Glossary of landforms

Short description: Links to Wikipedia articles on 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

Earth:Aeolian landform – Landforms produced by action of the winds include:

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

Coastal and oceanic landforms

Coastal and oceanic landforms include:

Earth:Abyssal fan – Underwater geological structures associated with large-scale sediment deposition
Earth:Abyssal plain – Flat area on the deep ocean floor
Earth:Archipelago – Collection of islands
Earth:Atoll – Ring-shaped coral reef
Arch – Arch-shaped natural rock formation
Earth:Barrier island – Coastal dune landform that forms by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast
Earth:Bay – Recessed, coastal body of water connected to an ocean or lake
Earth:Baymouth bar – Sandbank that partially or completely closes access to a bay
Earth:Beach – Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water
Earth:Raised beach – Emergent coastal landform
Earth:Beach cusps – Shoreline formations made up of various grades of sediment in an arc pattern
Earth: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
Earth:Calanque – Narrow, steep-walled inlet on the Mediterranean coast
Earth:Cliff – Tall, near vertical rock face
Earth:Coast – Area where land meets the sea or ocean
Earth:Continental shelf – Coastal and oceanic landform
Earth:Coral reef – Outcrop of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of stony coral skeletons
Earth:Cove – Small sheltered bay or coastal inlet
Earth:Cuspate foreland – Geographical features found on coastlines and lakeshores
Dune system – Hill of loose sand built by aeolian processes or the flow of water
Earth:Estuary – Partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water
Earth:Firth – Scottish word used for various coastal inlets and straits
Earth:Fjard – Glacially formed, broad, shallow inlet
Earth: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
Earth:Gulf – Large inlet from the ocean into the landmass
- Earth:List of gulfs
Earth:Headland – Landform extending into a body of water, often with significant height and drop
Earth:Inlet – Indentation of a shoreline
Earth:Island – Piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water
Earth:Islet – Very small island
Earth:Lagoon – Shallow body of water separated from a larger one by a narrow landform
Earth:Machair – Fertile low-lying grassy plain
Earth:Mid-ocean ridge – Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
Earth:Oceanic basin – Geologic basin under the sea
Earth:Oceanic plateau – Relatively flat submarine region that rises well above the level of the ambient seabed
Earth:Oceanic trench – Long and narrow depressions of the sea floor
Earth:Peninsula – Landform surrounded more than half but not entirely by water
Earth:Ria – Coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley
Earth:Salt marsh – Coastal ecosystem between land and open saltwater that is regularly flooded
Earth:Sea cave – Cave formed by the wave action of the sea and located along present or former coastlines
Earth:Seamount – Mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface
Earth:Shoal – Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
Earth: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
Earth:Strait – Naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water
Earth: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
Earth:Submarine canyon – A steep-sided valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope
Earth:Surge channel – Type of coastal landform
Earth:Tessellated pavement – Relatively flat rock surface that is subdivided into more or less regular shapes by fractures
Earth:Tidal marsh – Marsh subject to tidal change in water
Earth:Tide pool – Rocky pool on a seashore, separated from the sea at low tide, filled with seawater
Earth:Tombolo – Deposition landform in which an island is connected to the mainland by a sandy isthmus
Earth:Volcanic arc – Chain of volcanoes formed above a subducting plate
Earth:Wave-cut platform – Narrow flat area created by erosion

Cryogenic landforms

Earth:Blockfield
Cryoplanation terrace – Formation of plains, terraces and pediments in periglacial environments
Kurum – Mantle of loose rocks moving by creeping on gentle slopes.
Earth:Lithalsa – Frost-induced raised land form in permafrost areas
Nivation hollow – Geomorphic processes associated with snow patches
Earth:Palsa – A low, often oval, frost heave occurring in polar and subpolar climates
Earth:Pingo – Mound of earth-covered ice
Earth:Rock glacier – Glacial landform
Earth:Solifluction lobes and sheets
Earth:Thermokarst

