Glossary of landforms

Landforms are categorized by characteristic physical attributes such as their creating process, shape, elevation, slope, orientation, rock exposure, and soil type.

Landforms by process

Landforms organized by the processes that create them.

Aeolian landforms

Aeolian landform  Landforms produced by action of the winds are formed by the wind and include:

  • Dry lake  Basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body
  • Sandhill  Type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem
  • Ventifact  Rock that has been eroded by wind-driven sand or ice crystals
  • Yardang  Streamlined aeolian landform

Coastal and oceanic landforms

Coastal and oceanic landforms include:

  • Abyssal fan  Underwater geological structures associated with large-scale sediment deposition
  • Abyssal plain  Flat area on the deep ocean floor
  • Archipelago  Collection of islands
  • Atoll  Ring-shaped coral reef
  • Arch  Natural rock formation where a rock arch forms
  • Ayre  Shingle beaches in Orkney and Shetland
  • Barrier bar
  • Barrier island  Coastal dune landform that forms by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast
  • Bay  Recessed, coastal body of water connected to an ocean or lake
  • Baymouth bar  Sandbank that partially or completely closes access to a bay
  • Beach  Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water
  • Raised beach  Emergent coastal landform  Beach or wave-cut platform raised above the shoreline by a relative fall in the sea level
  • Beach cusps  Shoreline formations made up of various grades of sediment in an arc pattern
  • Beach ridge  Wave-swept or wave-deposited ridge running parallel to a shoreline
  • Bight  Shallowly concave bend or curve in a coastline, river, or other geographical feature
  • Blowhole  Hole at the top of a sea-cave which allows waves to force water or spray out of the hole
  • Channel  Type of landform in which part of a body of water is confined to a relatively narrow but long region
  • Cape  Large headland extending into a body of water, usually the sea
  • Calanque  Narrow, steep-walled inlet on the Mediterranean coast
  • Cliff  Vertical, or near vertical, rock face of substantial height
  • Coast  Area where land meets the sea or ocean
  • Continental shelf  Coastal and oceanic landform
  • Coral reef  Outcrop of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of stony coral skeletons
  • Cove  Small sheltered bay or coastal inlet
  • Cuspate foreland  Geographical features found on coastlines and lakeshores
  • Dune system  Hill of loose sand built by aeolian processes or the flow of water
  • Estuary  Partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water
  • Firth  Scottish word used for various coastal inlets and straits
  • Fjard  Glacially formed, broad, shallow inlet
  • Fjord  Long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial activity
  • Geo  Inlet, a gully or a narrow and deep cleft in the face of a cliff
  • Gulf  Large inlet from the ocean into the landmass
  • Headland  Landform extending into a body of water, often with significant height and drop
  • Inlet  Hollow of a shoreline that often leads to an enclosed body of salt water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon, or marsh
  • Island  Any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water
  • Islet  Very small island
  • Isthmus  Narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas
  • Lagoon  Shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform
  • Machair  Fertile low-lying grassy plain
  • Marine terrace  Emergent coastal landform
  • Mid-ocean ridge  Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
  • Oceanic basin  Geologic basin under the sea
  • Oceanic plateau  Relatively flat submarine region that rises well above the level of the ambient seabed
  • Oceanic ridge  An underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
  • Oceanic trench  Long and narrow depressions of the sea floor
  • Peninsula  Landform surrounded mostly, but not entirely by water
  • Ria  A coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley
  • River delta  Silt deposition landform at the mouth of a river
  • Salt marsh  Coastal ecosystem between land and open saltwater that is regularly flooded
  • Sea cave  Cave formed by the wave action of the sea and located along present or former coastlines
  • Seamount  Mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface
  • Seamount chains
  • Shoal  Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
  • Shore  The fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water
  • Sound  A long, relatively wide body of water, connecting two larger bodies of water
  • Spit  Coastal bar or beach landform deposited by longshore drift
  • Strait  Naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water
  • Strandflat  Type of landform found in high-latitude areas
  • Stack  Geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock, and stump
  • Submarine canyon  Steep-sided valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope
  • Surge channel  Narrow inlet, usually on a rocky shoreline, and is formed by differential erosion of those rocks by coastal wave action
  • Tessellated pavement  Relatively flat rock surface that is subdivided into more or less regular shapes by fractures
  • Tidal marsh  Marsh subject to tidal change in water
  • Tide pool  Rocky pool on a seashore, separated from the sea at low tide, filled with seawater
  • Tombolo  Deposition landform in which an island is connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus
  • Volcanic arc  Chain of volcanoes formed above a subducting plate
  • Wave-cut platform  Narrow flat area often found at the base of a sea cliff or along the shoreline of a lake, bay, or sea that was created by erosion

Cryogenic landforms

Erosion landforms

Landforms produced by erosion and weathering usually occur in coastal or fluvial environments, and many also appear under those headings.

