Explore Types of Landforms: Mountains, Valleys, and Plains

A landform is a natural shape or feature found on Earth's surface. Landforms are not made by people they are created by natural forces like wind, water, and the movement of Earth's crust over millions of years. Mountains, valleys, and plains are some of the most common landforms you will learn about.

You can explore how landforms connect to Formation Processes: Erosion, Deposition, and Weathering, which explains how natural forces shape and change the land around you.

A mountain is a very high area of land with steep sides that rises far above the surrounding land. Mountains are the tallest landforms, and their tops are often rocky or covered in snow all year long because temperatures get colder the higher you go.

The very top of a mountain is called the peak or summit. The lower slopes and land at the bottom of a mountain are called the foothills or base. A group of connected mountains is called a mountain range the Rocky Mountains in western North America are a famous example.

Mountains are different from hills because mountains are much taller and steeper. A hill is a raised landform that is smaller and more gently sloped than a mountain. Both mountains and hills rise above the land around them, but mountains reach much greater heights.

A valley is a low area of land that sits between mountains or hills. If you stood in a valley and looked up on both sides, you would see higher land rising around you. Valleys often have a U-shape or V-shape when viewed from the side.

Rivers commonly flow through valleys because water naturally moves downhill into low areas. The lowest, flat part at the bottom of a valley is called the valley floor. Valleys are useful to people because rivers bring rich soil that is great for growing crops.

Valleys are formed through erosion when rivers or glaciers slowly carve through rock and soil over thousands of years. You can learn more about this process in Formation Processes: Erosion, Deposition, and Weathering.

A plain is a large, flat area of land that stretches across wide regions. Plains have very little change in height, making them easy to travel across and build on. Many of the world's largest cities are built on plains.

Plains are very important for farming because the flat, fertile land is easy to plow and plant crops on. The Great Plains in the central United States is a famous example it is a huge, flat region known for growing wheat and corn.

Landform: A landform is a natural shape or feature found on Earth's surface, such as a mountain, valley, or plain. Landforms are created by natural forces, not by people.

Elevation: Elevation describes how high land is above sea level. Mountains have high elevation, while plains have low elevation. The higher the elevation, the colder the temperature gets.

Peak / Summit: The peak or summit is the very top of a mountain the highest point you can reach. Mount Everest is the highest peak in the world.

Ridge: A ridge is the narrow top edge that runs along a mountain or hill, like the spine of a book running across the top.

Plateau: A plateau is a flat-topped landform that stands high above the nearby land. It looks like a plain but sits at a much higher elevation. Plateaus are sometimes called "tablelands."

Basin: A basin is a sunken, bowl-shaped area of land. It is like the opposite of a hill or mountain instead of rising up, the land dips down into a bowl shape.

Valley: A valley is a low area of land that lies between hills or mountains. Rivers often flow through valleys, and the soil there is rich and good for farming.

Valley Floor: The valley floor is the lowest, flat part at the bottom of a valley. This is where rivers often flow and where farmers grow crops.

Plain: A plain is a large area of flat or gently rolling land. Plains are great for farming and building because the ground is level and easy to work with.

Hill: A hill is a raised area of land that is smaller and lower than a mountain. Hills have gentle, rounded slopes that are easy to walk up.

Mountain Range: A mountain range is a group of connected mountains that stretch across a large area of land. The Rocky Mountains are a famous mountain range in North America.

Canyon: A canyon is a deep, narrow valley with very steep rocky sides, often carved by a river over a very long time. The Grand Canyon in the United States is a famous example.

Peninsula: A peninsula is a piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides, with one side connected to the mainland.

Island: An island is a piece of land that is completely surrounded by water on all sides. Islands can be found in oceans, lakes, or rivers.

Archipelago: An archipelago is a group of many islands clustered close together in water. The Hawaiian Islands are an example of an archipelago.

Delta: A delta is a flat, triangle-shaped landform that forms where a river meets the sea. Rivers deposit sediment there over time, building up the land.

Coast: A coast is the land area that borders and runs along the ocean. Coasts are important landforms where land and water meet.

Glacier: A glacier is a large, slow-moving mass of ice that shapes the land as it moves. Glaciers can carve out valleys and lakes over thousands of years.

Foothills / Base: The foothills or base are the lower slopes and land found at the bottom of a mountain. This is where the mountain meets the surrounding land.

Landforms shape where people choose to live, what crops they grow, and how they travel. Farmers prefer plains because the flat, fertile land is easy to plow. Mountain peaks are explored by climbers, and valleys provide rich farmland near rivers.

Mountains also affect the weather nearby. They can block moving clouds and cause more rain or snow to fall on one side, while the other side stays much drier. This is called a rain shadow effect. You can explore how weather connects to landforms in Weather Patterns: Long-Term Weather Trends and Climate Zones: Regional Variations.

Landforms also provide important natural resources and habitats. You can discover more about this in Ecosystem Components: Living and Non-Living Elements and Resource Use: Effects on Environment.

Before studying landforms, you learned about Weather Impact: Effects on Earth's Surface, which shows you how weather forces like rain and wind can shape the land. You also studied Water Sources: Natural Water Bodies and the Water Cycle: Evaporation, Condensation, and Precipitation, which help you understand how water carves valleys and shapes plains.

Your knowledge of Natural Resources: Renewable vs. Non-Renewable and Environmental Changes: Local Ecosystem Effects also connects to how landforms provide resources and change over time.

Landforms connect to many other science topics you will explore. Understanding how landforms are built and broken down is covered in Formation Processes: Erosion, Deposition, and Weathering you will learn how wind, water, and ice slowly shape the land.

You will also discover how landforms change in Changes Over Time: Rapid and Slow Changes, and how the materials that make up landforms are studied in Rocks and Minerals: Properties and Classification and Soil Composition: Components and Properties.

Landforms affect living things too. You can explore this in Ecosystem Components: Living and Non-Living Elements and learn about protecting the land in Conservation: Protection Strategies.

This topic prepares you for more advanced ideas like Surface Features: Mountains, Valleys, and Oceans and Internal Structure: Layers of the Earth, where you will go deeper into how Earth is built from the inside out.