Erosion landforms

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

Earth:Arête – Narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys
Earth:Badlands – Type of heavily eroded terrain
Earth:Butte – Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top
Earth:Canyon – Deep chasm between cliffs
Earth:Cave – Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter
Earth:Cirque – An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion
Earth:Cliff – Tall, near vertical rock face
Chink, regional term in Central Asia for steep chalk and limestone escarpments and cliffs of height up to 350m, often around flat-top elevations
Cryoplanation terrace – Formation of plains, terraces and pediments in periglacial environments
Earth:Cuesta – Hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other
Earth:Dissected plateau – Plateaus area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp
Erg – Broad area of desert covered with wind-swept sand
Earth:Exhumed river channel – Ridge of sandstone that remains when the softer flood plain mudstone is eroded away
Earth:Fjord – Long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial activity
Earth:Flared slope – Rock-wall with a smooth transition into a concavity at the foot zone
Flatiron – Steeply sloping triangular landform
Earth:Gulch – Deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion
Earth: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
Earth:Homoclinal ridge – Ridge with a moderate sloping backslope and steeper frontslope
Earth:Inselberg, also known as Monadnock – Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
Astronomy:Inverted relief – Landscape features that have reversed their elevation relative to other features
Earth:Lavaka – Type of gully, formed via groundwater sapping
Earth:Limestone pavement – Natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone
Earth:Mesa – Elevated area of land with a flat top and sides
Earth:Mushroom rock – Naturally occurring rock whose shape resembles a mushroom
Earth:Natural arch – Arch-shaped natural rock formation
Paleoplain - A buried erosion plain; a particularly large and flat erosion surface
Pediment – Very gently sloping inclined bedrock surface
Earth:Pediplain – Extensive plain formed by the coalescence of pediments
Earth:Peneplain – Low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion
Earth:Planation surface – Large-scale surface that is almost flat
Potrero – Long mesa that at one end slopes upward to higher terrain
Earth:Ridge – Long, narrow, elevated landform
Earth:Rôche moutonnée
Earth: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
Earth:Tepui – Table-top mountain or mesa in the Guiana Highlands of South America
Earth:Tessellated pavement – Relatively flat rock surface that is subdivided into more or less regular shapes by fractures
Earth: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
Earth:Valley – Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
Earth:Wave-cut platform – Narrow flat area created by erosion
Earth:Wind gap – Topographic gap made by a former waterway

Fluvial landforms

 landforms include:

Earth:Ait – Islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England
Earth:Alluvial fan – Fan-shaped deposit of sediment
Earth:Anabranch – A section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel and rejoins it downstream.
Arroyo
Earth:Asymmetric valley – Valley that has steeper slopes on one side
Earth:Backswamp – Environment on a floodplain where deposits settle after a flood
Bajada
Bar – Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
Earth:Bayou – Body of water in flat, low-lying areas
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
Earth:Canyon – Deep chasm between cliffs
Earth:Cave – Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter
Earth:Cliff – Tall, near vertical rock face
Earth:Cut bank – Outside bank of a water channel, which is continually undergoing erosion
Earth:Crevasse splay – Sediment deposited on a floodplain by a stream which breaks its levees
Earth:Confluence – Meeting of two or more bodies of flowing water
Earth:Drainage basin – Land area where water converges to a common outlet
Earth:Drainage divide – Elevated terrain that separates neighbouring drainage basins
Earth:Endorheic basin – Closed drainage basin that allows no outflow
Earth:Esker – Long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel associated with former glaciers
Earth:Exhumed river channel – Ridge of sandstone that remains when the softer flood plain mudstone is eroded away
Earth:Floodplain – Land adjacent to a river which is flooded during periods of high discharge
Fluvial island – Exposed landmass within a river
Earth:Fluvial terrace – Elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and river valleys
Gorge – Deep chasm between cliffs
Earth:Gully – Landform created by running water and/or mass movement eroding sharply into soil
Earth:Levee – Ridge or wall to hold back water
Earth:Marsh – Low-lying and seasonally waterlogged land
Earth:Meander – One of a series of curves in a channel of a matured stream
Earth:Misfit stream – River too large or too small to have eroded the valley or cave passage in which it flows
Earth:Narrows – Restricted land or water passage
Earth:Oxbow lake – U-shaped lake or pool
Earth:Point bar – Landform related to streams and rivers
Earth:Plunge pool – Depression at the base of a waterfall
Earth:Rapids – River section with increased velocity and turbulence
Earth:Riffle – Shallow landform in a flowing channel
Earth:River – Natural flowing watercourse
Earth:River island – Exposed landmass within a river
Earth:Rock-cut basin – Cylindrical depression cut into stream or river beds
Shut-in – Type of rock formation found in Ozarks streams
Earth:Thalweg – Line of lowest elevation in a watercourse or valley
Towhead – Exposed landmass within a river
Earth:Shoal – Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
Earth:Strath – Large valley
Earth:Stream – Body of surface water flowing down a channel
Earth:Stream pool – Deep and slow-moving stretch of a watercourse
Earth:Swamp – A forested wetland
Earth:Valley – Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
Earth:Wadi – River valley, especially a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain
Earth:Waterfall – A point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop
Watershed – Land area where water converges to a common outlet
Earth:Yazoo stream – Hydrologic term
Earth:V-shaped valley

Impact landforms

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

Astronomy:Complex crater – Large impact craters with uplifted centres
Astronomy:Impact crater – Circular depression in a solid astronomical body formed by the impact of a smaller object
Earth:Impact crater lake – Lake formed within an impact crater

Lacustrine landforms

Lacustrine – associated with lakes – landforms include:

Earth:Beach – Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water
Earth:Raised beach – Emergent coastal landform
Earth:Dry lake – Basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body
Earth:Chott
Earth:Endorheic basin – Closed drainage basin that allows no outflow
Earth:Lacustrine plain – Lakes filled by sediment
Lacustrine terraces – A step-like landform
Earth:Lake – Large body of relatively still water
Earth:Oasis – Fertile area in a desert environment
Earth:Oxbow lake – U-shaped lake or pool
Earth:Pond – Relatively small body of standing water
Earth:Proglacial lake – Lake formed by the action of ice
Salt pan, also known as salt flat – Flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals

Mountain and glacial landforms

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

Earth:Arête – Narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys formed by glacial movement
Earth:Cirque – An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion
Earth:Col – Lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks
Earth: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
Earth:Dirt cone – Depositional glacial feature of ice or snow with an insulating layer of dirt
Earth:Esker – Long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel associated with former glaciers
Earth:Fjord – Long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by glacial activity
Earth:Fluvial terrace – Elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and river valleys
Flyggberg – Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
Earth:Glacier
Earth:Glacier cave – Cave formed within the ice of a glacier
Earth:Glacier foreland – The region between the current leading edge of the glacier and the moraines of latest maximum
Earth:Highland – Area of high elevation such as a mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau
Earth:Hill – Landform that extends above the surrounding terrain
Earth:Inselberg, also known as monadnock – Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
Earth:Kame – Mound formed on a retreating glacier and deposited on land
Earth:Kame delta – Glacial melt water landform
Kettle – Depression or hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters
Earth:Moraine – Glacially formed accumulation of debris
- Earth: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
Earth:Mountain – Large natural elevation of the Earth's surface
Earth:Mountain pass – Route through a mountain range or over a ridge
Earth:Mountain range – Geographic area containing several geologically related mountains
Earth:Nunatak – Landform within an ice field or glacier
Earth:Proglacial lake – Lake formed by the action of ice
Earth:Pyramidal peak, also known as Glacial horn – Angular, sharply pointed mountainous peak
Earth:Outwash fan – Type of sediment deposition by a melting glacier
Earth:Outwash plain – Plain formed from glacier sediment transported by meltwater
Earth:Rift valley – Linear lowland created by a tectonic rift or fault
Earth:Rôche moutonnée
Sandur – Plain formed from glacier sediment transported by meltwater
Earth:Side valley
Earth:Summit – Point on a surface with a higher elevation than all immediately adjacent points
Earth:Trim line – Clear line on the side of a valley marking the most recent highest extent of the glacier
Earth:Truncated spur – Ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline that is cut short
Earth:Tunnel valley – Glacial-formed geographic feature
Earth:Valley – Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
Earth:U-shaped valley – Valleys formed by glacial scouring

Slope landforms

Slope landforms include:

Bluff – Tall, near vertical rock face
Earth:Butte – Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top
Earth:Canyon – Deep chasm between cliffs
Earth:Cliff – Tall, near vertical rock face
Earth:Col – Lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks
Earth: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
Place:Doab, also known as Interfluve – Land between two converging, or confluent, rivers, mainly in the Punjab
Draw – Terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between
Earth:Escarpment, also known as scarp – Steep slope or cliff separating two relatively level regions
Earth:Flat (landform) – Relatively level surface of land within a region of greater relief
Earth:Glen – Name for valley commonly used in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man
Earth:Gully – Landform created by running water and/or mass movement eroding sharply into soil
Earth:Hill – Landform that extends above the surrounding terrain
Earth:Hillock, also known as Knoll – Small hill
Earth:Mesa – Elevated area of land with a flat top and sides
Earth:Mountain pass – Route through a mountain range or over a ridge
Earth:Plain – Expanse of land that is mostly flat and treeless
Earth:Plateau – Highland area, usually of relatively flat terrain
Earth:Ravine – Small valley, often due to stream erosion
Earth:Ridge – Long, narrow, elevated landform
Earth:Rock shelter – A shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff
Saddle – Land connecting two high points
Earth:Scree – Broken rock fragments at base of cliff
Earth:Solifluction lobes and sheets
Earth:Strath – Large valley
Earth:Summit – Point on a surface with a higher elevation than all immediately adjacent points
Terrace – A step-like landform
Earth:Terracette – Small natural step-arranged soil ridges on hillsides
Vale
Earth:Valley – Low area between hills, often with a river running through it

