If you look closely physical map Land, you will notice that the land areas are highlighted in different shades of brown and green. This is because the planet is diverse. In order to be able to distinguish mountains from plains, and jungles from deserts, color highlighting is applied.

What is the relief? This term denotes the totality of the unevenness of the land, that is, everything that the earth's surface consists of. There are three main forms of relief - convex, concave and flat. Fields and plains have a flat relief, hills, mountains - convex, pits - concave. The relief of the planet throughout its existence changes under the influence of various factors or their combination..jpg "alt =" (! LANG: the height of the earth's relief" width="300" height="204" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/vysota-relefa-zemli-300x204.jpg 300w,/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/vysota-relefa-zemli.jpg 628w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px">!}

How the relief is formed

In different parts of the planet, the thickness crust not the same. The formation of the relief is influenced by the processes taking place both underground and above its surface. The differences in altitude can be significant - for example, the difference between the Mariana Trench and the summit of Everest, located in the Himalayas, is more than twenty kilometers.

Internal factors influencing the formation of relief

Endogenous processes are called processes occurring inside the earth's mantle. These processes manifest themselves on the surface in different ways - sometimes as destructive, sometimes as constructive. The processes taking place inside the planet mainly form large relief forms. As a result, deep faults and folds are formed. They affect the height and shape of mountains, the distribution of seas and land.

Tectonic processes are movement in the depths of the planet. According to research, the planet's lithosphere is composed of separate plates. These plates are in a constant process of movement relative to each other. As a result of these movements, relief irregularities arise.

External factors

There are a lot of factors influencing the formation and change of the relief. Basic:

• weathering;
• influence solar radiation;
• temperature difference;
• movement of glaciers;
• impact of water flows.

Weathering is subdivided into chemical and physical. Thanks to these processes, the land surface is continuously renewed.

External processes, which are also called exogenous, are caused by the arrival of solar radiation on the Earth. They can be both constructive and destructive.

Destructive processes are called destruction of rocks, the influence of wind, movement and melting of glaciers, the impact of water on soil and rocks.

There are two main factors that influence the formation of different surface shapes, say, from different sides of the earth's crust. Thus, many impacts have been shared, which explain why the terrain of the Earth is very diverse. But first, let's figure out what the concept of "relief" means.

The term "relief" and its meaning

This word is of French origin, or some sources explain it by translating it from Latin according to the classics, and it is used for several industries - construction, art. But in all senses, its meaning is the same - it is a collection of irregularities. For sculpture, these irregularities were created artificially by man; in construction, the human hand also makes efforts to create one form or another. But on a planetary scale, man occupies the third place of honor among the forces that affect why the Earth's relief is very diverse.

Groups of reliefs, or What categories do these or those formations belong to?

To begin with, let's remember what forms there are on the earth's surface. All types of land relief are divided into positive and negative. Any elevations above an imaginary horizontal plane are positive, while negative ones, on the contrary, are below it. That is, the first group includes mountains, hills, hillocks, plateaus. The second group includes depressions, crevices, valleys, and gullies. And now in more detail about the variety of the Earth's relief, namely, what creates it.

First place - the inner forces of the earth

These forces have scientific name- endogenous. What is their impact?

Initially, the relief of the entire surface of the Earth was subjected to intense influence of internal forces. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions are the most obvious manifestations of them, which, if you carefully study the research of anthropologists, previously very intensively changed the landscapes of the Earth, and even now they quite often expose the earth's crust to a collapse, and, consequently, to a new formation of the surface.
In addition, lithospheric plates are in constant slow motion, which also affects the creation of the relief. Why is the relief of the Earth diverse in terms of internal forces? Because in connection with all processes under the earth's crust, its changes occur outside. This is how mountains, ocean depressions, plains and hills appear. Lithospheric plates (seven large and dozens of small ones) move, collide, move apart, forming the highest mountains (Alps, Himalayas, etc.) or deep depressions on land and under water (the Mariana Trench is the most striking example).

What we are seeing now is the result of plate movement over many millions or even billions of years, corrected by the following type of impact on the relief.

Second place - external forces of the earth

The scientific name for these forces is exogenous. Why is the Earth's topography so diverse due to these influences?

