TYPES OF DEPRESSIONS

Arroyo:
Basin:
Canyon:
Chasm:
Crevasse:
Crevice:
Cut:
Dale:
Defile:
Dingle:
Dry Wash:
Gap:
Glen:
Gorge:
Gulch:
Hollow:
Ravine:
Rift:
Vale:
Valley:
TYPES OF DESERTS
ARTIC DESERT
TROPICAL DESERT
Coastal Deserts:
Rain Shadows:
Salt Flats:
Semi-Desert (semi-arid):
TYPES OF FOOTHILLS
Crag:
Downs:
Foothill:
Hill:
Knob:
Knoll:
Mesa:
Mound:
Outcropping:
Peninsula:
Plateau:
Prominence:
Ridge:
Rise:
Rolling Land:

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A

deep, dry gully produced by flash-flooding streams,

bowl-shaped depression of land, partly or wholly sur
narrow cleft in the earth with steep cliff sides, creat
deep crack or fissure in the ground.
fissure of great depth in the surface of the earth or
narrow split in the earth.
crack or slash in the earth, appearing as if formed a
valley.
very narrow, steep-sided pass through hills or moun
small wooded valley.
waterless streambed, as in an arroyo or canyon. A w
deep opening in or between mountains or hills, som
narrow and secluded valley in mountains or large hi
narrow passage with steep, rocky sides, also a defile
small gorge, often containing a torrential river.
small valley amidst mountains.
deep, narrow and steep-sided valley or defile, espec
narrow crack in rock.
valley, especially one traversed by a river or stream
broad, relatively flat area of land surrounded by mo

In arctic deserts, temperatures are almost always num

DAYTIME 131 IN THE SHADE - WITH NEAR FREEZING T
Air currents cool as they move across cold water, brin
Desert regions created by moisture-laden winds flowin
A region of salt-encrusted land, usually a former lake,
The range of temperature in this region is extreme. Su
Mountains are formed by the slow collision of tectonic

A steep, rugged cliff or area of rock, especially one pr

An area of grassy, undulating, treeless upland, often u
A relatively low hill at the base of higher hills or moun
A well-defined elevated area of land smaller than a m
A conspicuous rounded hill or mountain.
A small hill, especially one rounded in shape; a small
A broad, flat-topped hill with a steep cliff forming at le
A small heap or pile of earth; a small hill; a knoll.
A rock formation thrusting out from surrounding land
A body of land surrounded on three sides by water an
A broad, elevated, flat area of land, usually with a ste
A raised section of land.
A long, narrow elevation, especially in hills or mounta
A long, broad area of raised land that climbs gently fro
An expanse of relatively flat land that has small peaks

Tor:
Upland:
MOUNTAINS
Dome Mountains:
Fault-Block Mountains:
Mount:
Mountain:
Peak:
Volcano:
March:
SWAMPS
Bayou:
Bogs:
Fens:
Marshland/Wetland:
Moor:
Peatlands:
Swamps:
Bottomland:
TYPES OF Plains/Grasslands
Brush:
Bush:
Downs:
Flat:
Pampas:
Plain:
Prairie:
Savannah:
Scrub:
Steppe:
Tangle:
Temperate grasslands:
Tropical grasslands:
Tundra:
Veldt:
Rolling Hills and Tablelands
Escarpment:
Foothills:
Mesa:
Plateau:
Tableland:
TYPES OF BODIES OF WATER
Bay:
Bight:
Cape:

A prominent, rocky peak or hill.

A relatively high area of land, especially compared to

The surface is arched by a deep-seated intrusion of ig

The crust of the earth is lifted vertically in great block
A single mountain or high hill, often used in a proper n
A natural elevation of the surface of the earth, consist
The pointed top of a mountain; also used to refer to a
A mountain or hill that ejects, or has ever ejected, lav
A frontier region, lying between states or a state and

A sluggish or stagnant creek, commonly an offshoot o

Spongy, wet ground, characterized by decaying moss
The groundwater sources in these areas of low, flat m
A marsh is a treeless region that can be freshwater or
A tract of rolling, marshy wasteland, its open, rolling l
More common in northern regions, partially decompos
Swamps occur in a variety of flooding conditions; alon
Low-lying land near a river or stream formed by sedim

Land covered in dense bushes and shrubs.

