UT Landforms

Question 1

Define Landform

Answer 1

natural features of the Earth’s surface

Question 2

Topography

Answer 2

a detailed map of the surface features of land

Question 3

Plates

Answer 3

flat dishes used for eating or large chunks of rock that make up the Earth’s crust.

Question 4

Tectonics

Answer 4

a branch of geology concerned with the structure of the crust of a planet (as earth) or moon and especially with the formation of folds and faults in it.

Question 5

Internal Processes

Answer 5

plate tectonics, volcanism, earthquakes, and the formation of mountains and other geological features.

Question 6

External Processes

Answer 6

geological processes that occur at or near the Earth’s surface, driven by energy from the sun and agents like water, wind, and ice, shaping the landscape through weathering, erosion, and deposition.

Question 7

Explain what Pangaea was

Answer 7

a supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras, encompassing all of Earth’s present-day landmasses, which then broke apart to form the continents we know today.

Question 8

the evidence that supports its existence.

Answer 8

the jigsaw-like fit of continents, matching fossil distributions across continents, and the presence of similar rock formations and mountain ranges on different continents

Question 9

Identify the rate at which tectonic plates move

Answer 9

Tectonic plates move at an average speed of 4 to 5 centimeters per year

Question 10

Identify the THREE plate tectonic movements, how they move and what landforms they create

Answer 10

divergent (plates move apart), convergent (plates move together), and transform (plates slide past each other),

Question 11

Define Weathering

Answer 11

the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on Earth’s surface

Question 12

Identify the EIGHT things weathering is caused by

Answer 12

Water, ice, acids, salts, plants, animals and changes in temperature

Question 13

Define Erosion

Answer 13

the gradual destruction and removal of rock or soil in a particular area by rivers, the sea, or the weather

Question 14

Tributary

Answer 14

a smaller river or stream that flows into and joins a larger river

Question 15

Identify and explain the THREE forces of erosion and an example of each

Answer 15

water, wind, and ice

Question 16

Plain

Answer 16

a large, relatively flat expanse of land with little variation in elevation

Question 17

Delta

Answer 17

a landform created at the mouth of a river where sediment carried by the river is deposited as it enters a larger body of water like a lake or ocean, often forming a triangular or fan-shaped area of land

Question 18

Canyon

Answer 18

a deep, narrow valley with steep sides, typically carved by a river through rock, creating a large trench-like formation with sometimes extreme depths

Question 19

Mouth

Answer 19

the place where a river or stream enters a larger body of water

Question 20

Peninsula

Answer 20

a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water but is still connected to a larger landmass on one side, essentially making it a “nearly-island”

Question 21

Strait

Answer 21

a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water, such as oceans or seas

Question 22

Prairie

Answer 22

a large, flat, and mostly treeless grassland in North America

Question 23

Island

Answer 23

a piece of land smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water, and not part of a larger landmass

Question 24

Volcano,

Answer 24

a vent or opening in the Earth’s crust through which molten rock (magma), ash, and gases erupt, often forming a cone-shaped landform over time.

Question 25

Plateau,

Answer 25

a flat area of land that is significantly elevated above the surrounding terrain, often with steep sides, essentially resembling a "tabletop" of land raised above the ground

Question 26

Archipelago

Answer 26

a group of islands that are close together or in a chain in a body of water

Question 27

Bay

Answer 27

a recessed, partially enclosed body of water along a coastline that connects to a larger body of water like an ocean or lake, usually with a wide opening to the sea and often smaller and less enclosed than a gulf

Question 28

Isthmus

Answer 28

a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses, essentially acting as a land bridge between them, while separating two bodies of water on either side

Question 29

Badland

Answer 29

a type of dry, eroded terrain with steep slopes, few plants, and many gullies

Question 30

Alluvial fan

Answer 30

a fan-shaped deposit of sediment (like silt, sand, gravel, and boulders) that forms where a river or stream, carrying sediment from a mountainous area, slows down and deposits its load onto a flatter plain

Question 31

Fjords

Answer 31

a long, narrow body of water with steep sides

Question 32

Be able to identify Utah’s land regions by name and on a map (how they divide Utah

Answer 32

the Rocky Mountains (Middle Rocky Mountains) in the north and northeast, the Basin and Range in the west, and the Colorado Plateau in the southeast.

Question 33

Define basin, plateau, and mountain

Answer 33

A basin is a bowl-shaped depression in the Earth's surface, often surrounded by higher land; a plateau is a large, flat, elevated area of land; and a mountain is a tall, steep-sided landform that rises above the surrounding terrain.