolling or bumpy-looking terrain. Even after glaciers melt away, we can still see the unique landforms they leave behind.
Let’s take a look at a few common glacial landform types and how they form.
1. Cirque
A steep-walled mountain basin with one open side, located at the upper end of a glacial valley. Sometimes, you will find a small pond (called a tarn) in the bottom of a cirque.
Formation: Cirques become carved into the landscape at the start of valley glaciersโ paths. A cirque opens to a valley on one side, in the direction that the glacier moved.
Example: Cirque Meadows in northern Colorado, USA (seen from a distance)
A sharp, pointy mountain peak. Horns are places where three or more arรชtes meet. At the base of a horn, you will find three or more cirques.
Formation: A horn forms through erosion on all sides by three or more glaciers.
Example: Multiple glacial horns near Laguna Parรณn, Peru
The Matterhorn in the Alps is a great example of a horn. Photo by Pixabay
4. U-shaped valley
A gently sloping valley carved out by a glacier that looks like a U from a profile view. In contrast, a valley carved out by running water will have a V-shape on profile.
Formation: U-shaped valleys become eroded into the landscape by valley glaciers.
A U-shaped valley forms when a glacier moves down a mountain valley. After the glacier recedes, the U-shaped valley is left behind. Photo by Stephan Seeber
5. Moraine
Long mounds of unsorted glacial till that are deposited onto the landscape along the borders of glaciers. There are several different types of moraines including lateral moraines, end moraines, and medial moraines.
Formation: Moraines form as a glacier deposits till along its sides and front.
A low, streamlined hill made of glacial till with one steep end and one smooth, elongated end pointing in the direction that the glacier moved.
Formation: Drumlins are depositional landforms that form beneath ice sheets. If the area around a drumlin later becomes flooded with water, the drumlin can become an island.
Example: There are many drowned (island) drumlins in the Clew Bay, Ireland
Formation: Eskers form in the outwash from ice sheets. They form as sand and gravel settle out of meltwater flowing in streams underneath and in front of receding glaciers. If the area around the esker later becomes flooded with water, the esker can become an isthmus.
Example: Eskers Provincial Park in Alberta, Canada (look for subtle, s-shaped ridges in the landscape)
A depression in the earth where a buried ice block melted. Kettles are often filled with water (e.g., a kettle lake).
Formation: A kettle forms when a large chunk of ice is deposited and buried in glacial outwash. As the buried ice melts, a depression forms and often fills with water.
If you liked this blog post, I know you’ll love my Glaciers: Science on Ice unit. It is a complete set of learning materials for studying glaciers with your class or homeschool.
Plummer, C. C., Carlson, D. H., & Hammersley L. (2019). Physical Geology. Sixteenth edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Chapter 17: Glaciation.
Before diving into definitions and examples of some common water features, let us ask: “What is a water feature?” Water features are any water body or waterway found on the Earth’s surface!
Water features come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes! For example, some water features are lotic (flowing, like a stream), while others are lentic (stagnant, non-flowing, like a pond). Additionally, water features can have freshwater, saltwater, or a combination of the two (such as brackish water found in coastal wetlands and estuaries). Furthermore, many water features are natural, but also sometimes human-made, like reservoirs and canals.
A Special Note For Teachers: if you are an educator planning a water features unit, you’ll find more information about these different types of water features within my water features unit. You can check it out in my shop, where I offer learning materials for a variety of environmental science units.
Water moves between different water features (and into the air, ground, and ice) through the water cycle. The water cycle is an ongoing process moving water from the oceans to the land and back. To start, the sun powers the water cycle, providing energy for water to evaporate. This creates freshwater and makes it possible for water to move from oceans and low areas to higher places. Then, water flows downhill and makes its way back to the ocean. You can also learn about how humans impact the water cycle in my post from last year.