An area dense with trees and/or shrubs; a thicket.
A rolling, usually treeless upland with sparse soil.
A flat stretch of land. Often used in the plural (e.g salt
A vast, grassy, treeless plain.
A generally flat, mostly treeless expanse of land.
A large area of level to slightly rolling grasslands.
A level grassland in tropical or subtropical climes.
An area of stunted vegetation; a thicket or area of wo
Vast, grassy plains consisting of short grasses occurrin
A twisted and tangled area of vegetation, difficult to p
These develop in regions characterized by an annual
These regions have marked wet and dry seasons. Fire
A vast plain in arctic regions with permanently frozen
An elevated, open grassland often used for grazing. F

A steep cliff or slope formed by erosion, or less freque

Low hills located at or near the foot of a mountain or m
A small, high plateau or flat tableland with steep sides
An elevated tract of more or less level land.
A high, broad, and level region.

A body of water partially enclosed by land but with a w

A bend or curve in the shoreline, or a wide bow forme
A point or extension of land jutting out into water as a

Cenote:
Channel:
Cove:
Gulf:
Gulph:
Harbor:
Headland:
Isthmus:
Lagoon:
Lake:
Loch:
Lough:
Mere:
Oasis:
Ocean:
Peninsula:
Pond:
Pool:
Puddle:
Sea:
Sound:
Strait (or Straits):
Sump:
Tam:
Waterhole:
Well:
Waterways
Beck:
Brook:
Brooklet:
Burn:
Canal:
Creek:
Estuary (sea):
Firth (sea):
Fjord (sea):
Flow:
Frith (sea):
Inlet:
Ostiary (sea):
Outlet:
Rill:
Rillet:
River:
Rivulet:

A water filled sinkhole, often created by mining or qua

The deepest part of a stream or harbor, often the bes
A small sheltered bay in the shoreline of a sea, lake o
A large area of sea partially enclosed by land.
See Gulf.
A sheltered part of a body of water deep enough to pr
A point of highland jutting out into the water.
A narrow strip of land connected to a larger land area
A shallow body of water often separated from the sea
A large inland body of water.
A lake or an arm of a sea similar to a fjord.
A lake or inlet of the sea.
A small lake, pond, or marsh.
A fertile place in the desert usually consisting of a sm
The great expanse of water that often covers most of
A portion of land nearly surrounded by water and con
A still body of water smaller than a lake.
A small, still body of water or a still place in a stream.
A small pool of water, usually rainwater, which often b
A continuous body of salt water covering a large porti
A long, broad inlet of an ocean or sea that is generally
A comparatively narrow passage connecting two large
A boggy area of land or marsh.
A small area of marshy ground or standing water.
A small lake or pond that is commonly used by anima
A sunken shaft leading to a source of usable ground w

A small brook or creek.

A natural stream of water smaller than a creek or rive
A very small brook.
The murmur or humming of a waterway.
An artificial waterway or river used for transporting sh
A small, shallow body of running water, often a tributa
A part of the sea that extends inland to meet the mou
A long, narrow inlet of the sea.
A long deep inlet of the sea between steep slopes.
The current within a stream of water.
A narrow arm of the sea or the opening of a river into
A stream or bay leading inland from the sea.
The mouth of a river into the sea.
A stream that flows out of a lake or pond.
A small brook or rivulet.
A small rill.
A large natural stream that empties into a lake or the
A small brook or stream.

Run:
Runnel:
Sike:
Stream:
Torrent:
Wash:
Wetland
Bog:
Fen:
Marsh:
Mire:
Morass:
Moss:
Plash:
Quagmire:
Slough:
Sump:
Swamp:
TYPES OF WOODED WETLANDS
Bayou:
Everglade:
Mangrove Swamp:
Taiga (cold forest-marsh):
Tamarack (cold forest, marsh):
WOODLANDS
Coppice:
Copse:
Deciduous Monsoon Forests:
Deciduous Temperate Forests:
Forest:
Grove:
Jungle:
Northern Coniferous Forests:
Orchard:
Stand:
Temperate Evergreen Forests:
Temperate Rain Forests:
Timberland:
Tropical Rain Forests:
Tropical Savanna Forests:
Tropical Scrub Forests:

