My friend Nina lives in Kazakhstan. When I went to visit her, I saw what the plains of this country are. We were driving to the village along the spring steppe, and it seemed to me that it had no boundaries.
What are called plains
Today my son Sasha and I are again teaching geography. We understand what the plains are and what their signs are.
Plains are large areas of the earth's surface with a slight slope of the terrain (no more than 5 °). Fluctuations in height in the plain up to about 200 m.
Signs of plains in absolute height.
- Elevated (elevation difference 200–500 m above sea level).
- Low-lying (elevation difference no more than 200 m).
- Upland (lie at a level over 500 m).
- Depressions (their highest point is below sea level).
- Underwater plains.
Plains differ in the type of relief:
- horizontal or flat;
- wavy;
- hilly;
- stepped;
- concave.
There are denudation and accumulative plains. Denudation appeared during the destruction of the mountains. Accumulative ones are formed during the accumulation of sedimentary deposits.
The largest plain on earth
To make Sasha understand what the plains are, we looked at the Amazonian lowland as an example. This plain is the largest on our planet. Its area is more than 5 million km². It is located in South America, in the Amazon basin and was formed as a result of the activity of this river, it is accumulative. The plain stretches from the Andes to the Atlantic Ocean. The relief of this area is not uniform. The western Amazon is very low and flat. In the eastern Amazon, you can find elevations up to 350 m. But basically this plain is flat.
The economic significance of the plains
I told my son how important the plains are to the economy. Plains have always been of great importance in people's lives. Cereals and garden crops grow best on their spaces.
In the vast steppes, pampas and prairies, cows, sheep and horses are grazed. This is possible thanks to the grasses and shrubs that grow in abundance on the plains.
Plains provide the basis for human nutrition, and this is very important.
Basically, villages and large cities with their industries are located on the plains.
Plains are the most convenient places for people and animals to live. Most people live on the plains, 65% of the world's population.
It is characterized by a predominantly flat landscape, prevailing over the mountain landscape, not only on land, but also under water.
What are plains?
Plains are relatively flat vast territories in which the heights of neighboring areas fluctuate within 200 m, they have a slight slope (no more than 5 m). The most illustrative example of a classical plain is the West Siberian Lowland: it has an extremely flat surface, the height difference on which is almost imperceptible.
Features of the relief
As we already understood from the above definition, plains are terrain with flat and almost flat relief, without tangible ups and downs, or hilly, with a smooth alternation of rises and falls in the surface.
Flat plains are generally small in size. They are located near seas and large rivers. Hilly plains with uneven terrain are more common. For example, the relief of the East European (Russian) Plain is characterized by the presence of both hills over 300 meters in height and depressions whose height is below sea level (Caspian lowland). Other famous plains in the world are Amazonian, Mississippian. They have a similar relief.
Features of the plains
A distinctive feature of all plains is a clearly delineated, clearly visible horizon line, which can be straight or wavy, which is determined by the relief of a particular area.
Since ancient times, people preferred to create settlements on the plains. Since these places are rich in forests and fertile soil. Therefore, today the territories of the plains are still the most densely populated. Most of the minerals are mined in the plains.
Considering that the plains are an area with a huge area and great length, they are characterized by a variety of natural zones. So, on the East European Plain, there are territories with mixed and deciduous forests, tundra and taiga, steppe and semi-desert. The plains of Australia are represented by savannas, and the Amazonian lowland by selvam.
Climatic features
The climate of the plain is a rather broad concept, since it is determined by many factors. This is a geographical location, climatic zone, area of the region, length, relative proximity to the ocean. In general, the flat terrain is characterized by a clear change of seasons, due to the movement of cyclones. Often on their territory there is an abundance of rivers and lakes, which also affect climatic conditions. Some plains have their huge area (consisting of the solid desert Western Plateau of Australia).
Plains and mountains: how they differ
Unlike plains, mountains are tracts of land that rise sharply above the surrounding surface. They are characterized by significant fluctuations in altitude and large slopes of the relief. But small areas of flat terrain are also found in the mountains, between mountain ranges. They are called intermontane basins.
