Grand Canyon #2
Arizona
Fault
Near Parhump, Nevada
April, 1978
Overthrust Fault
Arizona
October, 1984
Crossbedded Sandston
Zion National Park, Utah
Columnar Jointing #3
Devil's Postpile National Monument
Granite Gorge in the Grand
Canyon
On the Colorado River by
Phantom Ranch, Mile 88
April, 1989
Fumeroles and Hot Springs #3
Bumpass Hell, Lassen National Pa
August, 1978
Granite arch
Baja, California
January, 1980
Joint Plane: Vernal Falls in Winter
Physical Weathering in Gran
Salt Crystals
Arches in
Sandstone
Vasey's Paradise #2
Colorado River
September, 1985
Goosenecks of the San Juan River
Near Mexican Hat, Utah
October, 1983
Aerial view of river meanders and some riparian vegetations
Along the San Joaquin River, California
March, 1989
Alpine Glacier & Moraines
Landmark Coll
September 1974
An aerial photo of marshes
taken from a float plane
over the birdfoot delta of
the Mississippi River.
Stalactites and stalagmites often merge, forming a
“column”.
What are landforms?
Landforms are physical features
on the Earth’s surface.
Landforms are created
naturally.
What are some examples of
landforms?
•Canyons Mountains
•Rock cliffs Rivers
•Beaches Lakes
Landforms are formed 3
ways:
1. Tectonic plates colliding
together to form mountains.
(sometimes causes
earthquakes)
2. Plates pulling apart to
form rivers, lakes and
oceans.
Can fill with water
Rivers, oceans, etc.
Plates pulling apart.
*Can also push together to form mountains!
3. Plates sliding past each
other to form earthquakes
and faults.
Can these landforms change
over time? Or are they
permanent?
Landforms change
constantly due to ……
1.Weathering
2.Erosion
3.Deposition
(Those definitions will
come later!)