  • Arête  A narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys
  • Badlands  Type of heavily eroded terrain
  • Bornhardt  A large dome-shaped, steep-sided, bald rock
  • Butte  Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top
  • Canyon  Deep ravine between cliffs
  • Cave  Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter
  • Cirque  An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion
  • Cliff  Vertical, or near vertical, rock face of substantial height
  • Cryoplanation terrace  Formation of plains, terraces and pediments in periglacial environments
  • Cuesta  Hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other
  • Dissected plateau  Plateau area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp
  • Erg  Broad area of desert covered with wind-swept sand
  • Etchplain  Plain where the bedrock has been subject to considerable subsurface weathering
  • Exhumed river channel  Ridge of sandstone that remains when the softer flood plain mudstone is eroded away
  • Fjord  Long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial activity
  • Flared slope  Rock-wall with a smooth transition into a concavity at the foot zone
  • Flatiron  Steeply sloping triangular landform created by the differential erosion of a steeply dipping, erosion-resistant layer of rock overlying softer strata
  • Gulch  Deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion
  • Gully  Landform created by running water and/or mass movement eroding sharply into soil
  • Hogback  Long, narrow ridge
  • Hoodoo  Tall, thin spire of relatively soft rock usually topped by harder rock
  • Homoclinal ridge  Ridge with a moderate sloping backslope and steeper frontslope
  • Inselberg, also known as Monadnock  Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
  • Inverted relief  Landscape features that have reversed their elevation relative to other features
  • Lavaka  Type of gully, formed via groundwater sapping
  • Limestone pavement  Natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone
  • Mesa  Elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs
  • Mushroom rock  Naturally occurring rock whose shape resembles a mushroom
  • Natural arch  Natural rock formation where a rock arch forms
  • Paleoplain - A buried erosion plain; a particularly large and flat erosion surface
  • Pediment  Very gently sloping inclined bedrock surface
  • Pediplain  Extensive plain formed by the coalescence of pediments
  • Peneplain  Low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion
  • Planation surface  Large-scale surface that is almost flat
  • Potrero  Long mesa that at one end slopes upward to higher terrain
  • Ridge  Chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance
  • Rôche moutonnée
  • List of rock formations
  • Strike ridge  Ridge with a moderate sloping backslope and steeper frontslope
  • Structural bench  Long, relatively narrow land bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below
  • Structural terrace  A step-like landform
  • Tepui  Table-top mountain or mesa in the Guiana Highlands of South America
  • Tessellated pavement  Relatively flat rock surface that is subdivided into more or less regular shapes by fractures
  • Truncated spur  Ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline that is cut short
  • Tor  Large, free-standing rock outcrop on a gentle hill summit
  • Valley  Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
  • Wave-cut platform  Narrow flat area often found at the base of a sea cliff or along the shoreline of a lake, bay, or sea that was created by erosion
  • Wind gap

Fluvial landforms

Fluvial landforms include:

  • Ait  Islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England
  • Alluvial fan  Fan-shaped deposit of sediment
  • Anabranch  A section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel and rejoins it downstream.
  • Arroyo  Dry creek or stream bed with flow after rain
  • Asymmetric valley  Valley that has steeper slopes on one side
  • Backswamp  Environment on a floodplain where deposits settle after a flood
  • Bar  Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
  • Bayou  French term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying area
  • Bench  Long, relatively narrow land bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below
  • Braided channel  Network of river channels separated by small, and often temporary, islands
  • Canyon  Deep ravine between cliffs
  • Cave  Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter
  • Cliff  Vertical, or near vertical, rock face of substantial height
  • Cut bank  Outside bank of a water channel, which is continually undergoing erosion
  • Crevasse splay  Sediment deposited on a floodplain by a stream which breaks its levees
  • Confluence  Meeting of two or more bodies of flowing water
  • Drainage basin  Area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet
  • Drainage divide  Elevated terrain that separates neighbouring drainage basins
  • Endorheic basin  Closed drainage basin that allows no outflow
  • Entrenched meander
  • Epigenetic valley  Valley created by erosion and with little or no sympathy for bedrock structure
  • Esker  Long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel associated with former glaciers
  • Exhumed river channel  Ridge of sandstone that remains when the softer flood plain mudstone is eroded away
  • Floodplain  Land adjacent to a river which is flooded during periods of high discharge
  • Fluvial island  Exposed land within a river.
  • Fluvial terrace  Elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and river valleys
  • Gorge  Deep ravine between cliffs
  • Gully  Landform created by running water and/or mass movement eroding sharply into soil
  • Levee  Ridge or wall to hold back water
  • Marsh  Wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species
  • Meander  One of a series of curves in a channel of a matured stream
  • Misfit stream  River too large or too small to have eroded the valley or cave passage in which it flows
  • Narrows  Restricted land or water passage
  • Oxbow lake  Part of meanders
  • Point bar  Depositional feature of alluvium that accumulates on the inside bend of streams and rivers below the slip-off slope
  • Plunge pool  Depression at the base of a waterfall
  • Rapid
  • Riffle  Shallow landform in a flowing channel
  • River  Natural flowing watercourse
  • River delta  Silt deposition landform at the mouth of a river
  • River island  Exposed land within a river.
  • Rock-cut basin  Cylindrical depressions cut into stream or river beds
  • Shut-in  Type of rock formation found in Ozarks streams
  • Thalweg  Line of lowest elevation in a watercourse or valley
  • Towhead  Exposed land within a river.
  • Shoal  Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
  • Spring  A point at which water emenges from an aquifer to the surface
  • Strath  Large valley
  • Stream  Body of surface water flowing down a channel
  • Stream pool  Stretch of a river or stream in which the water is relatively deep and slow moving
  • Swamp  A forested wetland
  • Valley  Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
  • Vale  Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
  • Wadi  River valley, especially a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain
  • Waterfall  Natural river formation
  • Watershed  Area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet
  • Yazoo stream  Hydrologic term
  • V-shaped valley

Impact landforms

Landforms created by extraterrestrial impacts  Collision of two astronomical objects with measurable effects – include:

Lacustrine landforms

Lacustrine – associated with lakes – landforms include:

  • Beach  Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water
  • Raised beach  Emergent coastal landform  Beach or wave-cut platform raised above the shoreline by a relative fall in the sea level
  • Carolina bay
  • Dry lake  Basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body
  • Endorheic basin  Closed drainage basin that allows no outflow
  • Lacustrine plain  Lakes filled by sediment
  • Lacustrine terraces  A step-like landform
  • Lake  Large body of relatively still water
  • Oasis  A fertile area in a desert or semi-desert environment
  • Oxbow lake  Part of meanders
  • Parallel Roads of Glen Roy  Nature reserve in the Highlands of Scotland with ancient shoreline terraces
  • Pond  Relatively small body of standing water
  • Proglacial lake  Lake formed either by the damming action of a moraine during the retreat of a melting glacier, a glacial ice dam, or by meltwater trapped against an ice sheet
  • Salt pan, also known as salt flat  Flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals

Mountain and glacial landforms

Mountain and glacial landform  Landform created by the action of glaciers – include:

  • Arête  A narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys formed by glacial movement
  • Cirque  An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion
  • Col  Lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks
  • Crevasse  A deep crack, or fracture, in an ice sheet or glacier
  • Corrie  An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion or cwm
  • Cove (mountain)  Small valley in the Appalachian Mountains between two ridge lines
  • Dirt cone  Depositional glacial feature of ice or snow with an insulating layer of dirt
  • Drumlin  Geological feature formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine and drumlin field
  • Esker  Long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel associated with former glaciers
  • Fjord  Long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial activity
  • Fluvial terrace  Elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and river valleys
  • Flyggberg  Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
  • Glacier  Persistent body of ice that is moving under its own weight
  • Glacier cave  Cave formed within the ice of a glacier
  • Glacier foreland  The region between the current leading edge of the glacier and the moraines of latest maximum
  • Hanging valley  A tributary valley that meets the main valley above the valley floor
  • Hill  Landform that extends above the surrounding terrain
  • Inselberg, also known as monadnock  Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
  • Kame  Mound formed on a retreating glacier and deposited on land
  • Kame delta  Landform formed by a stream of melt water flowing through or around a glacier and depositing sediments in a proglacial lake
  • Kettle  Depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters
  • Moraine  Glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated debris
    • Rogen moraine, also known as Ribbed moraines  Landform of ridges deposited by a glacier or ice sheet transverse to ice flow
  • Moulin  Shaft within a glacier or ice sheet which water enters from the surface
  • Mountain  Large landform that rises fairly steeply above the surrounding land over a limited area
  • Mountain pass  Route through a mountain range or over a ridge
  • Mountain range  Geographic area containing several geologically related mountains
  • Nunatak  Landform within an ice field or glacier
  • Proglacial lake  Lake formed either by the damming action of a moraine during the retreat of a melting glacier, a glacial ice dam, or by meltwater trapped against an ice sheet
  • Pyramidal peak, also known as Glacial horn  Angular, sharply pointed mountainous peak
  • Outwash fan  Fan-shaped body of sediments deposited by braided streams from a melting glacier
  • Outwash plain  Plain formed from glacier sediment that was transported by meltwater.
  • Rift valley  Linear lowland created by a tectonic rift or fault
  • Rôche moutonnée
  • Sandur  Plain formed from glacier sediment that was transported by meltwater.
  • Side valley  Valley with a tributary to a larger river
  • Summit  Point on a surface with a higher elevation than all immediately adjacent points
  • Trim line  Clear line on the side of a valley marking the most recent highest extent of the glacier
  • Truncated spur  Ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline that is cut short
  • Tunnel valley  Glacial-formed geographic feature
  • Valley  Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
  • U-shaped valley  Valleys formed by glacial scouring

Slope landforms

Slope landforms include:

  • Bluff  Vertical, or near vertical, rock face of substantial height
  • Butte  Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top
  • Canyon  Deep ravine between cliffs
  • Cliff  Vertical, or near vertical, rock face of substantial height
  • Col  Lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks
  • Cuesta  Hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other
  • Dale  Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
  • Defile  Narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills
  • Dell  Small secluded hollow
  • Doab, also known as Interfluve  Land between two converging, or confluent, rivers
  • Draw
  • Escarpment, also known as scarp  Steep slope or cliff separating two relatively level regions
  • Flat (landform)  Relatively level surface of land within a region of greater relief
  • Glen  Name for valley commonly used in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man
  • Gully  Landform created by running water and/or mass movement eroding sharply into soil
  • Hill  Landform that extends above the surrounding terrain
  • Hillock, also known as Knoll  Small hill
  • Mesa  Elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs
  • Mountain pass  Route through a mountain range or over a ridge
  • Plain  Expanse of land which is mostly flat and treeless
  • Plateau  Area of a highland, usually of relatively flat terrain
  • Ravine  Small valley, often due to stream erosion
  • Ridge  Chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance
  • Rock shelter  Shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff
  • Saddle
  • Scree  Broken rock fragments at the base of steep rock faces, that has accumulated through periodic rockfall
  • Solifluction lobes and sheets
  • Strath  Large valley
  • Summit  Point on a surface with a higher elevation than all immediately adjacent points
  • Terrace  A step-like landform
  • Terracette  Small natural step-arranged soil ridges on hillsides
  • Vale
  • Valley  Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
  • Valley shoulder

Tectonic landforms

Landforms created by tectonic activity include:

  • Asymmetric valley  Valley that has steeper slopes on one side
  • Dome  Geological deformation structure
  • Faceted spur  Ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline that is cut short
  • Fault scarp  Small step or offset on the ground surface where one side of a fault has moved vertically with respect to the other
  • Graben  Depressed block of planetary crust bordered by parallel normal faults
  • Horst  Raised fault block bounded by normal faults
  • Mid-ocean ridge  Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
  • Mud volcano  Landform created by the eruption of mud or slurries, water and gases
  • Oceanic trench  Long and narrow depressions of the sea floor
  • Pull-apart basin  Structural basin where two overlapping faults or a fault bend creates an area of crustal extension which causes the basin to subside
  • Rift valley  Linear lowland created by a tectonic rift or fault
  • Sand boil  Cone of sand formed by the ejection of sand onto a surface from a central point by water under pressure

