The relief of the Earth and its main forms

The relief is a form that the earth's surface has. Over time, it changes under the influence of various forces. Places where once there were great mountains, become plains, and in some areas there are volcanoes. Scientists try to explain why this happens. And already much of modern science is known.

Reasons for transformations

The relief of the Earth is one of the most interesting mysteries of nature and even history. Because of how the surface of our planet has changed, the life of mankind has changed. Changes occur under the influence of internal and external forces.

Among all forms of relief are large and small. The largest of them are the continents. It is believed that hundreds of centuries ago, when man was not yet, our planet had a completely different appearance. Perhaps there was only one continent, which eventually split into several parts. Then they split again. And all the continents that now exist have appeared.

Another major form is the oceanic depressions. It is believed that earlier there were also fewer oceans, but then there were more of them. Some scientists say that hundreds of years later new ones will appear. Others say that water will flood some parts of the land.

The relief of the planet changes over the course of many centuries. Even though a person sometimes hurts nature, his activity is not able to significantly change the terrain. To do this, we need such powerful forces that only nature has. However, a person can not only radically transform the planet's relief, but also stop the changes that nature itself produces. Despite the fact that science has made a big step forward, it is still impossible to protect all people from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and much more.

Basic Information

The relief of the Earth and the main forms of relief attract the close attention of many scientists. Among the main varieties - mountains, highlands, shelves and plains.

Shelf - these are parts of the earth's surface that are hidden under the water column. Very often they stretch along the coast. Shelf is the kind of relief that occurs only under water.

Highlands are mountain stands standing alone, mountain valleys and even mountain ranges. Much of what is called the mountains, in fact is upland. For example, the Pamir is not a mountain, as many believe. Also, the Tien Shan is upland.

Mountains are the most grandiose forms of the planet's relief. They rise above the land by more than 600 meters. Their peaks are hidden behind clouds. It happens that in warm countries you can see mountains, peaks of which are covered with snow. Slopes are usually very steep, but some daredevils decide to climb them. Mountains can form chains.

Plains are stability. Plains inhabitants are least likely to experience changes in the terrain. They almost do not know what earthquakes are, because such places are considered the most favorable for life. The real plain is the most flat earth surface.

Internal and external forces

The influence of internal and external forces on the Earth's relief is grandiose. If you study how the surface of the planet changed for several centuries, you can see how what seemed eternal disappears. To replace him comes something new. External forces are not able to change the Earth's relief as much as the internal ones. Both the first and the second are divided into several species.

Internal forces

Internal forces that change the Earth's relief can not be stopped. But in the modern world, scientists from different countries are trying to predict when and where an earthquake will occur, where an eruption of a volcano will happen.

Internal forces include earthquakes, movements of the earth's crust and volcanism.

As a result, all these processes lead to the emergence of new mountains and mountain ranges on land and on the ocean floor. In addition, there are geysers, hot springs, chains of volcanoes, ledges, cracks, depressions, collapses, cones of volcanoes and much more.

External forces

External forces are not capable of producing significant transformations. However, you should not lose sight of them. External processes that form the relief of the Earth include the following: the work of wind and flowing water, weathering, the melting of glaciers and, of course, the work of people. Although man, as was said above, is not yet able to greatly change the face of the planet.

The work of external forces leads to the creation of hills and gullies, hollows, dunes and barkhans, river valleys, gravel, sand and much more. Water can very slowly destroy even a great mountain. And those stones that are now easily found on the shore, may be part of a mountain that was once great.

The planet Earth is a grandiose creation, in which everything is thought through to the smallest detail. For centuries it has changed. There have been cardinal transformations of the relief, and all this - under the influence of internal and external forces. In order to better understand the processes taking place on the planet, you need to know about the life that it leads without paying attention to the person.