Types of Landscapes

Question 1

Coastal

Answer 1

• An environment in which geomorphic agents are wind and water
• Water, in the form of waves, can either gently lap or violently crash against the coastline
• Both water and wind create many coastal landforms such as cliffs, caves, beaches, dunes, reefs, and islands
• e.g. Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Question 2

Riverine

Answer 2

• A network of rivers and the surrounding land
• Landscape formed by the natural movement of a water system such as a river
• A riverine landscape includes the ecosystems in and around the area of a river
• Riverine landscapes are excellent for agricultural uses such as farming because the land is rich and fertile
• e.g. The Whanganui River system in New Zealand

Question 3

Arid

Answer 3

• A desert is defined as an area of land which receives no more than 25 millimeters of rain per year, little vegetation
• Hot deserts are located along the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn
• Cold deserts are located closer to the Artie and Antarctic Circles
• Instead, deserts are characterized by sand dunes, rock, and gravel
• e.g. Sahara Desert, Africa

Question 4

Mountain

Answer 4

• Mountain landscapes are formed by tectonic plates on the Earth’s surface pushing against each other
• This movement and pressure causes the shape of the land to change
• The land is pushed up in a vertical direction and over time forms mountains
• e.g. Mount Everest

Question 5

Karst

Answer 5

• A karst landscape is formed when easily dissolvable bedrock is worn away by slightly acidic water, from an underground source or a source on the Earth’s surface
• e.g. The Nullarbor Plain, Australia