Volcanic landforms

Volcanic landforms include:

  • Caldera  Cauldron-like volcanic feature formed by the emptying of a magma chamber
  • Cinder cone  Steep conical hill of loose pyroclastic fragments around a volcanic vent
  • Complex volcano  Landform of more than one related volcanic centre
  • Cryptodome  Roughly circular protrusion from slowly extruded viscous volcanic lava
  • Cryovolcano  Type of volcano that erupts volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane, instead of molten rock
  • Diatreme  Volcanic pipe formed by a gaseous explosion
  • Dike  A sheet of rock that is formed in a fracture of a pre-existing rock body
  • Fissure vent  Linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts
  • Geyser  Hydrothermal explosion of hot water
  • Guyot  Isolated, flat-topped underwater volcano mountain
  • Hornito  Conical structures built up by lava ejected through an opening in the crust of a lava flow
  • Kīpuka  Area of land surrounded by one or more younger lava flows
  • Lava  Molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption
  • Lava dome  Roughly circular protrusion from slowly extruded viscous volcanic lava
  • Lava coulee  Roughly circular protrusion from slowly extruded viscous volcanic lava
  • Lava field, also known as lava plain  One or more flows of lava over a flat area of land, covering all or most of the area
  • Lava lake  Molten lava contained in a volcanic crater
  • Lava spine  Vertically growing monolith of viscous lava that is slowly forced from a volcanic vent, such as those growing on a lava dome
  • Lava tube  Natural conduit through which lava flows beneath the solid surface
  • Maar  Low-relief volcanic crater
  • Malpais  Rough and barren landscape of relict and largely uneroded lava fields
  • Mamelon  Rock formation created by eruption of relatively thick or stiff lava through a narrow vent
  • Mid-ocean ridge  Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
  • Pit crater  Depression formed by a sinking or collapse of the surface lying above a void or empty chamber
  • Pyroclastic shield  Shield volcano formed mostly of pyroclastic and highly explosive eruptions
  • Resurgent dome  Dome formed by swelling or rising of a caldera floor due to movement in the magma chamber beneath it
  • Rootless cone, also known as pseudocrater  Volcanic landform which resembles a true volcanic crater, but differs in that it is not an actual vent from which lava has erupted
  • Seamount  Mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface
  • Shield volcano  Low profile volcano usually formed almost entirely of fluid lava flows
  • Stratovolcano  Type of conical volcano composed of layers of lava and tephra
  • Somma volcano  Volcanic caldera that has been partially filled by a new central cone
  • Spatter cone  Landform of ejecta from a volcanic vent piled up in a conical shape
  • Volcanic crater lake  Lake formed within a volcanic crater
  • Subglacial mound  Volcano formed when lava erupts beneath a thick glacier or ice sheet
  • Submarine volcano  Underwater vents or fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt
  • Supervolcano  Volcano that has erupted 1000 cubic km in a single eruption
  • Tuff cone  Landform of ejecta from a volcanic vent piled up in a conical shape
  • Tuya  Flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet
  • Volcanic vent
  • Volcanic cone  Landform of ejecta from a volcanic vent piled up in a conical shape
  • Volcanic crater  Roughly circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity
  • Volcanic dam  Natural dam produced directly or indirectly by volcanism
  • Volcanic field  Area of Earth's crust prone to localized volcanic activity
  • Volcanic group  Collection of related volcanoes or volcanic landforms
  • Volcanic island  Island of volcanic origin
  • Volcanic plateau  Plateau produced by volcanic activity
  • Volcanic plug  Volcanic object created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano
  • Volcano  Rupture in the crust of a planet that allows lava, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface

Weathering landforms

Weathering landforms include:

  • Bornhardt  A large dome-shaped, steep-sided, bald rock
  • Etchplain  Plain where the bedrock has been subject to considerable subsurface weathering
  • Flared slope  Rock-wall with a smooth transition into a concavity at the foot zone
  • Flute
  • Honeycomb weathering  Form of cavernous weathering and subcategory of tafoni
  • Inselberg  Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
  • Karst  Topography from dissolved soluble rocks
  • Nubbin  Small hill of bedrock with rounded residual blocks
  • Panhole  Depression or basin eroded into flat or gently sloping cohesive rock (Weathering pit)
  • Tafoni  Small to large indentations in vertical to steeply sloping granular rock
  • Tor  Large, free-standing rock outcrop on a gentle hill summit

Landforms by shape

Positive landforms

  • Bornhardt  A large dome-shaped, steep-sided, bald rock
  • Cinder cone  Steep conical hill of loose pyroclastic fragments around a volcanic vent
  • Cryptodome
  • Dome  Geological deformation structure
  • Drumlin  Geological feature formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine
  • Granite dome  Rounded hills of bare granite formed by exfoliation
  • Hillock  Small hill
  • Inselberg  Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
  • Lava dome  Roughly circular protrusion from slowly extruded viscous volcanic lava
  • Lava spine  Vertically growing monolith of viscous lava that is slowly forced from a volcanic vent, such as those growing on a lava dome
  • Mesa  Elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs
  • Mogote  Steep-sided residual hill of limestone, marble, or dolomite on a flat plain
  • Nubbin  Small hill of bedrock with rounded residual blocks
  • Tor  Large, free-standing rock outcrop on a gentle hill summit
  • Tower karst
  • Tuya  Flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet
  • Palsa  A low, often oval, frost heave occurring in polar and subpolar climates
  • Pingo  Mound of earth-covered ice
  • Pyroclastic shield  Shield volcano formed mostly of pyroclastic and highly explosive eruptions
  • Resurgent dome  Dome formed by swelling or rising of a caldera floor due to movement in the magma chamber beneath it
  • Seamount  Mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface
  • Shield volcano  Low profile volcano usually formed almost entirely of fluid lava flows
  • Stratocone
  • Stratovolcano  Type of conical volcano composed of layers of lava and tephra
  • Volcanic cone  Landform of ejecta from a volcanic vent piled up in a conical shape
  • Volcanic island

Depressions

  • Caldera  Cauldron-like volcanic feature formed by the emptying of a magma chamber
  • Cave  Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter
  • Cenote  Natural pit or sinkhole that exposes groundwater underneath
  • Cirque  An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion
  • Crevasse  A deep crack, or fracture, in an ice sheet or glacier
  • Deflation hollow
  • Doline  Geologically-formed topological depression
  • Gnamma
  • Graben  Depressed block of planetary crust bordered by parallel normal faults
  • Honeycomb weathering  Form of cavernous weathering and subcategory of tafoni
  • Impact crater  Circular depression on a solid astronomical body formed by a hypervelocity impact of a smaller object
  • Joint valley
  • Kettle  Depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters
  • Lagoon  Shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform
  • Lake  Large body of relatively still water
  • Lava lake  Molten lava contained in a volcanic crater
  • Maar  Low-relief volcanic crater
  • Nivation hollow  Geomorphic processes associated with snow patches
  • Oxbow lake  Part of meanders
  • Panhole  Depression or basin eroded into flat or gently sloping cohesive rock
  • Plunge pool  Depression at the base of a waterfall
  • Pond  Relatively small body of standing water
  • Pull-apart basin  Structural basin where two overlapping faults or a fault bend creates an area of crustal extension which causes the basin to subside
  • Quarry  A place from which a geological material has been excavated from the ground
  • Rift  Part of a volcano where a set of linear cracks form
  • Sea cave  Cave formed by the wave action of the sea and located along present or former coastlines
  • Sinkhole  Geologically-formed topological depression
  • Tafoni  Small to large indentations in vertical to steeply sloping granular rock
  • Thermokarst  Irregular land surface of marshy hollows and small hummocks formed as permafrost thaws
  • Volcanic crater  Roughly circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity
  • Volcanic dam  Natural dam produced directly or indirectly by volcanism

Flat landforms

  • Abyssal fan  Underwater geological structures associated with large-scale sediment deposition
  • Abyssal plain  Flat area on the deep ocean floor
  • Bench  Long, relatively narrow land bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below
  • Butte  Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top
  • Continental shelf  Coastal and oceanic landform
  • Cryoplanation terrace  Formation of plains, terraces and pediments in periglacial environments
  • Dissected plateau  Plateau area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp
  • Etchplain  Plain where the bedrock has been subject to considerable subsurface weathering
  • Floodplain  Land adjacent to a river which is flooded during periods of high discharge
  • Fluvial terrace  Elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and river valleys
  • Inselberg plain  Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
  • Lacustrine terrace  A step-like landform
  • Lava field, also known as lava plain  One or more flows of lava over a flat area of land, covering all or most of the area
  • Oceanic basin  Geologic basin under the sea
  • Oceanic plateau  Relatively flat submarine region that rises well above the level of the ambient seabed
  • Outwash fan  Fan-shaped body of sediments deposited by braided streams from a melting glacier
  • Outwash plain  Plain formed from glacier sediment that was transported by meltwater.
  • Paleoplain - A buried erosion plain; a particularly large and flat erosion surface
  • Pediplain  Extensive plain formed by the coalescence of pediments
  • Peneplain  Low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion
  • Plain  Expanse of land which is mostly flat and treeless
  • Planation surface  Large-scale surface that is almost flat
  • Plateau  Area of a highland, usually of relatively flat terrain
  • Polje  Type of large flat plain found in karstic geological regions
  • Raised beach, also known as Marine terrace  Emergent coastal landform  Beach or wave-cut platform raised above the shoreline by a relative fall in the sea level
  • River delta  Silt deposition landform at the mouth of a river
  • Salt marsh  Coastal ecosystem between land and open saltwater that is regularly flooded
  • Salt pan  Flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals
  • Sandur  Plain formed from glacier sediment that was transported by meltwater.
  • Strandflat  Type of landform found in high-latitude areas
  • Strath  Large valley
  • Swamp  A forested wetland
  • Table  Raised landforms that have a flat top
  • Tidal marsh  Marsh subject to tidal change in water
  • Tepui  Table-top mountain or mesa in the Guiana Highlands of South America
  • Volcanic plateau  Plateau produced by volcanic activity
  • Wave-cut platform  Narrow flat area often found at the base of a sea cliff or along the shoreline of a lake, bay, or sea that was created by erosion

Landforms, alphabetic

  • Abîme  Geographical term referring to vertical shaft in caves
  • Abyssal fan  Underwater geological structures associated with large-scale sediment deposition
  • Abyssal plain  Flat area on the deep ocean floor
  • Ait  Islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England
  • Alluvial fan  Fan-shaped deposit of sediment
  • Anabranch  A section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel and rejoins it downstream.
  • Arch  Natural rock formation where a rock arch forms
  • Archipelago  Collection of islands
  • Arête  A narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys
  • Arroyo  Dry creek or stream bed with flow after rain
  • Atoll  Ring-shaped coral reef
  • Ayre  Shingle beaches in Orkney and Shetland
  • Badlands  Type of heavily eroded terrain
  • Bar  Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
  • Barchan  Crescent-shaped dune
  • Barrier bar  Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
  • Barrier island  Coastal dune landform that forms by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast
  • Bay  Recessed, coastal body of water connected to an ocean or lake
  • Baymouth bar  Sandbank that partially or completely closes access to a bay
  • Bayou  French term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying area
  • Beach  Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water
  • Beach cusps  Shoreline formations made up of various grades of sediment in an arc pattern
  • Beach ridge  Wave-swept or wave-deposited ridge running parallel to a shoreline
  • Bench  Long, relatively narrow land bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below
  • Bight  Shallowly concave bend or curve in a coastline, river, or other geographical feature
  • Blowhole  Hole at the top of a sea-cave which allows waves to force water or spray out of the hole
  • Blowout  Depressions in a sand dune ecosystem caused by the removal of sediments by wind
  • Bluff  Vertical, or near vertical, rock face of substantial height
  • Bornhardt  A large dome-shaped, steep-sided, bald rock
  • Braided channel  Network of river channels separated by small, and often temporary, islands
  • Butte  Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top
  • Calanque  Narrow, steep-walled inlet on the Mediterranean coast
  • Caldera  Cauldron-like volcanic feature formed by the emptying of a magma chamber
  • Canyon  Deep ravine between cliffs
  • Cape  Large headland extending into a body of water, usually the sea
  • Carolina bay
  • Cave  Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter
  • Cenote  Natural pit or sinkhole that exposes groundwater underneath
  • Channel  Type of landform in which part of a body of water is confined to a relatively narrow but long region
  • Cirque  An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion
  • Corrie  An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion or cwm
  • Cliff  Vertical, or near vertical, rock face of substantial height
  • Coast  Area where land meets the sea or ocean
  • Col  Lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks
  • Complex crater  Large impact crater morphology with uplifted centres
  • Complex volcano  Landform of more than one related volcanic centre
  • Confluence  Meeting of two or more bodies of flowing water
  • Continental shelf  Coastal and oceanic landform
  • Coral reef  Outcrop of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of stony coral skeletons
  • Cove  Small sheltered bay or coastal inlet
  • Cove (mountain)  Small valley in the Appalachian Mountains between two ridge lines
  • Crevasse splay  Sediment deposited on a floodplain by a stream which breaks its levees
  • Crevasse  A deep crack, or fracture, in an ice sheet or glacier
  • Cryovolcano  Type of volcano that erupts volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane, instead of molten rock
  • Cuesta  Hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other
  • Cuspate foreland  Geographical features found on coastlines and lakeshores
  • Cut bank  Outside bank of a water channel, which is continually undergoing erosion
  • Dale  Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
  • Defile  Narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills
  • Dell  Small secluded hollow
  • Delta, River  Silt deposition landform at the mouth of a river
  • Desert pavement  Type of desert earth surface
  • Diatreme  Volcanic pipe formed by a gaseous explosion
  • Dike  A sheet of rock that is formed in a fracture of a pre-existing rock body
  • Dirt cone  Depositional glacial feature of ice or snow with an insulating layer of dirt
  • Dissected plateau  Plateau area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp
  • Doab  Land between two converging, or confluent, rivers
  • Doline  Geologically-formed topological depression
  • Dome  Geological deformation structure
  • Drainage basin  Area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet
  • Drainage divide  Elevated terrain that separates neighbouring drainage basins
  • Draw
  • Dreikanter  Type of rock
  • Drumlin  Geological feature formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine
  • Dry lake  Basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body
  • Dune  Hill of loose sand built by aeolian processes or the flow of water
  • Dune system  Hill of loose sand built by aeolian processes or the flow of water
  • Ejecta blanket  Symmetrical apron of ejecta that surrounds an impact crater
  • Endorheic basin  Closed drainage basin that allows no outflow
  • Erg  Broad area of desert covered with wind-swept sand
  • Escarpment  Steep slope or cliff separating two relatively level regions (scarp)
  • Esker  Long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel associated with former glaciers
  • Estuary  Partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water
  • Exhumed river channel  Ridge of sandstone that remains when the softer flood plain mudstone is eroded away
  • Faceted spur  Ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline that is cut short
  • Fault scarp  Small step or offset on the ground surface where one side of a fault has moved vertically with respect to the other
  • Firth  Scottish word used for various coastal inlets and straits
  • Fissure vent  Linear volcanic vent through which lava erupts
  • Fjard  Glacially formed, broad, shallow inlet
  • Fjord  Long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial activity
  • Flat  Relatively level surface of land within a region of greater relief
  • Flatiron  Steeply sloping triangular landform created by the differential erosion of a steeply dipping, erosion-resistant layer of rock overlying softer strata
  • Floodplain  Land adjacent to a river which is flooded during periods of high discharge
  • Fluvial island  Exposed land within a river.
  • Fluvial terrace  Elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and river valleys
  • Foiba  Type of deep natural sinkhole