Tectonic landforms

Landforms created by tectonic activity include:

Earth: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
Earth:Fault scarp – Small vertical offset on the ground surface
Earth:Graben – Depressed block of planetary crust bordered by parallel normal faults
Horst – Raised fault block bounded by normal faults
Earth:Mid-ocean ridge – Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
Earth:Mud volcano – Landform created by the eruption of mud or slurries, water and gases
Earth:Oceanic trench – Long and narrow depressions of the sea floor
Earth:Pull-apart basin – Type of basin in geology
Earth:Rift valley – Linear lowland created by a tectonic rift or fault
Earth:Sand boil – Cone formed by the ejection of sand on a surface from a central point

Volcanic landforms

Volcanic landforms include:

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

Weathering landforms

Weathering landforms include:

Earth:Flared slope – Rock-wall with a smooth transition into a concavity at the foot zone
Flute
Earth:Inselberg – Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
Earth:Karst – Topography from dissolved soluble rocks
Nubbin – Small hill of bedrock with rounded residual blocks
Earth:Panhole – Depression or basin eroded into flat or gently sloping cohesive rock (Weathering pit)
Earth: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

Earth:Cinder cone – Steep hill of pyroclastic fragments around a volcanic vent
Dome – Geological deformation structure
Earth:Drumlin – Elongated hill formed by glacial action
Earth:Hillock – Small hill
Earth:Inselberg – Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
Earth:Lava dome – Roughly circular protrusion from slowly extruded viscous volcanic lava
Earth:Lava spine – Vertical growth of solid volcanic lava
Earth:Mesa – Elevated area of land with a flat top and sides
Earth: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
Earth:Tower karst
Earth:Tuya – Flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet
Earth:Palsa – A low, often oval, frost heave occurring in polar and subpolar climates
Earth:Pingo – Mound of earth-covered ice
Earth:Pyroclastic shield – Shield volcano formed mostly of pyroclastic and highly explosive eruptions
Earth:Resurgent dome – Dome formed by swelling or rising of a caldera floor due to movement in the magma chamber beneath it
Earth:Seamount – Mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface
Earth:Shield volcano – Low-profile volcano usually formed almost entirely of fluid lava flows
Earth:Stratovolcano – Type of conical volcano composed of layers of lava and tephra
Earth:Volcanic cone – Landform of ejecta from a volcanic vent piled up in a conical shape
Earth:Volcanic island – Island of volcanic origin

Depressions

Earth:Caldera – Cauldron-like volcanic feature formed by the emptying of a magma chamber
Earth:Cave – Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter
Earth:Cirque – An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion
Earth:Crevasse – A deep crack, or fracture, in an ice sheet or glacier
Doline – Depression or hole in the ground caused by collapse of the surface into an existing void space
Earth:Graben – Depressed block of planetary crust bordered by parallel normal faults
Astronomy:Impact crater – Circular depression in a solid astronomical body formed by the impact of a smaller object
Joint valley
Kettle – Depression or hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters
Earth:Lagoon – Shallow body of water separated from a larger one by a narrow landform
Earth:Lake – Large body of relatively still water
Earth:Lava lake – Molten lava contained in a volcanic crater
Earth:Maar – Low-relief volcanic crater
Nivation hollow – Geomorphic processes associated with snow patches
Earth:Oxbow lake – U-shaped lake or pool
Earth:Panhole – Depression or basin eroded into flat or gently sloping cohesive rock
Earth:Plunge pool – Depression at the base of a waterfall
Earth:Pond – Relatively small body of standing water
Earth:Pull-apart basin – Type of basin in geology
Earth: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
Earth:Sea cave – Cave formed by the wave action of the sea and located along present or former coastlines
Earth:Sinkhole – Depression or hole in the ground caused by collapse of the surface into an existing void space
Sor
Earth:Tafoni – Small to large indentations in vertical to steeply sloping granular rock
Earth:Thermokarst
Earth:Volcanic crater – Roughly circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity
Earth:Volcanic dam – Natural dam produced directly or indirectly by volcanism