A
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fast moving creek or stream.

narrow channel or water, a rivulet or a brook.
stream or gutter usually dry during the driest parts
flow of water in a channel or bed, such as a brook o
turbulent, swift flowing stream of water.
small stream created only after a heavy rainfall, or t

Waterlogged, spongy ground choked with decaying m

Low land partially or fully submerged, supporting coar
Soft, low-lying land covered partly or wholly by water,
Wet, muddy earth.
A tract of soft, wet ground.
An area of wetland containing peat; a bog; a morass.
A small, usually transient pool or pond of standing wa
An area of soft, wet ground that sinks.
A deep depression or hollow containing stagnant wate
A hole or deep hollow in which dirty water or sewage
An area of flat land saturated with water, having large

A swampy, sluggish area of a stream or river.

A completely submerged area of flatland, dotted with
An area of marshland in tropical and subtropical clime
A subarctic evergreen forest.
A deciduous tree having needlelike leaves and heavy,

A small cluster of trees and brush, especially one artifi

A small collection of trees and brush; a coppice.
This region receives heavy daily rainfall, relieved seas
A region of warm to hot summers and mild to cold win
A large area of land covered with dense trees and und
A small group of trees bereft of undergrowth.
An area of land densely overgrown with tropical trees
The northern tree line and mountaintops are dominate
An area of land containing many fruit or nut trees, oft
A small group of tall plants or trees.
These are subtropical regions with a warm maritime c
Dominated by broad-leaved evergreen trees, such as
An area of forest; often, such an area used for the har
In this region the plant growth is profuse, its tree spec
This region is dominated by grasses and sedges, with
A thicket of evergreen oaks, thorny bushes and shrub
A tract of land covered by dense trees and undergrow

h-flooding streams, often in arid or semiarid environments. Much more shallow and gentle than a canyon. Also
, partly or wholly surrounded by higher elevations.
eep cliff sides, created by running water.

face of the earth or in a glacier, with very steep, almost vertical sides. Often formed after earthquakes.

earing as if formed at the point of a knife or sword. Often more shallow than a crevasse or chasm.

hrough hills or mountains. Often an entrance to a larger pass.

rroyo or canyon. A wash suffers from occasional flash floods.

untains or hills, sometimes serving as a pass.
mountains or large hills.
ky sides, also a defile.
torrential river.

alley or defile, especially one cut by running water.

by a river or stream.
d surrounded by mountains or hills, often containing a river or stream.

e almost always numbingly cold.

H NEAR FREEZING TEMP AT NIGHT
oss cold water, bringing mist and fog but little precipitation. Shrouded in mist, these coasts are deserts.
e-laden winds flowing up and over the windward slope of a mountain range, causing a loss of moisture in the fo
sually a former lake, its waters long since evaporated.
egion is extreme. Summer temperatures often are in lower 100s F, while during the winter the temperature ca
collision of tectonic plates; the pressure folding, faulting, or arching up soaring layers of rock. Sometimes, mas

k, especially one projecting sharply from its surroundings.

eless upland, often used for grazing.
higher hills or mountains.
nd smaller than a mountain.

d in shape; a small knob.

ep cliff forming at least one side.
mall hill; a knoll.
m surrounding land or features.
e sides by water and connected to mainland on the fourth side.
d, usually with a steep, rocky cliff composing at least one side.

ly in hills or mountains, with steep vertical sides and at least one side extending down.
hat climbs gently from its surroundings.
that has small peaks and valleys reminiscent of small waves, somewhat resembling the calm surface of the oce

ecially compared to lower surrounding areas such as a valley or lowland.

eated intrusion of igneous or molten rock.

tically in great blocks, caused by the movement of rock along faultlines, or deep cracks in the ground. The edge
en used in a proper name (e.g. Mount Erde).
of the earth, consisting of stone and dirt with generally steep sides and a relatively small summit, higher and b
so used to refer to an individual mountain, particularly one with an unusually sharp summit.
as ever ejected, lava, steam, ash, and/or other geothermal debris.
ates or a state and wild lands. Terrain can be of any sort, although it will generally be wild on the outer portion,

monly an offshoot of a lake or river in some lowland region that frequently flows through swampy terrain.
d by decaying mosses that form peat. Bogs receive water only from rain and have acidic, and poorly mineralized
areas of low, flat marshy land is often more mineralized, and dominated by sedges, which are grasslike flowerin
an be freshwater or salt, its emergent vegetation typified by grasses, reeds, cat-tails, and sedges, their roots sa
nd, its open, rolling lands usually covered with heather.
, partially decomposed plant material, called peat, accumulates because plants are produced more quickly than
ding conditions; along shallow lakes, along river floodplains, and along tropical to subtropical coasts. The domina
eam formed by sedimentary deposits from the river or stream.

hrubs; a thicket.
with sparse soil.
n the plural (e.g salt flats).

xpanse of land.
ing grasslands.
btropical climes.
hicket or area of woodland, often characterized by the name of the principle plant within (e.g. oak scrub).
hort grasses occurring in sparse clumps or bunches, scattered shrubs, and low trees. The steppe occupies vast r
etation, difficult to penetrate.
erized by an annual rainfall between 10 and 30 in, with seasonal and/or annual droughts and a high rate of evap
nd dry seasons. Fire is important in maintaining grasslands by preventing the encroachment of forests in moist
permanently frozen subsoil. The ground supports only small plants such as moss, lichens, and certain hardy her
n used for grazing. Frequently associated with dry climates. Wastelands (barrens): Land that is without vegetat

osion, or less frequently, by faulting.

ot of a mountain or mountain range.
and with steep sides.
evel land.

by land but with a wide access mouth often leading

or a wide bow formed by this bend.
g out into water as a peninsula or a projecting point. to the sea.

ed by mining or quarries.
arbor, often the best place for large boats.
line of a sea, lake or river.
sed by land.

r deep enough to provide anchoring of ships.

o the water.
o a larger land area; usually such a strip of land connecting two larger
arated from the sea by sand bars or coral reefs. areas of land.

y consisting of a small body of water.

ften covers most of a planets surface.
d by water and connected with a large body of land by an isthmus.

ll place in a stream.
water, which often becomes completely dry.
overing a large portion of a planets surface, or a large body of salt water partially or completely enclosed by lan
sea that is generally parallel to the coast; also a long body of water connecting two larger bodies of water passi
connecting two large bodies of water.

standing water.
monly used by animals for drinking and may dry up in extreme drought.
e of usable ground water.

than a creek or river, often accompanied by marshy ground.

d for transporting ships and goods.

water, often a tributary to a river.
nd to meet the mouth of a river.

een steep slopes.

ening of a river into the sea.

m the sea.

es into a lake or the ocean, usually fed along its course by tributaries.

et or a brook.
ing the driest parts of summer.
d, such as a brook or a rivulet.

a heavy rainfall, or the name of rock and clay deposited by a stream or river.

ed with decaying moss, peat, and other vegetable matter.

ged, supporting coarse grasses and other characteristic vegetation.
or wholly by water, characterized by the growth of certain grasses and often serving as a transition between an

at; a bog; a morass. Often used in the plural (e.g. the mosses of Inzae).
pond of standing water, often produced by a flood, heavy rainfall, or snowmelt.

aining stagnant water and/or deep, sucking mud. Often part of a larger area of wetland, such as a marsh or bayo
ty water or sewage has collected.
water, having larger, more woody plants than a marsh and better drainage than a bog.

am or river.
flatland, dotted with small, sometimes dry islands or hillocks and stands of tall grasses.
nd subtropical climes characterized by large numbers of mangrove trees. Usually found on seacoasts.

e leaves and heavy, durable wood.

especially one artificially maintained.

sh; a coppice.
ainfall, relieved seasonally by dry periods during which the trees shed their leaves.
and mild to cold winters. All the trees but the evergreens shed their leaves to herald the snowy season, after th
dense trees and undergrowth.
dergrowth.
n with tropical trees and other vegetation.
aintops are dominated by gnarled scrub trees. Fir and spruce trees are common to the northerly forests; larch, p
ruit or nut trees, often artificially planted and cultivated.