Plains and mountains are landforms, the differences of which are based on their origin. Most of the mountains were formed under the influence of tectonic processes, the movement of layers that occurs deep in the earth's crust. In turn, the plains lie mainly on platforms - stable areas of the earth's crust, they were influenced by the external forces of the Earth.
Among the differences between mountains and plains, in addition to appearance and origin, one can distinguish:
- the maximum height (in the plains it reaches 500 m, in the mountains - over 8 km);
- area (the area of mountains on the entire surface of the Earth is significantly less than the area of plains);
- the probability of earthquakes (on the plains it is practically zero);
- the degree of development;
- ways of human use.
Largest plains
Located in South America, it is the largest in the world, with an area of about 5.2 million square meters. km. It has a low population density. It is characterized by a hot and humid climate, dense tropical forests occupying vast territories and teeming with animals, birds, insects and amphibians. Many species of the fauna of the Amazonian lowland are found nowhere else.
The East European (Russian) Plain is located in the eastern part of Europe, its area is 3.9 million square meters. km. Most of the plains are located in Russia. It has a gentle flat relief. The bulk of large cities is located here, as well as a significant share of the country's natural resources.
Located in Eastern Siberia. Its area is about 3.5 million square meters. km. The peculiarity of the plateau is the alternation of mountain ranges and wide plateaus, as well as the frequent permafrost, the depth of which reaches 1.5 km. The climate is sharply continental, with deciduous forests prevailing from the vegetation. The plain is rich in minerals and has an extensive river basin.
Main article: Plain
Flat plains
If a piece of land has a flat surface, then they say that it is a flat plain (Fig. 64). An example of a flat plain can serve as separate areas of the West Siberian lowland. There are few flat plains on the globe.
Hilly plains
Lowlands
Hills
Plateau
There are plains, the surface of which is more than 500 m above sea level. Such plains are called plateaus. So, the vast plain between the Yenisei and Lena rivers is called the Central Siberian plateau. There are many plateaus in southern Asia, Africa and Australia. Material from the site http://wikiwhat.ru
Plains by external processes
Pictures (photos, drawings)
Log is high or low
The surface of which of the plains of russia is flatter
The plain is hilly and flat in russia
What plains are in appearance
Plains below 200 m above sea level
Questions for this article:
The answer left Ser012005
1. PLAINS - the most common type of relief on the earth's surface. On land, the plains occupy about 20% of the area, the most extensive of them are confined to platforms and plates. -All plains are characterized by small fluctuations in heights and slight inclines (slopes reach 5 °). The following plains are distinguished by absolute height:
- lowlands - their absolute height is from 0 to 200 m (Amazonian);
- heights - from 200 to 500 m above sea level (Central Russian);
- upland, or plateaus - over 500 m above sea level (Central Siberian plateau);
- the plains below the ocean level are called depressions (Caspian).
2. By the general nature of the surface of the plains are horizontal, convex, concave, flat, hilly.
and p 3. According to the origin of the plains, the following types are distinguished:
Marine accumulative (see.
Accumulation). Such, for example, is the West Siberian Lowland with its sedimentary cover of young marine strata;
Continental accumulative. They were formed as follows: at the foot of the mountains, the products of rock destruction carried out from them by water flows are deposited.
Such plains have a slight slope to sea level. These most often include the marginal lowlands;
River accumulative. They are formed as a result of the deposition and accumulation of loose rocks brought by the river (Amazon);
Abrasive plains (see. Abrasion). They arose as a result of the destruction of the coast by the wave-breaking activity of the sea.
The largest plains in Russia: names, map, borders, climate and photos
These plains appear the faster, the weaker the rocks and the more frequent the waves, the stronger the winds;
Structural plains. They have a very complex origin. In the distant past, they were mountainous countries. Over the course of millions of years, the mountains were destroyed by external forces, sometimes to the stage of almost plains (peneplains), then, as a result of tectonic movements in the earth's crust, cracks appeared, along which magma poured onto the surface; it, like armor, covered the previous irregularities of the relief, its own surface remained flat or stepped as a result of the outpouring of traps.
These are structural plains.
(taken from the internet)
Plains, their classification. Subdivision of plains by absolute height. Landforms associated with continental glaciation.
Plain- This is an area of land or the bottom of the sea with a slight fluctuation in heights (up to 200 m) and an insignificant slope (up to 5º).
They are found at different heights, including at the bottom of the oceans. A distinctive feature of the plains - clear, open horizon line, straight or wavy, depending on the surface relief.
Another feature is that it is the plains that are the main territories inhabited by people.
Since the plains occupy a vast territory, almost all natural zones exist on them. For example, tundra, taiga, mixed and deciduous forests, steppes and semi-deserts are represented on the East European Plain. Most of the Amazonian lowland is occupied by jungle, and the plains of Australia are semi-desert and savannah.
Plains
In geography, the plains are divided according to several criteria.
The absolute height is distinguished:
low-lying. Height above sea level does not exceed 200m. A striking example is the West Siberian Plain.
Exalted- with an elevation difference from 200 to 500 m above sea level. For example, the Central Russian Plain.
Nagorny plains, whose level is measured by marks over 500 m. For example, the Iranian Highlands.
Depressions- the highest point is below sea level.
Example - Caspian lowland.
Separately distinguish underwater plains which include bottom of depressions, shelves and abyssal areas.
Plains are of origin :
Accumulative (marine, river and mainland) - formed as a result of the impact of rivers, ebb and flow. Their surface is covered with alluvial sediments, and in the sea - marine, river and glacial sediments. From the sea can be cited as an example the West Siberian Lowland, and from the river - the Amazon. Among the mainland, the accumulative plains include the marginal lowlands, which have a slight slope to the sea.
Abrasive- formed as a result of the impact of surf on land.
In areas where strong winds prevail, sea waves are frequent, and the coastline is formed from weak rocks, this type of plains is more often formed.
Structural- the most difficult in origin.
In the place of such plains, mountains once rose. As a result of volcanic activity and earthquakes, the mountains were destroyed. Magma flowing out of cracks and splits bound the land surface like armor, hiding all the unevenness of the relief.
Lakes- are formed in the place of dried up lakes.
Such plains are usually small in area and are often bordered by coastal ramparts and ledges. An example of a lake plain is Jalanash and Kegen in Kazakhstan.
3. Plains are distinguished by the type of relief:
flat or horizontal- The Great Chinese and West Siberian Plains.
wavy- are formed under the influence of water and water-glacial flows.
For example, the Central Russian Upland
hilly- in the relief there are individual hills, hills, ravines. An example is the East European Plain.
stepped- are formed under the influence of the internal forces of the Earth.
Example - Central Siberian Plateau
concave- they include the plains of intermontane depressions. For example, the Tsaidam Basin.
There are also rugged and ridge plains... But in nature, it is most often found mixed type... For example, the Pribelskaya ridge-undulating plain in Bashkortostan.
The land surface has been repeatedly subjected to continental glaciation.
During the era of maximum glaciation, glaciers covered more than 30% of the land area.
The main centers of glaciation in Eurasia were located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, Novaya Zemlya, the Urals and Taimyr. In North America, the centers of glaciation were the Cordillera, Labrador, and the area west of Hudson Bay (Kivatinsky Center).
In the relief of the plains, traces of the last glaciation (which ended 10 thousand years ago) are most clearly expressed: Valdai- on the Russian plain, Wurmsky- in the Alps, Wisconsin- in North America.
The moving glacier changed the relief of the underlying surface. The degree of its impact was different and depended on the rocks that made up the surface, on its relief, on the thickness of the glacier.
The surface, composed of soft rocks, was smoothed out by the glacier, destroying sharp ledges. He destroyed fractured rocks, breaking off and carrying away their pieces. Freezing into the moving glacier from below, these pieces contributed to the destruction of the surface.
Meeting on the way up hills, composed of hard rocks, the glacier polished (sometimes to a mirror-like shine) the slope facing towards its movement.
The frozen chunks of hard rock left scars, scratches, and complex glacial hatching. By the direction of the glacial scars, one can judge the direction of movement of the glacier. On the opposite slope, the glacier was breaking out pieces of rock, destroying the slope. As a result, the hills have acquired a characteristic streamlined shape. "Lamb's foreheads"... Their length varies from several meters to several hundred meters, their height reaches 50 m. Accumulations of "sheep's foreheads" form the relief of curly rocks, well-expressed, for example, in Karelia, on the Kola Peninsula, in the Caucasus, on the Taimyr Peninsula, and also in Canada and Scotland.