  • Geo  Inlet, a gully or a narrow and deep cleft in the face of a cliff
  • Geyser  Hydrothermal explosion of hot water
  • Glacial horn  Angular, sharply pointed mountainous peak
  • Glacier cave  Cave formed within the ice of a glacier
  • Glacier foreland  The region between the current leading edge of the glacier and the moraines of latest maximum
  • Glacier  Persistent body of ice that is moving under its own weight
  • Parallel Roads of Glen Roy  Nature reserve in the Highlands of Scotland with ancient shoreline terraces
  • Glen  Name for valley commonly used in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man
  • Gorge  Deep ravine between cliffs
  • Graben  Depressed block of planetary crust bordered by parallel normal faults
  • Gulch  Deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion
  • Gulf
  • Gully  Landform created by running water and/or mass movement eroding sharply into soil
  • Guyot  Isolated, flat-topped underwater volcano mountain
  • Hanging valley  A tributary valley that meets the main valley above the valley floor
  • Headland  Landform extending into a body of water, often with significant height and drop
  • Hill  Landform that extends above the surrounding terrain
  • Hogback  Long, narrow ridge
  • Homoclinal ridge  Ridge with a moderate sloping backslope and steeper frontslope
  • Hoodoo  Tall, thin spire of relatively soft rock usually topped by harder rock
  • Horst  Raised fault block bounded by normal faults
  • Impact crater  Circular depression on a solid astronomical body formed by a hypervelocity impact of a smaller object
  • Inlet  Hollow of a shoreline that often leads to an enclosed body of salt water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon, or marsh
  • Interfluve  Land between two converging, or confluent, rivers
  • Inverted relief  Landscape features that have reversed their elevation relative to other features
  • Island  Any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water
  • Islet  Very small island
  • Isthmus  Narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas
  • Kame delta  Landform formed by a stream of melt water flowing through or around a glacier and depositing sediments in a proglacial lake
  • Kame  Mound formed on a retreating glacier and deposited on land
  • Karst  Topography from dissolved soluble rocks
  • Karst fenster
  • Karst valley  Topography from dissolved soluble rocks
  • Kettle  Depression/hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters
  • Kīpuka  Area of land surrounded by one or more younger lava flows
  • Knoll  Small hill
  • Lacustrine plain  Lakes filled by sediment
  • Lagoon  Shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform
  • Lake  Large body of relatively still water
  • Lava dome  Roughly circular protrusion from slowly extruded viscous volcanic lava
  • Lava  Molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption
  • Lava lake  Molten lava contained in a volcanic crater
  • Lava field, also known as lava plain  One or more flows of lava over a flat area of land, covering all or most of the area
  • Lava spine  Vertically growing monolith of viscous lava that is slowly forced from a volcanic vent, such as those growing on a lava dome
  • Lava tube  Natural conduit through which lava flows beneath the solid surface
  • Lavaka  Type of gully, formed via groundwater sapping
  • Levee  Ridge or wall to hold back water, natural
  • Limestone pavement  Natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone
  • Loess  Sediment of accumulated wind-blown dust
  • Lacustrine terraces  A step-like landform
  • Maar  Low-relief volcanic crater
  • Machair  Fertile low-lying grassy plain
  • Malpaís  Rough and barren landscape of relict and largely uneroded lava fields
  • Mamelon  Rock formation created by eruption of relatively thick or stiff lava through a narrow vent
  • Marine terrace  Emergent coastal landform  Beach or wave-cut platform raised above the shoreline by a relative fall in the sea level
  • Marsh  Wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species
  • Meander  One of a series of curves in a channel of a matured stream
  • Mesa  Elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs
  • Mid-ocean ridge  Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
  • Mogote  Steep-sided residual hill of limestone, marble, or dolomite on a flat plain
  • Monadnock  Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
  • Moraine  Glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated debris
  • Moulin  Shaft within a glacier or ice sheet which water enters from the surface
  • Mountain  Large landform that rises fairly steeply above the surrounding land over a limited area
  • Mountain pass  Route through a mountain range or over a ridge
  • Mountain range  Geographic area containing several geologically related mountains
  • Mud volcano  Landform created by the eruption of mud or slurries, water and gases
  • Mushroom rock  Naturally occurring rock whose shape resembles a mushroom
  • Natural arch  Natural rock formation where a rock arch forms
  • Nunatak  Landform within an ice field or glacier
  • Oasis  A fertile area in a desert or semi-desert environment
  • Oceanic basin  Geologic basin under the sea
  • Oceanic plateau  Relatively flat submarine region that rises well above the level of the ambient seabed
  • Oceanic ridge  An underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
  • Oceanic trench  Long and narrow depressions of the sea floor
  • Outwash fan  Fan-shaped body of sediments deposited by braided streams from a melting glacier
  • Outwash plain  Plain formed from glacier sediment that was transported by meltwater.
  • Oxbow lake  Part of meanders
  • Paleoplain - A buried erosion plain; a particularly large and flat erosion surface
  • Pediment  Very gently sloping inclined bedrock surface
  • Pediplain  Extensive plain formed by the coalescence of pediments
  • Peneplain  Low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion
  • Peninsula  Landform surrounded mostly, but not entirely by water
  • Pingo  Mound of earth-covered ice
  • Pit crater  Depression formed by a sinking or collapse of the surface lying above a void or empty chamber
  • Plain  Expanse of land which is mostly flat and treeless
  • Plateau  Area of a highland, usually of relatively flat terrain
  • Playa lake
  • Plunge pool  Depression at the base of a waterfall
  • Point bar  Depositional feature of alluvium that accumulates on the inside bend of streams and rivers below the slip-off slope
  • Polje  Type of large flat plain found in karstic geological regions
  • Pond  Relatively small body of standing water
  • Potrero  Long mesa that at one end slopes upward to higher terrain
  • Proglacial lake  Lake formed either by the damming action of a moraine during the retreat of a melting glacier, a glacial ice dam, or by meltwater trapped against an ice sheet
  • Pseudocrater