h a warm maritime climate. The most common trees are oak, magnolia, palms, and bromeliads.
reen trees, such as hemlock, cedar, spruce, fir and redwood, these forests are common on Mediterranean coast
rea used for the harvesting of timber.
profuse, its tree species wildly diverse, with smooth straight trunks and large, simple leaves. Big vines are comm
es and sedges, with widely spaced trees that are frequently thorny, and is often considered as intermediate bet
y bushes and shrubs that occur in regions of slight rainfall, bordering wetter forests (known as chaparral).
rees and undergrowth, usually small in area.

ntle than a canyon. Also refers to the stream found within such a gully.

ter earthquakes.

or chasm.

oasts are deserts.

loss of moisture in the form of snow and rain. The resultant dry air descends over the leeward slopes, evaporati

nter the temperature can drop as low as 30 F. Annual rainfall is from 10 to 20 inches, which is not enough to su
of rock. Sometimes, massive blocks of crustal earth will sink, forcing land formations to tower above them due t

calm surface of the ocean.

in the ground. The edges of the raised blocks then appear as mountains, and the depressed edges as valleys. M

all summit, higher and bulkier than a hill.

wild on the outer portion, that away from the state.

h swampy terrain.
c, and poorly mineralized water, particularly if sphagnum mosses (highly absorbent, sponge like, grayish peat m
hich are grasslike flowering plants.
nd sedges, their roots saturated with water if not in soil, their leaves held above the murky water. Freshwater m

duced more quickly than they can decay.

opical coasts. The dominate vegetation are trees or shrubs, usually growing in standing water, which can be pre

n (e.g. oak scrub).

he steppe occupies vast regions of semi-desert. Cattle, sheep, and angora goats are adaptable to the steppe, wh

s and a high rate of evaporation.

ment of forests in moist regions and desert shrubs in semiarid regions.
ns, and certain hardy herbs and flowers.
d that is without vegetation, uncultivated, or barren.

mpletely enclosed by land.

ger bodies of water passing between the mainland and an island.

s a transition between an area of water and an area of dry land.

such as a marsh or bayou.

d on seacoasts.

e snowy season, after the annual fall pageantry. Trees common to the regions are Ash, Beech, Birch, Cedar, Elm

northerly forests; larch, pine, and hemlock dominate further south. These forests occur in association with rivers

on Mediterranean coasts. Fogs are frequent due to the moist, ocean-cooled air, though rainfall may be low.

aves. Big vines are common, and the growth can become quite tangled, forming a jungle at the edge of rivers.
ered as intermediate between forests and steppes. Fire or grazing and browsing mammals create some savanna
own as chaparral).

eeward slopes, evaporating moisture from the soil.

which is not enough to support a forest cover, but can support grasses. With irrigation, the land can support cro
tower above them due to the rifting of plates. Violent volcanic eruptions can obviously speed this process consi

essed edges as valleys. Massive earthquakes can speed this process considerably.

onge like, grayish peat mosses) are abundant.

urky water. Freshwater marshes form when lakes and ponds become filled with sediment, or develop along the

water, which can be present all year, or just a short part of the year. Where considerable tree growth is present

aptable to the steppe, where they graze over vast acres of open range.

Beech, Birch, Cedar, Elm, Maple, Oak, Sycamore, Walnut, Willow and Yew.

in association with rivers, lakes, bogs, and usually occupy formerly glaciated regions.

h rainfall may be low.

e at the edge of rivers.

als create some savannas.

the land can support crops, but problems such as salt buildup and waterlogging do occur. Rainfall in the semiari
speed this process considerably. Some low mountains are sculpted from the earth by a non-tectonics process, m

nt, or develop along the shallow margins of slow-moving rivers. Salt marshes occur on coastal tidal flats.

le tree growth is present, the result is a jungle swamp.

ur. Rainfall in the semiarid climate is unpredictable and sparse.

non-tectonics process, most powerful of which are rivers, or other forms of erosion that wear away softer rock,

n coastal tidal flats.

t wear away softer rock, leaving the harder rock.