At the edge of a melting glacier, moraine.
If the end of the glacier, due to melting, was delayed at a certain boundary, and the glacier continued to supply sediments, ridges and numerous hills appeared terminal moraines. Moraine ridges on the plain often formed near the protrusions of the subglacial bedrock relief.
The ridges of terminal moraines reach hundreds of kilometers in length at an altitude of up to 70 m.When the glacier advances, the terminal moraine and loose sediments deposited by it move in front of it, creating moraine pressure- wide asymmetric ridges (steep slope facing the glacier).
Many scientists believe that most of the end-moraine ridges were created by the pressure of the glacier.
When the body of the glacier melts, the moraine contained in it is projected onto the underlying surface, greatly softening its irregularities and creating a relief main moraine. This relief, which is a flat or hilly plain with marshes and lakes, is a property of the areas of ancient continental glaciation.
In the area of the main moraine one can see drumlins- oblong hills, elongated in the direction of movement of the glacier.
The slope facing the moving glacier is steep. The length of drumlins ranges from 400 to 1000 m, width - from 150 to 200 m, height - from 10 to 40 m. On the territory of Russia, drumlins exist in Estonia, on the Kola Peninsula, in Karelia and in some other places. They are also found in Ireland and North America.
The streams of water that arise during the melting of the glacier wash out and carry away the mineral particles, depositing them where the speed of the current slows down.
With the accumulation of melt water deposits, strata of loose sediments which differ from the moraine in the sorting of the material.
Landforms created by melt water flows as a result erosion and as a result of sediment accumulation are very diverse.
Ancient drainage valleys melt glacial waters - wide (from 3 to 25 km) hollows, stretching along the edge of the glacier and crossing the preglacial river valleys and their watersheds.
The sediments of glacial waters filled these hollows. Modern rivers use them in part and often flow in disproportionately wide valleys.
Kams- rounded or oblong hills with flat tops and gentle slopes, outwardly resembling moraine hills. Their height is 6-12 m (rarely up to 30 m). The depressions Between the hills are occupied by swamps and lakes.
The kams are located near the border of the glacier, on its inner side, and usually form groups, creating a characteristic kama relief.
Kams, in contrast to moraine hills, are composed of roughly sorted material. The varied composition of these deposits and especially the thin clays found among them suggest that they accumulated in small lakes that arose on the surface of the glacier.
Ozy- ridges resembling railway embankments. The length of the lake is measured in tens of kilometers (30-40 km), the width is tens (less often hundreds) of meters, the height is very different: from 5 to 60 m. The slopes are usually symmetrical, steep (up to 40 °).
Ozy stretches regardless of the modern topography of the area, often crossing river valleys, lakes, watersheds.
Sometimes they branch out, forming ridge systems that can be dissected into separate hills. The basins are composed of diagonally layered and, less often, horizontally layered deposits: sand, gravel, pebbles.
The origin of the lakes can be explained by the accumulation of sediments carried by streams of melt water in their channels, as well as in cracks inside the glacier. When the glacier melted, these deposits were projected to the surface.
Zandry- spaces adjacent to terminal moraines, covered with melt water deposition (washed moraine). At the end of the valley glaciers, the zandras are insignificant in area, composed of medium-sized rubble and poorly rounded pebbles.
At the edge of the ice sheet on the plain, they occupy large areas, forming a wide strip of outwash plains. Outwash plains are made up of vast flat fans of subglacial flows, merging and partially overlapping each other.
Wind-driven landforms often appear on the surface of outwash plains.
An example of outwash plains can be a strip of "woodlands" on the Russian plain (Pripyat, Meshcherskaya).
In areas that have experienced glaciation, there is a certain regularity in the distribution of relief, its zoning In the central part of the glaciation area (Baltic Shield, Canadian Shield), where the glacier arose earlier, remained longer, had the greatest power and speed of movement, an erosive glacial relief was formed.
The glacier demolished preglacial loose deposits and had a destructive effect on the bedrock (crystalline) rocks, the degree of which depended on the nature of the rocks and the preglacial relief.
The cover of a shallow moraine, which fell to the surface during the retreat of the glacier, did not obscure the features of its relief, but only softened them. The accumulation of moraine in deep depressions reaches 150-200 m, while there is no moraine in the adjacent areas with bedrock protrusions.
In the peripheral part of the glaciation area, the glaciers existed for a shorter time, had less power and slowed down movement. The latter is explained by a decrease in the head with distance from the center of the glacier feeding and its congestion with detrital material.
In this part, the glacier was mainly unloaded from debris and created accumulative landforms. Outside the boundary of the glacier, directly adjacent to it, there is a zone, the features of the relief of which are associated with the erosion and accumulative activity of melted glacial waters.
The plains of our planet
The formation of the relief of this zone was also affected by the cooling effect of the glacier.
As a result of repeated glaciation and the spread of the ice sheet in different glacial epochs, as well as as a result of movements of the edge of the glacier, forms of glacial relief of different origins turned out to be superimposed on each other and strongly changed.
The glacial topography of the surface freed from the glacier was affected by other exogenous factors. The earlier the glaciation was, the more, naturally, the processes of erosion and denudation changed the relief. At the southern border of maximum glaciation, morphological features of the glacial relief are absent or very poorly preserved.
Glaciation is evidenced by boulders brought by the glacier and remnants of heavily altered glacial deposits preserved in places.
The relief of these areas is typically erosional. The river network is well formed, the rivers flow in wide valleys and have a developed longitudinal profile.
To the north of the border of the last glaciation, the glacial relief has retained its features and is a chaotic accumulation of hills, ridges, closed hollows, often occupied by shallow lakes. Moraine lakes are relatively quickly filled with sediment, and rivers often drain them. The formation of the river system at the expense of lakes "strung" by the river is typical for regions with glacial relief.
Where the glacier has survived the longest, the glacial relief has been relatively little changed. These areas are characterized by an incompletely formed river network, an undeveloped profile of rivers, and lakes "not drained" by rivers.
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Main article: Plain
Plains in structure
Plains are classified as flat or hilly by structure.
Flat plains
If a piece of land has a flat surface, then they say that it is a flat plain (Fig. 64). An example of a flat plain can serve as separate areas of the West Siberian lowland.
There are few flat plains on the globe.
Hilly plains
Hilly plains (Fig. 65) are more common flat.
What plains are there in Russia
From the countries of Eastern Europe to the Urals stretches one of the largest hilly plains in the world - the East European, or Russian. On this plain, you can find hills, ravines, and flat areas.
Plains in height above sea level
Lowlands, hills and plateaus are distinguished according to the absolute height.
In order to determine the absolute height of any part of the earth's surface, a scale of heights is placed on physical maps.
The coloring on the physical map shows at what height different parts of the earth's surface are from the sea level.
Lowlands
If the plain is not higher than 200 m from the ocean level, then it should be called lowland (Fig. 66). The surface of some lowlands is below ocean level. For example, the Caspian lowland is located 26-28 m below sea level, and the Amazon lowland is no higher than 200 m above sea level.
To display the height of the plains on the physical map, different colors are used: the lowlands should be painted green.
Moreover, the lower the absolute height of this territory, the darker the green color. And a dark green color denotes lowlands below ocean level.
Hills
Those plains that are at an altitude of more than 200 m above sea level, but not higher than 500 m, are usually called heights.
Thus, the Central Russian Upland is more than 200 m higher than the Baltic Sea level.
Hills on maps are indicated in yellowish tones.
Plateau
There are plains, the surface of which is more than 500 m above sea level.
Such plains are called plateaus. So, the vast plain between the Yenisei and Lena rivers is called the Central Siberian plateau. There are many plateaus in southern Asia, Africa and Australia.
Material from the site http://wikiwhat.ru
Highlands are indicated on maps with different shades of brown. The higher the plateau, the darker the color.
Plains by external processes
Accumulation and denudation plains are distinguished by external processes. Accumulation plains are formed due to accumulations and deposits of rocks. Denudation plains - on the contrary, due to the destruction of other forms of relief, for example, mountains.
Pictures (photos, drawings)
On this page material on topics:
Flat and hilly plains
What is Upland and Examples
The name of the large plains of Russia is flat and hilly
What are the plains names
Flat plains titles
Questions for this article:
How do plains differ in height above sea level?
Material from the site http://WikiWhat.ru
Main article: Plain
Plains in structure
Plains are classified as flat or hilly by structure.
Flat plains
If a piece of land has a flat surface, then they say that it is a flat plain (Fig.
64). An example of a flat plain can serve as separate areas of the West Siberian lowland. There are few flat plains on the globe.
Hilly plains
Hilly plains (Fig. 65) are more common flat. From the countries of Eastern Europe to the Urals stretches one of the largest hilly plains in the world - the East European, or Russian. On this plain, you can find hills, ravines, and flat areas.
Plains in height above sea level
Lowlands, hills and plateaus are distinguished according to the absolute height.
In order to determine the absolute height of any part of the earth's surface, a scale of heights is placed on physical maps.
The coloring on the physical map shows at what height different parts of the earth's surface are from the sea level.
Lowlands
If the plain is not higher than 200 m from the ocean level, then it should be called lowland (Fig.
66). Some lowlands are below ocean level. For example, the Caspian lowland is located 26-28 m below sea level, and the Amazon lowland is no higher than 200 m above sea level.
To display the height of the plains on the physical map, different colors are used: the lowlands should be painted green. Moreover, the lower the absolute height of this territory, the darker the green color. And a dark green color denotes lowlands below ocean level.
Hills
Those plains that are at an altitude of more than 200 m above sea level, but not higher than 500 m, are usually called heights.
Plains: characteristics and types
Thus, the Central Russian Upland is more than 200 m higher than the Baltic Sea level.
Hills on maps are indicated in yellowish tones.
Plateau
There are plains, the surface of which is more than 500 m above sea level. Such plains are called plateaus. So, the vast plain between the Yenisei and Lena rivers is called the Central Siberian plateau.
There are many plateaus in southern Asia, Africa and Australia. Material from the site http://wikiwhat.ru
Highlands are indicated on maps with different shades of brown. The higher the plateau, the darker the color.
Plains by external processes
Accumulation and denudation plains are distinguished by external processes.
Accumulation plains are formed due to accumulations and deposits of rocks. Denudation plains - on the contrary, due to the destruction of other forms of relief, for example, mountains.
Pictures (photos, drawings)
On this page material on topics:
Plains names up to more than 500 m
Types of plains in height
Lowland and elevation size
By height and classified ... ..
What is the flattest plain in Russia
Questions for this article:
How do plains differ in height above sea level?
Material from the site http://WikiWhat.ru
Examples of the use of the word plateau in the literature.
On the outskirts of the Alashan Desert, at the bend of the Yellow River, Ordos was located, a fertile loess plateau, and nearby existed, replacing each other, the capitals of medieval China - Chang'an, Luoyang, Xian and further into the depths of China - Kaifeng.
The Apurimak River, originating in the high mountain plateau in the Andes off the west coast of South America, is considered by many geographers to be the source of the Amazon.
It gradually dried up, just as the Caspian Sea will dry out over time, thanks to the high concentration of sunlight on vast areas stretching from the Aral Sea to the Pamir plateau.
When the Copper Baboon crossed plateau, Tranto saw him and sounded a greeting.
At the bottom of the slope, he saw that the valley turned into a wide rocky plateau- dry, ominous, from which here and there protruded leafless gazana trees of an ancient species, which had a usual, bizarrely curved shape.
Plains and mountains are the main forms of the earth's surface. They were formed as a result of geological processes that have shaped the face of the Earth throughout geological history. Plains are vast areas with calm, flat or hilly relief and relatively small fluctuations in relative heights (no more than 200 m).
Plains are subdivided by absolute height. Plains with an absolute height of no more than 200 m are called lowlands, or lowlands (West Siberian). Plains, the absolute height of which is from 200 to 500 m, are called elevated, or heights (East European, or Russian). Plains, the height of which is over 500 m above sea level, are called high, or plateaus (Central Siberian).
Highlands and hills, in comparison with lowlands, due to their considerable height, usually have a more dissected surface and rugged relief. Elevated plains with a flat surface are called plateaus.
The largest lowlands: Amazonian, Mississippian, Indo-Gangetic, German-Polish. It is an alternation of lowlands (Pridneprovskaya, Prichernomorskaya, Prikaspiyskaya, etc.) and uplands (Valdai, Central Russian, Volyno-Podolskaya, Privolzhskaya, etc.). The plateaus are most widespread in Asia (Central Siberian, Arabian, Deccan, etc.), in (East African, South African, etc.), in (West Australian).
Plains are also subdivided by origin. On the continents, most (64%) of the plains formed on platforms; they are folded in layers of a sedimentary cover. Such plains are called stratal or platform plains. The Caspian lowland is the youngest plain, and are ancient platform plains, their surface is largely altered by flowing waters and other external processes.
Plains resulting from the removal of the products of destruction of mountains (denudation) from the destroyed base of the mountains (basement) are called denudation, or basement, plains. Mountain destruction and transport is usually caused by water, ice and gravity. Gradually, the mountainous country is smoothed out, leveled, turning into a hilly plain. Denudation plains are usually composed of hard rocks (hummocks).
The main lowlands and plateaus of the parts of the world
| Lowlands | Plateau |
|---|---|
| German-Polish London pool The paris pool Middle Danube Lower Danube |
Norland Manselka (ridge) Maladeta |
| Mesopotamian Great Plain of China Coromandel coast Malabar coast Indo-Gangetic |
Anatolian Changbai |
| Mississippi Premexican Preatlantic Mosquito Beach |
Great plains Central plains Yukon (plateau) |
| Amazonian (Selvas) Orinokskaya (Llanos) La Platskaya |
Patagonian |
| Central (Great Artesian Basin) Carpentaria |
The set of irregularities of the entire earth's surface is usually called the relief of the Earth. Obviously, the surface of the Earth cannot be called absolutely flat, and studying the relief, they consider such natural formations as mountains and plains.
The concept of the relief of the Earth
In different parts of the planet, the height of the surface is completely different, the drops can reach several tens of kilometers. The relief of the Earth is unique in that its formation continues at the present time.
This is due to the collision of lithospheric plates, volcanic eruptions and erosion of rocks by rains and rivers. The processes that shape the topography of our planet are divided into two categories - external and internal.
External processes include the activity of winds, flowing waters, glaciers, the impact of plants and animals. It is impossible not to mention human activity, which is an anthropogenic force and actively influences the formation of the earth's relief.
Internal processes are called endogenous, they are represented by the subsidence and uplift of the crust, plate movements, earthquakes and volcanism.
Plains and mountains
Plain is one of the main landforms. The plateau is a plain of more than 500 m, an elevation - from 200 to 500 m, and a lowland - up to 200 m. Plains and mountains occupy 60% and 40% of the earth's surface.
A wide area of land with slight inclines and fluctuations in elevation is a plain. Plains are classified according to absolute height: those that lie below sea level are the Turfan depression 154 m, the Kattara depression 133 m, the low-lying plains - the Mississippi, Amazonian, Turanian and Atlantic, upland - the Tarim depression, the Great Plains of North America and the Ustyurt plateau.
The elevated plains are also distinguished - these are Rbu al-Khali and the Great Victoria Desert. Plain, i.e. its surface can be concave, inclined, convex and horizontal.
There are other classifications: ridged, stepped, flat, hilly. In many ways, the appearance of the plain depends on its history of structure and development.
A significant part of the plains is composed of thick layers of sedimentary rocks and is confined to the plates of young and ancient platforms. Such plains are called stratal. Example: West Siberian Lowland.
The Great Plain of China, the Indogan and Kura-Araks are alluvial plains. The water-glacial plains are the foothills of the Altai, the Alps and the Caucasus, and the glacial ones are in the north of Russia and Europe, as well as in the north of North America.
Kazakh fine sand, the plains of the Baltic and Canadian shields are denudation plains. Striking examples of plateaus, flat surfaces that are bounded by ledges, are the Deccan plateau, Ustyurt and Colorado.
Vast, sharply dissected and high above the plains areas of the earth's surface are called mountains. Such plots of land have sharp changes in height and have a folded-block structure.
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