Flat landforms

Earth:Abyssal fan – Underwater geological structures associated with large-scale sediment deposition
Earth:Abyssal plain – Flat area on the deep ocean floor
Bench – Long, relatively narrow land bounded by distinctly steeper slopes above and below
Earth:Butte – Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top
Earth:Continental shelf – Coastal and oceanic landform
Cryoplanation terrace – Formation of plains, terraces and pediments in periglacial environments
Earth:Dissected plateau – Plateaus area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp
Earth:Floodplain – Land adjacent to a river which is flooded during periods of high discharge
Earth: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
Earth:Lava field, also known as lava plain – Large, mostly flat area of lava flows
Earth:Oceanic basin – Geologic basin under the sea
Earth:Oceanic plateau – Relatively flat submarine region that rises well above the level of the ambient seabed
Earth:Outwash fan – Type of sediment deposition by a melting glacier
Earth:Outwash plain – Plain formed from glacier sediment transported by meltwater
Paleoplain - A buried erosion plain; a particularly large and flat erosion surface
Earth:Pediplain – Extensive plain formed by the coalescence of pediments
Earth:Peneplain – Low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion
Earth:Plain – Expanse of land that is mostly flat and treeless
Earth:Planation surface – Large-scale surface that is almost flat
Earth:Plateau – Highland area, usually of relatively flat terrain
Earth:Polje – Type of large plain found in karst regions
Earth:Raised beach, also known as Marine terrace – Emergent coastal landform
Earth: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 transported by meltwater
Earth:Strandflat – Type of landform found in high-latitude areas
Earth:Strath – Large valley
Earth:Swamp – A forested wetland
Table – Raised landform with a flat top
Earth:Tidal marsh – Marsh subject to tidal change in water
Earth:Tepui – Table-top mountain or mesa in the Guiana Highlands of South America
Earth:Volcanic plateau – Plateau produced by volcanic activity
Earth:Wave-cut platform – Narrow flat area created by erosion

Landforms, alphabetic

Earth:Abîme – Geographical term referring to vertical shaft in caves
Earth:Abyssal fan – Underwater geological structures associated with large-scale sediment deposition
Earth:Abyssal plain – Flat area on the deep ocean floor
Earth:Ait – Islands found on the River Thames and its tributaries in England
Earth:Alluvial fan – Fan-shaped deposit of sediment
Earth:Anabranch – A section of a river or stream that diverts from the main channel and rejoins it downstream.
Arch – Arch-shaped natural rock formation
Earth:Archipelago – Collection of islands
Earth:Arête – Narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys
Arroyo
Earth:Atoll – Ring-shaped coral reef
Earth:Badlands – Type of heavily eroded terrain
Bajada
Bar – Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
Barrier bar – Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
Earth:Barrier island – Coastal dune landform that forms by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast
Earth:Bay – Recessed, coastal body of water connected to an ocean or lake
Earth:Baymouth bar – Sandbank that partially or completely closes access to a bay
Earth:Bayou – Body of water in flat, low-lying areas
Earth:Beach – Area of loose particles at the edge of the sea or other body of water
Earth:Beach cusps – Shoreline formations made up of various grades of sediment in an arc pattern
Earth: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 – Tall, near vertical rock face
Braided channel – Network of river channels separated by small, and often temporary, islands
Earth:Butte – Isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top
Earth:Calanque – Narrow, steep-walled inlet on the Mediterranean coast
Earth:Caldera – Cauldron-like volcanic feature formed by the emptying of a magma chamber
Earth:Canyon – Deep chasm between cliffs
Cape – Large headland extending into a body of water, usually the sea
Earth:Cave – Natural underground space large enough for a human to enter
Channel – Type of landform in which part of a body of water is confined to a relatively narrow but long region
Earth:Cirque – An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion
Corrie – An amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion or cwm
Earth:Cliff – Tall, near vertical rock face
Earth:Coast – Area where land meets the sea or ocean
Earth:Col – Lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks
Astronomy:Complex crater – Large impact craters with uplifted centres
Earth:Complex volcano – Landform of more than one related volcanic centre
Earth:Confluence – Meeting of two or more bodies of flowing water
Earth:Continental shelf – Coastal and oceanic landform
Earth:Coral reef – Outcrop of rock in the sea formed by the growth and deposit of stony coral skeletons
Earth:Cove – Small sheltered bay or coastal inlet
Cove (mountain) – Small valley in the Appalachian Mountains between two ridge lines
Earth:Crevasse splay – Sediment deposited on a floodplain by a stream which breaks its levees
Earth:Crevasse – A deep crack, or fracture, in an ice sheet or glacier
Astronomy:Cryovolcano – Type of volcano that erupts volatiles such as water, ammonia or methane, instead of molten rock
Earth:Cuesta – Hill or ridge with a gentle slope on one side and a steep slope on the other
Earth:Cuspate foreland – Geographical features found on coastlines and lakeshores
Earth: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
Earth:Desert pavement – Type of desert earth surface
Earth:Diatreme – A volcanic pipe formed by a gaseous explosion
Dike – A sheet of rock that is formed in a fracture of a pre-existing rock body
Earth:Dirt cone – Depositional glacial feature of ice or snow with an insulating layer of dirt
Earth:Dissected plateau – Plateaus area that has been severely eroded so that the relief is sharp
Place:Doab – Land between two converging, or confluent, rivers, mainly in the Punjab
Doline – Depression or hole in the ground caused by collapse of the surface into an existing void space
Dome – Geological deformation structure
Earth:Drainage basin – Land area where water converges to a common outlet
Earth:Drainage divide – Elevated terrain that separates neighbouring drainage basins
Draw – Terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between
Earth:Drumlin – Elongated hill formed by glacial action
Earth:Dry lake – Basin or depression that formerly contained a standing surface water body
Earth: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
Earth:Endorheic basin – Closed drainage basin that allows no outflow
Erg – Broad area of desert covered with wind-swept sand
Earth:Escarpment – Steep slope or cliff separating two relatively level regions (scarp)
Earth:Esker – Long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel associated with former glaciers
Earth:Estuary – Partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water
Earth: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
Earth:Fault scarp – Small vertical offset on the ground surface
Earth:Firth – Scottish word used for various coastal inlets and straits
Earth:Fjard – Glacially formed, broad, shallow inlet
Earth: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
Earth:Floodplain – Land adjacent to a river which is flooded during periods of high discharge
Earth:Foothills – Hills before a mountain range
Fluvial island – Exposed landmass within a river
Earth:Fluvial terrace – Elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and river valleys
Earth:Foiba – Type of deep natural sinkhole
Geo – Inlet, a gully or a narrow and deep cleft in the face of a cliff
Earth:Geyser – Natural explosive eruption of hot water
Glacial horn – Angular, sharply pointed mountainous peak
Earth:Glacier cave – Cave formed within the ice of a glacier
Earth:Glacier foreland – The region between the current leading edge of the glacier and the moraines of latest maximum
Earth:Glacier
Earth:Glen – Name for valley commonly used in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man
