1. Changing Earth’s Surface
Table of Contents
Exploring Earth’s Surface
Ms. De Los Rios

2. Vocabulary 3.2
Topography- The shape of the land determined by elevation, relief, and landforms. (The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area.)
Elevation- Height above sea level.
Relief- The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area.
Landform- A feature of topography formed by the processes that shape Earth’s surface.
Plain- A landform made up of flat or gently rolling land with low relief.
Mountain- A landform with high elevation and high relief.
Mountain Range- A group of mountains that are closely related in shape, structure, area, and age.
Plateau- A large landform that has high elevation and a more or less level surface.
Landform Region- A large area of land where the topography is made up mainly of one type of landform.

3. Exploring Earth’s Surface
Lewis & Clark’s Journey
The route of the Lewis and Clark expedition crossed regions that differed greatly in elevation and relief. What were the highest and lowest points on their route?

4. Exploring Earth’s Surface
Topography is the shape of the land.
An area’s topography may be:
flat, sloping, hilly, or mountainous
Topography of an area includes :
A_________________
E________________
L_________________
The height above sea level of a point on Earth’s surface is its elevation.
The difference in elevation between the highest and lowest parts of an area is its relief.
The Rocky Mountains include huge mountains separated by deep valleys. These areas have high relief, or great differences in elevation.

5. What Does the Topography in an Area Includes?
There are many different landforms.
A landform is a feature (characteristic) of topography
Example: a hill or valley
(formed by the processes that shape Earth’s surface.)
Different landforms have different combinations of elevation and relief.

6. Main Types of Landforms
Landforms vary greatly in size and shape.
Three major types of landforms are:
plains, mountains, and plateaus.
Three major types of landforms are
P___________________
M___________________

7. Exploring Earth’s Surface
Landforms
Plains, mountains, and plateaus are three of the many landforms that make up the topography of Earth’s surface.

8. Landform- PLAIN Plain Elevation- low
Relief- low
A plain is a landform made up of nearly flat or gently rolling land with low relief. A plain that lies along a seacoast is called a coastal plain. A plain that lies away from the coast is called an interior plain. The broad interior plains of North America are called the Great Plains.

9. Mountain Elevation- high Relief- high
Landform- MOUNTAIN
Mountain Elevation- high Relief- high
A mountain is a landform with high elevation and high relief. A mountain’s base can cover an area of several square kilometers. A mountain range is a group of mountains that are closely related in shape, structure, area, and age.
Mountain Ranges
Elevation- high
Relief- high

10. Plateau Elevation-High Relief- Low
Landform- PLATEAU
Plateau Elevation-High Relief- Low
A landform that has high elevation and a more or less level surface is called a plateau. The Columbia Plateau in Washington State is an example.

11. A large area of land where the topography is made up mainly of one type of landform is called a landform region.
The Great Plains and Rocky Mountains are examples of major landform regions.
Other terms used to describe landform regions include:
uplands, which are regions of hilly topography,
lowlands, which are regions of plains with low elevations.

12. Exploring Earth’s Surface
Landform Regions of the United States: Florida
The United States has many different landform regions. Identify Florida on the map. Classify it by landform region.

13. Did You Know?
The highest elevation in the United States is Mt. McKinley, Alaska, at 6,194 meters.
The lowest is Death Valley, California, at 86 meters below sea level.