  • Pull-apart basin  Structural basin where two overlapping faults or a fault bend creates an area of crustal extension which causes the basin to subside
  • Quarry  A place from which a geological material has been excavated from the ground
  • Raised beach  Emergent coastal landform  Beach or wave-cut platform raised above the shoreline by a relative fall in the sea level
  • Rapid
  • Ravine  Small valley, often due to stream erosion
  • Ria  A coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley
  • Ridge  Chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance
  • Riffle  Shallow landform in a flowing channel
  • Rift valley  Linear lowland created by a tectonic rift or fault
  • River  Natural flowing watercourse
  • River delta  Silt deposition landform at the mouth of a river
  • River island  Exposed land within a river.
  • Rôche moutonnée
  • Rogen moraine  Landform of ridges deposited by a glacier or ice sheet transverse to ice flow
  • Rock formations
  • Rock shelter  Shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff
  • Rock-cut basin  Cylindrical depressions cut into stream or river beds
  • Saddle
  • Salt marsh  Coastal ecosystem between land and open saltwater that is regularly flooded
  • Salt pan  Flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals (salt flat)
  • Sand boil, also known as sand volcano  Cone of sand formed by the ejection of sand onto a surface from a central point by water under pressure
  • Sandhill  Type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem
  • Sandur  Plain formed from glacier sediment that was transported by meltwater.
  • Scowle  Landscape features which range from amorphous shallow pits to irregular labyrinthine hollows up to several metres deep
  • Scree  Broken rock fragments at the base of steep rock faces, that has accumulated through periodic rockfall
  • Sea cave  Cave formed by the wave action of the sea and located along present or former coastlines
  • Seamount  Mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface
  • Shield volcano  Low profile volcano usually formed almost entirely of fluid lava flows
  • Shoal  Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
  • Shore  The fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water
  • Shut-in  Type of rock formation found in Ozarks streams
  • Side valley  Valley with a tributary to a larger river
  • Sinkhole  Geologically-formed topological depression
  • Sound  A long, relatively wide body of water, connecting two larger bodies of water
  • Spit  Coastal bar or beach landform deposited by longshore drift
  • Spring  A point at which water emenges from an aquifer to the surface
  • Stack  Geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock and stump
  • Strait  Naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water
  • Strandflat  Type of landform found in high-latitude areas
  • Strath  Large valley
  • Stratovolcano  Type of conical volcano composed of layers of lava and tephra
  • Stream pool  Stretch of a river or stream in which the water is relatively deep and slow moving
  • Stream  Body of surface water flowing down a channel
  • Strike ridge  Ridge with a moderate sloping backslope and steeper frontslope
  • Structural bench  Long, relatively narrow land bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below
  • Structural terrace  A step-like landform
  • Subglacial mound  Volcano formed when lava erupts beneath a thick glacier or ice sheet
  • Submarine canyon  Steep-sided valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope
  • Submarine volcano  Underwater vents or fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt
  • Summit  Point on a surface with a higher elevation than all immediately adjacent points
  • Supervolcano  Volcano that has erupted 1000 cubic km in a single eruption
  • Surge channel  Narrow inlet, usually on a rocky shoreline, and is formed by differential erosion of those rocks by coastal wave action
  • Swamp  A forested wetland
  • Tepui  Table-top mountain or mesa in the Guiana Highlands of South America
  • Terrace  A step-like landform
  • Terracette  Small natural step-arranged soil ridges on hillsides
  • Tessellated pavement  Relatively flat rock surface that is subdivided into more or less regular shapes by fractures
  • Thalweg  Line of lowest elevation in a watercourse or valley
  • Tidal marsh  Marsh subject to tidal change in water
  • Tide pool  Rocky pool on a seashore, separated from the sea at low tide, filled with seawater
  • Tombolo  Deposition landform in which an island is connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus
  • Tor  Large, free-standing rock outcrop on a gentle hill summit
  • Tower karst  Topography from dissolved soluble rocks
  • Towhead  Exposed land within a river.
  • Trim line  Clear line on the side of a valley marking the most recent highest extent of the glacier
  • Truncated spur  Ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline that is cut short
  • Tunnel valley  Glacial-formed geographic feature
  • Turlough  Type of seasonal or periodic lake found in limestone areas of Ireland
  • Tuya  Flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet
  • U-shaped valley  Valleys formed by glacial scouring
  • Uvala  Toponym for a closed karst depression
  • Vale
  • Valley  Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
  • Valley shoulder
  • Ventifact  Rock that has been eroded by wind-driven sand or ice crystals
  • Volcanic arc  Chain of volcanoes formed above a subducting plate
  • Volcanic cone  Landform of ejecta from a volcanic vent piled up in a conical shape
  • Volcanic crater  Roughly circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity
  • Volcanic crater lake  Lake formed within a volcanic crater
  • Volcanic dam  Natural dam produced directly or indirectly by volcanism
  • Volcanic field  Area of Earth's crust prone to localized volcanic activity
  • Volcanic group  Collection of related volcanoes or volcanic landforms
  • Volcanic island  Island of volcanic origin
  • Volcanic plateau  Plateau produced by volcanic activity
  • Volcanic plug  Volcanic object created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano
  • Volcanic vent
  • Volcano  Rupture in the crust of a planet that allows lava, ash, and gases to escape from below the surface
  • Wadi  River valley, especially a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain
  • Waterfall  Natural river formation
  • Watershed  Area of land where precipitation collects and drains off into a common outlet
  • Wave-cut platform  Narrow flat area often found at the base of a sea cliff or along the shoreline of a lake, bay, or sea that was created by erosion
  • Wetland  Land area that is permanently or seasonally saturated with water
  • Yardang  Streamlined aeolian landform

Further reading

Hargitai H., Kereszturi Á. (eds): Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer. https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3

See also

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