MAJOR LANDFORMS ON EARTH

A landform is a natural feature of the earth’s surface that has been created by the geologic process. Landforms are divided into two categories – those that are above water and those that are below water. Landforms can be classified as terrestrial or aquatic, depending on whether they are above or below water respectively. Terrestrial landforms include mountains, valleys, plains, hills, cliffs and volcanoes. Aquatic landforms include oceans, lakes and rivers. There are three major landforms which are mountains, plateaus and plains. And there are minor landforms also which have buttes, canyons, valleys, and basins. 

Major Domains of the Earth

Earth is made up of a complex system of interacting domains which makes life on the Earth possible. These domains consist of land, water and air on Earth. The area near the Earth is a complicated zone where four interconnected geospheres make the carbon the cycle. Those are the Lithosphere which is land, Atmosphere which is air, Hydrosphere which is water and biosphere which is where living things meet, cover and connect. And without Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere there will be no biosphere as living things need air, water, and land to survive.

Lithosphere:

• The strong piece of the Earth is known as the Lithosphere. It includes the rocks of the Earth’s structure and the dainty layers of soil that contain supplement components that support organic entities
• There are two main divisions of the Earth’s surface; continents and ocean basins. Large land masses are known as continents while huge water bodies are called ocean basins

Seven Major Continents on Earth:

• Asia: It is the largest continent which comprises one-third area of the Earth. It lies in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is separated from Europe by the Ural Mountains on the west side. The Tropic of Cancer goes through it

• Europe: It lies west of Asia. The Arctic Circle goes through it and it is surrounded by water bodies from three sides
• Africa: It is the second largest continent after Asia. All the three latitudes pass through this continent. World’s biggest desert Sahara is present on the northern part of the continent. It is the only continent which is bound by water from all sides of the continent. The world’s longest river Nile flows through this continent
• North America: It is the third largest continent which is linked to South America by a very narrow strip of land called the Isthmus of Panama. The landmass lies totally in the Northern and Western Hemispheres. Three seas encompass this landmass
• South America: It lies for the most part in the Southern Hemisphere. The Andes, the world’s longest mountain range, goes through its length from north to south. South America has the universe’s biggest forests, the Amazon
• Australia: It is the littlest landmass that lies totally in the Southern Hemisphere. It is encircled on all sides by the seas and oceans. It is additionally called an island landmass
• Antarctica: It is a huge continent lying completely in the Southern Hemisphere. The South Pole lies nearly at the focal point of this landmass. As it is situated in the South Polar Region, it is forever covered with thick ice sheets. There are no long-lasting human settlements. Numerous nations have research stations in Antarctica. India additionally has research stations there called Bharati. It is a permanent Antarctic research station

Atmosphere:

• The thin layer of gas which surrounds the Earth is called the atmosphere
• It stretches out up to a height of around 1,600 kilometers
• The atmosphere is divided into five layers based on composition, temperature, and other properties. These layers starting from the Earth’s surface are called the troposphere, the stratosphere, the mesosphere, the thermosphere, and the exosphere

• The environment is made chiefly out of Nitrogen and Oxygen, which make up around close to 100% of perfect, dry air
• Nitrogen 78%, Oxygen 21% and different gasses like carbon dioxide, argon and others involve 1% by volume

Hydrosphere:

• The Hydrosphere comprises water in all its forms, i.e.  Ice, water, water vapour, running water in the ocean, river, underground water, etc
• More than 71% of the Earth is covered with water and 29 percent is with land. That’s why the Earth is known as the “Blue Planet”

Oceans:

• Oceans are the major part of the hydrosphere. They are all interconnected and water in the ocean is always moving
• The three important movements of ocean waters are the waves, the tides, and the ocean currents
• The 5 significant oceans are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean
• The Pacific Ocean:  It is the largest ocean which is spread over one-third of the Earth. Mariana Trench, the most profound piece of the Earth, lies in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean is a real roundabout in shape. It is encircled by Asia, Australia, North, and South in America
• The Atlantic Ocean: It is the second-greatest ocean on earth. It is flanked by the North and South Americas on the western side, and Europe and Africa on the eastern side. The shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean is profoundly indented. This unpredictable and indented shoreline gives an optimal area to normal harbours and ports. According to the perspective of trade, it is the most active Ocean
• The Indian Ocean: It is named after a country, that is, India. The state of the sea is practically three-sided. In the north, it is bound by Asia, in the west by Africa, and in the east by Australia
• The Southern Ocean: It circles the mainland of Antarctica and stretches out toward the north to 60 degrees south. The Arctic Ocean is situated inside the Arctic Circle and encompasses the North Pole. It is associated with the Pacific Ocean by a tight stretch of shallow water known as the Bering Strait. It is limited by the northern shorelines of North America and Eurasia

Biosphere:

• The biosphere covers the earth’s surface and includes all living organisms. It is divided into three spheres including the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere 
• It is the restricted zone where we track down land, water and air together, which contains all types of life
• The biosphere itself is a self-sustaining ecosystem that supports life on the earth by cycling nutrients and energy through its different parts to create a sustainable environment for life
• The biome, which is specific areas of land that have similar climate and vegetation because they are in similar ecosystems with similar living organisms. This is the fourth layer of the biosphere apart from atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere

Three major landforms of earth

There are three major landforms of earth which are mountains, plateaus and plains.

Mountains – 

• It is defined as any landmass which is higher and steeper than a hill
• It is higher than 2000ft
• As you go higher to the mountain the temperature drops and the climate becomes colder
• Due to low temperature and colder climate it’s common for some mountains to develop ice. These mountains are then called glaciers
• And there are Block Mountains which occur when large areas are displaced vertically

Plateaus- 

• It is defined as the elevated flatland. These have more sides with steep slopes
• The Deccan plateau is the most known plateau in India
• This gives birth to the waterfall. Example – jog fall in Karnataka

Plains-

• It is defined as the fertile regions
• These are largely stretched flat land where human habitation, farming and poultry is more suitable
• Example- Indo-gangetic plains are the most densely populated region in the country

Conclusion

From the above theory we come to know about the four geospheres which are the lithosphere known as the land, the atmosphere known as air, the hydrosphere known as water and the biosphere known as living things. And without Lithosphere, Hydrosphere and Atmosphere there will be no biosphere as living things need air, water, and land to survive. We also came to know about the three major landforms of the earth which are mountains, plateaus and plains. And also about oceans and the seven continents of the earth.