Bays & Gulfs
A bay is a body of salt water along a coast that is partially enclosed by land. The mouth of a bay is the side that is open to a larger body of water like a sea or ocean. Sometimes, a bay may be called a cove. Gulfs are similar to bays but larger.
A delta is a landform of deposited sediments where a river or stream meets the ocean. Sediments settle out of the river water as it flows into the slower-moving ocean or sea. The movement of water through a delta is controlled by the flow of the river.
An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where a slow-moving river or stream meets the ocean. Notably, estuaries contain mixed freshwater and salt water. The movement of water through estuaries is controlled by waves and tides as well as by the flow of the river.
A lake is a stagnant or non-flowing body of surface water. However, many lakes are fed by small inlet streams. Similarly, ponds are also non-flowing bodies of surface water. However, ponds are shallower and usually smaller than lakes.
Oceans are vast bodies of salt water. Earthโs ocean is a continuous body of water, but geographically we divide it into 4 oceans: the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. Similarly, seas are smaller areas of salt water, also connected to the ocean. All together, oceans and seas cover about 70% of earth.
View of the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of North Carolina, USA
Ponds
A pond is a stagnant or non-flowing body of surface water. However, many ponds are fed by small inlet streams. Ponds are shallower and typically smaller than lakes.
Examples of Ponds
Spy Pond, Massachusetts, USA – frozen in winter time!
Small pond in Colorado beneath Vestal and Arrow Peaks.
Springs
A spring is where groundwater naturally flows onto the earthโs surface. Specifically, a spring forms when the water table is at the same or a higher level than the landโs surface. Springs are often found on steep hillsides or in valley bottoms. Springs may form the beginnings of streams and rivers.
A stream is a flowing channel of surface water. Streams may also be called creeks and brooks. Large streams are called rivers. However, the size at which a “creek” or “brook” becomes a “river” varies dramatically between regions. Perennial streams flow year-round. Seasonal and intermittent streams will dry up at certain times of year or when the weather is hotter and drier.
A waterfall is where a stream becomes vertical or nearly vertical. Waterfalls are found in places that streams flow over steep mountainsides and cliffs. Often, deep plunge pools are found at the bottom of waterfalls.
Find these printable handouts, flashcards, and worksheets in my complete Water Bodies Unit
Wetlands
Wetlands are areas of land flooded or saturated with water. Additionally, wetlands are filled with plants that are adapted for life in flooded environments. Furthermore, wetlands may either last year-round or dry up seasonally. Other names for wetlands include bogs, marshes, and swamps.
A wetland during a part of the year with low waters, along the Appalachian Trail
Ditches & Canals
A ditch is a human-made stream, created to transport flowing water from one area to another. Ditches can move floodwater away from an area where it is not wanted or bring water to an area where it is needed. Similarly, Canals are also human-made streams. However, canals are large enough to allow for boats to pass through them.
Examples of Ditches
The Grand Ditch, Colorado, USA – used to divert water from one side of the continental divide to the other!
A small human-made ditch in Fort Collins, Colorado moves water from a reservoir to farm fields.
Reservoirs
A reservoir is a man-made lake or pond, created to store water for later use. Reservoirs are built by damming a river or stream which forces water to pool upstream. Reservoirs supply year-round water in regions where most of the annual precipitation falls during a short period.
Examples of Reservoirs
Lake Mead & the Hoover Dam, USA – very large reservoir & dam
Teach Water Bodies and Landforms with Wild Earth Lab:
Are you planning to teach landforms and water features? You may enjoy the learning materials I’ve created on these topics! All my learning materials feature my artwork! Find them in my shop or click on the links below:
Many forces work together to shape the landscape. Plate tectonics, volcanic activity, erosion, and deposition work slowly over time to form and change Earth’s surface. All these forces working together create some pretty unique and cool landforms! In this post, we’ll take a closer look at 12 common landforms – what they look like and how they form!