Sun, wind, precipitation - all these everyday phenomena are directly related to the formation of one form or another of the surface. All formations that arose under the influence of internal forces begin to transform also because of them. So, the sun heats up the mountain peaks. Substances, minerals that are in the composition of the mountains, have different thermal conductivity and others physical properties... As a result, expanding unevenly, they lose strong bonds with each other, stratifying, dismembering and, ultimately, turning into sand. And if we add to this the effect of water, which in warm weather penetrates into all the smallest cracks, and during a decrease in temperature turns into ice, which, accordingly, expands and pushes the cracks, exacerbating them, this ultimately leads to the same destruction. That is why the relief of the Earth is very diverse, because these processes occur every minute throughout the Earth.

Do not forget about the effect of rivers, lakes, oceans on the adjacent zones. So, the coasts can both increase and decrease every year, depending on the direction of the waters. This may be subtle, but it still happens.

Third place - human

He is ranked among external forces, but I would like to single out this influence in a separate category. The development of technology gives a person an equal opportunity to go into space and get deep into the earth's crust (the main thing is that funding is good, space is still playing here). Extraction of resources (oil, gas, ores, rock salt, other minerals) is changing the once familiar landscapes more and more. Drainage of swamps, deforestation, creation of reservoirs, and other influences on the diversity of the Earth's relief can change the microclimate of individual regions, forcing animals to look for completely different habitats. And this happens everywhere, and it is far from always possible to call this influence useful. If in case of wind it is impossible to call him to responsibility - this is the element, then a person, as a rational being, it would seem, should understand the destructiveness of his actions, and make reasonable decisions. Seemingly.

And what is the bottom line

As a result, it turns out that the modern relief of the Earth is the result of the interaction of all these forces, and they continue daily, continuously, and even right now, while your eyes are reading this long phrase, to act, slowly but surely changing the outlines of our planet. And perhaps the descendants after a few hundred years will be very surprised to find old map relief, for example, in 1995, what the world was like at that time.

Every student knows that there are mountains, plains, plateaus, canyons, caves, deserts, hills and valleys on our planet, which are collectively called ...

Why the relief of the Earth is very diverse: main factors, examples

From Masterweb

Every schoolchild knows that there are mountains, plains, plateaus, canyons, caves, deserts, hills and valleys on our planet, which are collectively called "relief". The question of why the relief of the Earth is very diverse is discussed in this article.

What is meant by the word "relief"?

Our planet has three important components: lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere. Before examining the question for 7th grade schoolchildren, why the relief of the Earth is very diverse, it is necessary to define this concept.

So, the word "relief" is understood as the totality of the forms of the upper part of the lithosphere of our planet (earth's crust), which are both on land and form the bottom of the oceans and seas. All these forms are studied by a branch of geology called the science of geomorphology. The main object of its study is the surface of the continents and islands. However, she also studies the seabed with its seamounts, plains and troughs.

What types of relief are there?

Considering the question of why the relief of the Earth is very diverse, a few words should be said about what it is.

First of all, it is a macro-relief, that is, huge areas on the planet's surface that have a certain characteristic. The following types are distinguished here:

• Plains. Vast spaces of the planet's surface, which are characterized by small differences in altitude (several tens of meters). Plains, as a rule, are located low above sea level (up to 200 m). An example is the East European Plain, which is also called the Russian Plain.
• The mountains. When asked why the relief of the Earth is so diverse, most people think about the mountains. They represent areas of land and ocean floor, which rise to great heights (several kilometers) relative to the surrounding terrain. An example of this type of relief are the mountains of the Caucasus or the Himalayas.
• Highlands. They are also huge terrestrial spaces that have a wavy relief. They are located at an altitude of about 1000 m above sea level and are often separated by mountain ranges. The plateaus are formed by rocks, this fact distinguishes them from the plains, which, as a rule, are of sedimentary origin. A striking example of this type of macrorelief is the Central Siberian Plateau.

There is also the concept of "topography of a given area", which implies the presence in the considered zone of depressions, ravines, canyons, valleys, beaches, hills, hills, and so on.

Why is the Earth's topography so diverse?

So, the main types of relief observed on our planet were briefly listed above. But why are there plains, mountain ranges and ridges, why is a certain area indented by ravines, while another is smooth and there are no hills on it?

Briefly answering why the relief of the Earth is very diverse, it should be said that this fact is associated with the result of the action of internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) processes.

Endogenous processes include the processes that occur inside the Blue Planet, that is, these are the movements of magma and the displacement of lithospheric plates, which manifest themselves on the surface in the form of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. This is the most powerful source of relief formation, which largely determined the appearance of our planet.

Exogenous processes are usually divided into three types:

• atmospheric;
• hydrospheric;
• biosphere.

The influence of the atmosphere on the relief includes the effect of wind and changes in daily temperatures. Both processes are destructive or erosive in nature. A striking example of the effect of wind on the terrain is the movement of sand dunes in deserts.

