Landforms can be divided into three major types (i) Mountains (ii) Plateaus (iii) plains
A landform is the formation of rock and dirt found on Earth’s surface which can be larger than a continent or smaller than a pond. In geological science it is referred that they are features that make up earth’s surface. The highest order of landforms can be oceans or continents. They are created by a lot of factors like plate tectonics, erosion, deposition, wind etc. Biological factors sometimes influence them. For example corals and algae form the coral reef which is a natural process, so coral reefs are also called landforms. They comprise a geomorphological unit. Oceanic water body interface like ocean, sea, bay, peninsulas, gulf, ocean etc are also included to the landform. Landforms are grouped by the physical characteristic like the elevation or slope or orientation etc. It is also classified with rock exposure, soil type, formation etc. Different kinds of inlands or oceanic water bodies or surface are included to landforms. They are the physical features of the l earth’s surface. Mountains, valley, oceans, bay, volcano etc all are included to them. All of them are formed by natural reasons.
Environmental or natural factors like plate tectonics, erosion, deposition etc can generate landforms. Man made features can not generate them and also geographic features are not included in them. They are not only common in this earth but also common in other planets also. For example mountains, valley, volcanoes etc are also found in other planets in the universe. Landforms are categorized by the processes that create them. They are – Aeolian, coastal, oceanic, erosion, fluvial, mountain, glacial and volcanic. Each of the categories is divided into sub-category. Aeolian landforms are formed by winds. Some of the Aeolian class landforms are –dune, playa, desert pavements etc. Costal or oceanic types are normally formed by erosion. Sea, ocean, gulf, bay, coral reef, fjord, peninsula etc are oceanic category. Erosion landforms included with Bench, butte, canyon, cave, cliff, hogback, hoodoo, lavaka, mesa, peneplain, potrero, ridge, rock formations, tea table, tepui, valley etc. Erosion landforms are formed by climatic factors. Motion of sediments and erosion is the cause of fluvial landforms. Cave, cliff, river etc are some fluvial landforms.
Wind, water and ice and also by the movement of the earth’s tectonic plates are some primary reasons of forming landform. It took millions of years to form them but some of them are formed within 10,000 years to some hours. Volcanic landforms are formed quickly. Landscape is the area of group of landforms. A landscape can be included with a lot of landforms like rivers, mountains, sea, hills etc. As it is mentioned mountains are the highest order landforms while oceanic basins are the lowest order. Oceanic basins are very large and most of the oceanic basin can be found anywhere under the sea. Ground basins are also same as the underwater basin. Both of them are landforms. They are forming from the first day of the earth and still forming. Some of them have natural beauty which attacks everyone.