Geography Part 3
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breshnaimran321Geography Part 3
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breshnaimran321Geography Presentation
Part 3
By: Breshna Ali Khan
Topic: Famous Landforms
1- Deserts
Location
Hot and dry deserts can be found in North
America, Central America, South America,
southern Asia, Africa, and Australia. Well-known
hot and dry deserts include the Mojave and the
Sahara. As the name suggests, these deserts are
very hot and very dry. They have two seasons:
hot and hotter!
Formation
Deserts are formed by weathering processes as
large variations in temperature between day and
night put strains on the rocks, which
consequently break in pieces. Although rain
seldom occurs in deserts, there are occasional
downpours that can result in flash floods.
Historical Significance
Humans have long made use of deserts as places
to live, and more recently have started to exploit
them for minerals and energy capture. Deserts
play a significant role in human culture with an
extensive literature. Deserts can only support a
limited population of both humans and animals.
Cultural Significance
In many cultures, the desert holds spiritual
significance and serves as a symbol of resilience
and endurance. Ceremonies and rituals centered
around the desert often reflect a deep
reverence for the land and its resources,
emphasizing the need for harmony and balance
with nature.
2- Plains
Location
Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the
base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as
plateaus or uplands. Plains are one of the major
landforms on earth, being present on all
continents and covering more than one-third of
the world's land area. Plains in many areas are
important for agriculture.
Formation
Some plains form as ice and water erodes, or
wears away, the dirt and rock on higher land.
Water and ice carry the bits of dirt, rock, and
other material, called sediment, down hillsides
to be deposited elsewhere. As layer upon layer
of this sediment is laid down, plains form.
Volcanic activity can also form plains.
Historical Significance
From at least 10,000 years ago to approximately
1100ce, the Plains were very sparsely populated
by humans. Typical of hunting and gathering
cultures worldwide, Plains residents lived in
small family-based groups, usually of no more
than a few dozen individuals, and foraged widely
over the landscape.
3- Canyons
Location
Canyons are much more common in arid
areas than in wet areas because physical
weathering has a more localized effect in arid
zones. The wind and water from the river
combine to erode and cut away less resistant
materials such as shales. The freezing and
expansion of water also serves to help form
canyons.
Formation
The movement of rivers, the processes of
weathering and erosion, and tectonic
activity create canyons. The most familiar type
of canyon is probably the river canyon. The
water pressure of a river can cut deep into a
river bed. Sediments from the river bed are
carried downstream, creating a deep, narrow
channel.
Historical Significance
Geologists studying layers of rock in the
Columbia River Gorge, in the U.S. states of
Washington and Oregon, discovered that the
oldest rocks there are at least 17 million years
old. They also found out the rocks are dark-black
basalt, made from hardened lava.