Gorge – Deep chasm between cliffs
Earth:Graben – Depressed block of planetary crust bordered by parallel normal faults
Earth:Gulch – Deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion
Gulf
Earth:Gully – Landform created by running water and/or mass movement eroding sharply into soil
Earth:Guyot – Isolated, flat-topped underwater volcano mountain
Earth:Headland – Landform extending into a body of water, often with significant height and drop
Earth:Highland – Area of high elevation such as a mountainous region or elevated mountainous plateau
Earth:Hill – Landform that extends above the surrounding terrain
Hogback – Long, narrow ridge
Earth: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
Astronomy:Impact crater – Circular depression in a solid astronomical body formed by the impact of a smaller object
Earth:Inlet – Indentation of a shoreline
Interfluve – Land between two converging, or confluent, rivers, mainly in the Punjab
Astronomy:Inverted relief – Landscape features that have reversed their elevation relative to other features
Earth:Island – Piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water
Earth:Islet – Very small island
Earth:Kame delta – Glacial melt water landform
Earth:Kame – Mound formed on a retreating glacier and deposited on land
Earth:Karst – Topography from dissolved soluble rocks
Karst valley – Topography from dissolved soluble rocks
Kettle – Depression or hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters
Earth:Kīpuka – Area of land surrounded by one or more younger lava flows
Knoll – Small hill
Earth:Lacustrine plain – Lakes filled by sediment
Earth:Lagoon – Shallow body of water separated from a larger one by a narrow landform
Earth:Lake – Large body of relatively still water
Earth:Lava dome – Roughly circular protrusion from slowly extruded viscous volcanic lava
Earth:Lava – Molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption
Earth:Lava lake – Molten lava contained in a volcanic crater
Earth:Lava field, also known as lava plain – Large, mostly flat area of lava flows
Earth:Lava spine – Vertical growth of solid volcanic lava
Earth:Lava tube – Natural conduit through which lava flows beneath the solid surface
Earth:Lavaka – Type of gully, formed via groundwater sapping
Earth:Levee – Ridge or wall to hold back water, natural
Earth:Limestone pavement – Natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone
Earth:Loess – Sediment of accumulated wind-blown dust
Lacustrine terraces – A step-like landform
Earth:Maar – Low-relief volcanic crater
Earth: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
Earth:Marsh – Low-lying and seasonally waterlogged land
Earth:Massif – The principal mass of a mountain
Earth:Meander – One of a series of curves in a channel of a matured stream
Earth:Mesa – Elevated area of land with a flat top and sides
Earth:Mid-ocean ridge – Basaltic underwater mountain system formed by plate tectonic spreading
Earth:Mogote – Steep-sided residual hill of limestone, marble, or dolomite on a flat plain
Monadnock – Isolated, steep rock hill on relatively flat terrain
Earth:Moraine – Glacially formed accumulation of debris
Moulin – Shaft within a glacier or ice sheet which water enters from the surface
Earth:Mountain – Large natural elevation of the Earth's surface
Earth:Mountain pass – Route through a mountain range or over a ridge
Earth:Mountain range – Geographic area containing several geologically related mountains
Earth:Mud volcano – Landform created by the eruption of mud or slurries, water and gases
Earth:Mushroom rock – Naturally occurring rock whose shape resembles a mushroom
Earth:Natural arch – Arch-shaped natural rock formation
Earth:Nunatak – Landform within an ice field or glacier
Earth:Oasis – Fertile area in a desert environment
Earth:Oceanic basin – Geologic basin under the sea
Earth:Oceanic plateau – Relatively flat submarine region that rises well above the level of the ambient seabed
Earth:Oceanic trench – Long and narrow depressions of the sea floor
Earth:Outwash fan – Type of sediment deposition by a melting glacier
Earth:Outwash plain – Plain formed from glacier sediment transported by meltwater
Earth:Oxbow lake – U-shaped lake or pool
Paleoplain - A buried erosion plain; a particularly large and flat erosion surface
Pediment – Very gently sloping inclined bedrock surface
Earth:Pediplain – Extensive plain formed by the coalescence of pediments
Earth:Peneplain – Low-relief plain formed by protracted erosion
Earth:Peninsula – Landform surrounded more than half but not entirely by water
Earth:Pingo – Mound of earth-covered ice
Earth:Pit crater – Depression formed by a sinking or collapse of the surface lying above a void or empty chamber
Earth:Plain – Expanse of land that is mostly flat and treeless
Earth:Plateau – Highland area, usually of relatively flat terrain
Earth:Plunge pool – Depression at the base of a waterfall
Earth:Point bar – Landform related to streams and rivers
Earth:Polje – Type of large plain found in karst regions
Earth:Pond – Relatively small body of standing water
Potrero – Long mesa that at one end slopes upward to higher terrain
Earth:Proglacial lake – Lake formed by the action of ice
Earth:Pull-apart basin – Type of basin in geology
Earth:Quarry – A place from which a geological material has been excavated from the ground
Earth:Raised beach – Emergent coastal landform
Earth:Rapids – River section with increased velocity and turbulence
Earth:Ravine – Small valley, often due to stream erosion
Earth:Ria – Coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley
Earth:Ridge – Long, narrow, elevated landform
Earth:Riffle – Shallow landform in a flowing channel
Earth:Rift valley – Linear lowland created by a tectonic rift or fault
Earth:River – Natural flowing watercourse
Earth:River island – Exposed landmass within a river
Earth:Rôche moutonnée
Earth:Rogen moraine – Landform of ridges deposited by a glacier or ice sheet transverse to ice flow
Rock formations
Earth:Rock shelter – A shallow cave-like opening at the base of a bluff or cliff
Earth:Rock-cut basin – Cylindrical depression cut into stream or river beds
Saddle – Land connecting two high points
Earth: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)
Earth:Sand boil, also known as sand volcano – Cone formed by the ejection of sand on a surface from a central point
Biology:Sandhill – Type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem
Sandur – Plain formed from glacier sediment transported by meltwater
Earth:Scree – Broken rock fragments at base of cliff
Earth:Sea cave – Cave formed by the wave action of the sea and located along present or former coastlines
Earth:Seamount – Mountain rising from the ocean seafloor that does not reach to the water's surface
Earth:Shield volcano – Low-profile volcano usually formed almost entirely of fluid lava flows
Earth:Shoal – Natural submerged sandbank that rises from a body of water to near the surface
Earth:Shore – The fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water
Shut-in – Type of rock formation found in Ozarks streams
Earth:Side valley
Earth:Sinkhole – Depression or hole in the ground caused by collapse of the surface into an existing void space
Sound – A long, relatively wide body of water, connecting two larger bodies of water
Spit – Coastal bar or beach landform deposited by longshore drift
Stack – Geological landform consisting of a steep and often vertical column or columns of rock and stump
Earth:Strait – Naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water
Earth:Strandflat – Type of landform found in high-latitude areas
Earth:Strath – Large valley
Earth:Stratovolcano – Type of conical volcano composed of layers of lava and tephra
Earth:Stream pool – Deep and slow-moving stretch of a watercourse
Earth: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
Earth:Subglacial mound – Volcano formed when lava erupts beneath a thick glacier or ice sheet
Earth:Submarine canyon – A steep-sided valley cut into the seabed of the continental slope
Earth:Submarine volcano – Underwater vents or fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt
Earth:Summit – Point on a surface with a higher elevation than all immediately adjacent points
Earth:Supervolcano – Volcano that has erupted 1000 cubic km of lava in a single eruption
Earth:Surge channel – Type of coastal landform
Earth:Swamp – A forested wetland
Earth:Tepui – Table-top mountain or mesa in the Guiana Highlands of South America
Terrace – A step-like landform
Earth:Terracette – Small natural step-arranged soil ridges on hillsides
Earth:Tessellated pavement – Relatively flat rock surface that is subdivided into more or less regular shapes by fractures
Earth:Thalweg – Line of lowest elevation in a watercourse or valley
Earth:Tidal marsh – Marsh subject to tidal change in water
Earth:Tide pool – Rocky pool on a seashore, separated from the sea at low tide, filled with seawater
Earth: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 landmass within a river
Earth:Trim line – Clear line on the side of a valley marking the most recent highest extent of the glacier
Earth:Truncated spur – Ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline that is cut short
Earth:Tunnel valley – Glacial-formed geographic feature
Turlough – Type of seasonal or periodic lake found in limestone areas of Ireland
Earth:Tuya – Flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet
Earth:U-shaped valley – Valleys formed by glacial scouring
Uvala – Toponym for a closed karst depression
Vale
Earth:Valley – Low area between hills, often with a river running through it
Earth:Ventifact – Rock that has been eroded by wind-driven sand or ice crystals
Earth:Volcanic arc – Chain of volcanoes formed above a subducting plate
Earth:Volcanic cone – Landform of ejecta from a volcanic vent piled up in a conical shape
Earth:Volcanic crater – Roughly circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity
Earth:Volcanic crater lake – Lake formed within a volcanic crater
Earth:Volcanic dam – Natural dam produced directly or indirectly by volcanism
Earth:Volcanic field – Area of Earth's crust prone to localized volcanic activity
Earth:Volcanic group – Collection of related volcanoes or volcanic landforms
Volcanic island – Island of volcanic origin
Earth:Volcanic plateau – Plateau produced by volcanic activity
Earth:Volcanic plug – Volcanic object created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano
Earth:Volcano – Rupture in a planet's crust where material escapes
Earth:Wadi – River valley, especially a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain
Earth:Waterfall – A point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop
Watershed – Land area where water converges to a common outlet
Earth:Wave-cut platform – Narrow flat area created by erosion
Earth:Wetland – Land area that is permanently, or seasonally saturated with water
Earth:Yardang – Streamlined aeolian landform

v t e Earth's landform
List of landforms
Mountainous	Table Butte Flat Hill Mountain Mountain range Plateau Ridge Valley
Continental plain	Ice sheet Plain Steppe Tundra
Fluvial	Alluvial fan Beach Canyon Cave Channel Cliff Floodplain Lake Levee Meander Oasis Pond Rapids River River delta River mouth River valley Strait Swamp Waterfall
Glacial	Arête Cirque Esker Fjord Glacier Ice field Tunnel valley
Oceanic and coastal landforms	Atoll Bay Cape Channel Coast Continental shelf Coral reef Estuary High island Island Isthmus Lagoon Mid-ocean ridge Oceanic trench Peninsula Seamount
Volcanic	Caldera Crater lake Geyser High island Mid-ocean ridge Lava dome Lava field Lava plateau Submarine volcano Guyot Volcanic crater Volcanic plug Volcano Wall rock
Aeolian	Desert Dry lake Dune Sandhill Tundra
Artificial	Artificial island Artificial reef Bridge Building Canal Dam Ditch Land reclamation Levee Polder Quarry Reservoir Road Tunnel
See also: Geographical feature