Let’s learn some useful vocabulary used to describe the landscape today. You definitely know words like mountains, shore, valley or volcano, but nature is really rich in all sorts of other interesting forms as well, which also have their own names. Let’s just have a look at some of them. Here they are:
Table of Contents
ravine – you can see one in the mountains
a small narrow steep-sided valley that is smaller than a canyon
gorge – a landscape with limited view
a deep, narrow area between hills or mountains
fissure – can be dangerous
a long and deep opening or crack in the earth’s crust
dormant volcano – fast asleep
a volcano that is not active but able to become active
glacier – a chilly landscape
a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley or spreading outward on a land surface
cirque – you won’t see beyond
a deep steep-walled basin on a mountain usually forming the blunt end of a valley
moraine – typical of glacial landscape
an accumulation of earth and stones carried and finally deposited by a glacier
crevasse – if you see one, watch out!
a deep fissure in a glacier or the earth
crest – makes the landscape majestic
the top line of a mountain or hill
spur – good for very long walks
a ridge that extends laterally from a mountain range
fjord – typical Norwegian landscape
a narrow inlet of the sea between cliffs or steep slopes
geyser – hot and wet
a spring that throws forth jets of heated water and steam
Naturally, there are lots of other interesting landscape forms, but for today the ones just described will do. Maybe you could use your browser to find some images or descriptions of the landscape formations you just learned about.
Here’s the video version if you like it better this way: