On a tour, you visit a river valley beside a mountain and wonder what made these landforms exist like this. Well, these are geologic forms whose features developed out of the constant interaction between internal and external processes on earth. These geologic features engage in the formation of different types of geological features. Examples of geological features explain the broader arena of landforms that appears in front of you as marvelous structures. You should engage yourselves in this work to quench your curiosity about geology and its significance in dealing with geological features.
1. What are Geologic Features or Land Formation?
The formation of land and landforms will always have a history of its own. This history provides a geological overview of the rocks and soil on earth. Major geologic features are volcanoes, valleys, hills, caves, etc. The earth has three different parts that play important role in the formation of these features. The core, the crust, and the mantle are inbuilt systems that interact with the internal systems like land and water bodies to form features that excite everyone.
Moreover, the land that you live on is also a result of several processes that developed a rock into terrestrial land. There are types of geological features along with various examples of these features. You can learn more about them in the upcoming sections. (See How many Biomes are there in Africa?)
2. What are Geological Features?
The features that help form a landform in the natural world are termed geologic features. The major features that can be called geological are the ground and its surface, the movement of the tectonic plates beneath the earth’s surface, the topography of the soil, and the fossils buried inside the earth. All these features lead to the formation of a kind of geological landform. These features take a large amount of time before the formation of the landforms. (See What is the Difference between Oceanic Crust and Continental Crust?)
3. Discuss Geologic Processes in brief?
Different steps in the geographical history denote the geologic features.
- The first step is in the movement of the tectonic plates under the major surface of the earth. In this process, the movement of the plates requires an amount of force that is larger than the force required for usual processes on the surface of the earth. Also, check out How Convection Current causes the Lithospheric Plate to move?
- The second step lies in the formation of the landforms. The rocks that you see on the surface of the earth are a major component in the formation of volcanoes and structures like the rock cave. These rocks are weathered as well as combined to form volcanoes. The plates move in an oscillatory mode and result in the formation of these landforms.
Different landforms require different types of processes that lead to their unique structure. In the following sections, you can analyze more about these different types of geological features and the structures of these geologic features. (See What are the Northern Lights?)
4. What are the Types of Geological Features?
There are many types of geological features. The most important among them are caves, volcanoes, deserts, glaciers, tsunamis, and earthquakes.
- Caves: Caves are formed by a mixture of soil, gas, and rain. The major process lies in the formation of the karst rock due to the amalgamation of limestone and dolomite rocks. In this process, the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere mixes with the rain and dissolves these rocks. This acidic mixture can easily dissolve calcite. The mixture consumes more amount of gas from the surface of the earth. The water seeps through the rocks to fill the water in a hole and gradually cuts through the hole to form a cave.
- Volcanoes: These are the product of the continuous movement of tectonic plates under the earth. The plates are so thick that the oceanic plates get trapped under each other. The next step lies in the rocks that trap water inside them. This water is hidden in the magma of the earth. As a result, the magma formed in the central region of the earth is lighter compared to the magma in the other parts. This lighter magma rises and forms the volcano. Also, check out How are Volcanoes Distributed on the Map?
- Desert: It is a type of geological feature that is formed due to the process of wind erosion. The rocks in certain parts of the world are eroded and they create soil. This soil is carried away to places where rain is a rare phenomenon. This place becomes a desert.
- Glaciers: Glaciers are formed when snow piles up in a region and forms layers. Then this forms thicker plates of cold snow which results in the formation of glaciers.
- Tsunamis: Tsunamis take place when the oceanic plates are disturbed. The oceanic plates are disturbed and force waves to form and move. This leads to the formation of waves inside the deeper layers of the earth, in the ocean. This creates forceful movement and destroys the landscape.
- Earthquake: It occurs when the tectonic plates strike at the edges due to friction. This friction causes the earth to shake for a moment. This is experienced for a short or long time and causes vast destruction. Also, check out How are Earthquakes Distributed on the Map?
5. What are 5 Examples of Geological Features?
The different examples of geologic features and different types of geologic features are always mysterious aspects of the earth. The 5 examples of geological features are
- Tibetan Plateau: In China, this place is constantly a topic to debate over as the possibility of its formation from the rocks or the subcontinent of India. The shuffling of different rocks leads to the formation of a plateau. This plateau remains a big wonder for people around the world.
- Mount Vesuvius: This mountain holds the best record for the force by which it destroyed the surroundings while it formed. This was because the magma that melted inside the volcano erupted with great force. This destroyed the places and people. Must read What is the Difference Between Hills and Mountains?
- Mammoth cave National park in the USA: The cave is widely stretched with numerous places inside it. This is the longest cave that extends over 345 miles.
- Java Tsunami in Australia: This happened in 2006 when the tsunami occurred 7.9 m above ground level.
- Sahara Desert: The major attraction of the Sahara desert is the presence of dunes. The average height of these dunes is about 183 meters and is stretched to 25 percent of the total area. Geological features like the mountain basins, salt flats, gravel-covered plains, and plateaus are also famous spots in this desert. (See Hottest Desert in the World)
6. What is Geology? What do Geologists do?
Geology is an interesting area of study where the components of land and the formation of the world are studied. It includes different types of rocks, materials that developed the particular geological structures, the weathering and erosion of rocks, the movement of the wind, and the significance of the geological factors around you. Geologists are the people who comprehend and evaluate geological features. The evaluation of the history and the background to the formation of a particular geological feature like the plateau, the volcano, or even the river valleys are part of the study of the geologist. (See What does Fool’s Gold look like?)
The processes involved in the formation of the different types of geologic features help in the understanding of the subject of geology. The broader aspects of everything including the composition of the rocks and the soil come under the study of geology. The biggest part of the study of earth and its composite features leads to the major aspect of geological studies related to geologic features. After reading this, if you feel this part of the study is interesting and engaging, then engage yourself in this study of geology and do legible research on different examples of geological features. (Also read What Layer of the Earth does Magma come from?)