Hydrospheric, that is, due to the action of water. There are many examples here: the appearance of ravines in the course of river flow, the formation of alluvial deposits, modification coastline due to the influence of the seas and oceans, the formation and movement of glaciers on the land surface and others.

When I was little, I often asked my parents: "Why don't we have mountains?", Or "Why don't we live near the sea?" I could not understand in any way why on one territory there are many different forms of relief, and on the other - a flat plain and no hills, as we had. Then I grew up, went to school and, of course, found all the answers to my questions. If you are interested, I will gladly tell you.

What is relief

Relief is a collection of all the irregularities of the earth's surface, both on land and under water. Relief happens three forms:

• convex(the mountains);
• concave(hollows);
• flat(plains).

In geography, two main forms of relief are distinguished: mountains and plains. Plains- part of the earth's surface with slight hesitation heights. The mountains- part of the earth's surface that rise significantly above ground level.

How did the relief come about?

Now let's find out how all these irregularities in the earth's crust arose. The relief that we see today originated millions of years ago, but it still continues to change. What influences the formation of the relief? Scientists have identified two main factors:internal and inexternal.

Internal(endogenous) factors are processes that take place in the Earth. The earth's crust is divided into several lithospheric plates that lie on the mantle. The upper part of the mantle is an incandescent substance, and therefore the lithospheric plates on it are constantly moving relative to each other. In some places they disperse and form depressions and grooves, in others close up, add up like an "accordion" and form mountain ranges... It is at the junctions of the lithospheric plates that more and more landforms are located, and the epicenters of all earthquakes are located. Plains were formed in the centers of lithospheric plates.

But the formation of the current forms of relief is influenced, for the most part, by external (exogenous) factors... These processes for the formation of relief occur due to:

• temperature changes;
• wind action;
• action of water;
• movement of glaciers;
• human activities.

One of the main external factors is weathering... It can be physical or chemical. The reason physical weathering are temperature differences, due to which in rocks ah cracks are formed. The reason chemical weathering there is water and substances soluble in it. They also erode soil and rocks.

The main reason for this diversity is the mutual influence of internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) processes on the planet's surface. In turn, the energy of the Sun acts as a catalyst for these processes.

The essence of endogenous processes consists in the movements of the earth's crust, which can be both vertical and horizontal. These movements not only change general structure crust, but also create new forms of relief.

While endogenous processes form the planet's relief (act as builders), exogenous processes hone and decorate it, being some kind of "sculptors" earthly forms... They act on the Earth's surface from the outside, through the weathering of rocks, the work of surface and underground waters, wind and gravity. It is important to note that these processes have been and are happening on our planet all the time.

Denudation and accumulation are the main processes of relief formation

Now that you already know why the relief of the Earth is very diverse, you can describe in more detail the processes that are to blame for this. It's about denudation and accumulation, which are dialectically linked.

Denudation is understood as the totality of all processes that are aimed at the destruction of rocks. The main driving force denudation is gravity (the force of gravity). Rock falls, mudflows, the movement of large glaciers and the flow of rivers - all this, in one way or another, is connected with it. Denudation seeks to level the topography of the territory as much as possible.

Accumulation is the opposite process, which consists in the accumulation of rock particles in certain areas of the Earth's surface. Nevertheless, denudation and accumulation are closely and inextricably linked. As a result of accumulation processes on the Earth's surface, plains, terraces, deltas, dunes, coastal spits and the like are formed.

Genetic types of terrestrial relief

As a result of endogenous processes, the following types of relief are formed:

• tectonic;
• volcanic.

Among the main types of relief of exogenous origin (genesis) should be highlighted:

• fluvial relief (river valleys, gullies, ravines, gullies, etc.);
• glacial (os, moraine ridges and plains, kams, "sheep's foreheads", etc.);
• coastal or abrasive (marches, spits, abrasive shores, beaches, etc.);
• gravity (landslides, landslides, taluses);
• aeolian (dunes, dunes);
• karst (caves, sinkholes, karst mines);
• suffusion (pods, "steppe saucers");
• anthropogenic (relief created by human activity: quarries, mines, embankments, waste heaps, dams, etc.).

All these numerous forms of relief create that motley and unique pattern of our planet.

Finally

After reading our article, the question of why the relief of the Earth is very diverse can no longer drive you into a dead end. The appearance, the drawing of our planet, has been created over millions of years. At the heart of the formation of basic forms terrestrial relief there are various processes such as endogenous (internal) and exogenous (external).