Landforms are the naturally formed, solid features of the Earthโs surface. They shape the Earthโs topography, or form. Landforms shape the way the Earth’s surface looks and how humans, plants, and animals live in different areas. Next time you head out on a road trip or visit a park, see which of these 12 common landforms you can spot!
For Teachers:ย If youโre an educator planning toย teach landforms, great activities and visuals are key to deepening understanding! I think you and your students will love my complete Landforms Unit, which you can also find in my Landforms and Waterbodies Bundle โplus youโll support my blog with your purchase! โค๏ธ
A canyon near Elephant Butte, in Arches National Park, Utah
Canyon
Definition: A deep, narrow passage bounded by cliffs on both sides. Canyons are like valleys but with much steeper walls.
Formation: Canyons form due to erosion by running water. The running water may be seasonal and only flow for a few months of the year, or flow year-round.
Definition: A naturally formed, underground chamber, below the earthโs surface or on the side of a hill or cliff.
Formation: Many caves are formed by erosion. Caves can form when slowly seeping groundwater dissolves buried rock, leaving behind hollowed-out caverns. For example, the rock limestone dissolves when in contact with mildly acidic groundwater. Erosion can also form caves when waves carve sea caves into cliffsides.
El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Ampetheatre, Giants Castle Game Reserve, South Africa
A hill along the Colorado Trail, Colorado, USA.
Hill
Definition: A rounded, naturally elevated area of land.
Formation: Hills form in many ways. Some hills form as formerly larger mountains erode. Others form when sediments are deposited and then colonized with plants, such as the hills left behind in areas once covered by glaciers. Some hills form due to plate tectonic activity.
Definition: A body of land surrounded by water. Islands are smaller than continents and can be found in many types of water bodies such as oceans, lakes, and rivers.
Formation: Islands may be formed by volcanic activity or by the deposition of sediments like sand. Plate tectonics also plays a role – where ocean plates converge, uplift and volcanic activity occur – increasing the elevation of the ocean floor until it breaches the water’s surface, forming islands.
Examples of Islands
A Small Island near Pulau Guraici, North Maluku, Indonesia
Isle Royale National Park, Michigan, USA: the largest island in Lake Superior. Isle Royale is so large it has smaller lakes on it, which have smaller islands within them!
Bird Island, near South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands off the coast of Antarctica
Definition: A narrow strip of land with water on two sides, connecting two bodies of land.
Formation: Isthmuses form when the water level exposes an elevated ridge of land above the waterโs surface. Some isthmuses, such as the Isthmus of Panama, form where tectonic plates converge. Others, like the Madison Isthmus, result from the lakes and glacial drumlins (ridges of loose rock and coarse sediment deposited by glaciers) left behind in a post-glacial landscape.
Definition: A naturally elevated, flat-topped area of land with steep sides. It is larger than a butte but smaller than a plateau.
Formation: Mesas form as running water erodes the rocks and sediments surrounding an area, leaving it elevated above the surrounding landscape. A “capstone” made of harder rock than the surrounding area may prevent the mesa itself from eroding as quickly.
The Landforms Unit includes three-part flashcards and this printable classroom poster with watercolor artwork of 12 common landforms.
A glacial valley near Byron Glacier, outside of Anchorage, Alaska.
Valley
Definition: A low area of land between two hills or mountains. Valleys often have streams flowing through them.
Formation: Valleys are formed by erosion. Running water or glaciers can carve out valleys over long time periods. Flowing water tends to cut “V” shaped valleys, while glaciers carve out “U” shaped valleys.
View from inside the crater of a dormant volcano in Haleakalฤ National Park, Maui, Hawaii.
Volcano
Definition: A mountain or hill with a crater through which lava is projected.
Formation: Volcanoestypically form due to plate tectonic activity, which can allow the molten rock to breach the Earthโs surface. The buildup of solidified lava forms a cone with a crater in it.
Are you planning to teach landforms and water features? You may enjoy the learning materials I’ve created on these topics! All my learning materials feature my artwork! Find them in my shop or click on the links below:
