Comment Se Forment Les Reliefs

Geography
Ms. Khadaroo
● The relief is shaped by natural
forces.
● These forces are present inside
the Earth and on its surface.
WHAT FORCES ● The relief is sometimes also
modified by human activity.
SHAPE AND ● These changes can be
MODIFY THE disastrous for us.

● Knowing how relief is created
RELIEF? and modified can help us to
predict its evolution, and to
protect the environment and
our way of life.
1. MOVING PLATES
Plate tectonics is the theory that states that the Earth's crust is made up of
several rigid plates, which are pushed by the Earth's internal forces.
The Earth's crust, also called the lithosphere , is made up of seven large
plates and several smaller plates. The thickness (thickness) of the plates varies
from 100 to 200 km.
PLATES CREATE MOUNTAINS
Most mountains are created at plate boundaries. There
are three main types of plate boundaries.
Type 1: DIVERGING BORDERS
A divergent boundary (to diverge, separate) is the area
where two plates of the lithosphere move away from
each other.
These boundaries are found primarily on the ocean

floor . At this location, magma rises into the crack
between the plates and creates new rock. Volcanic
activity is common in these regions.
Type 2: TRANSFORMING FAULTS
Plates located side by side rub (to rub against) each
other on a transform fault . This friction creates
friction that often causes earthquakes.
The San Andreas Fault, near San Francisco, California, is

a transform fault approximately 800 miles (1,300 km)
long.
Type 3: CONVERGING BORDERS
Some plates push against each other, which creates a convergent
boundary (to converge, come together).
When two continental plates meet, the constant pressure they exert
on each other compresses their walls. These walls rise and form
folded mountains .
When an oceanic plate and a continental plate collide, the oceanic

plate slides under the continental plate, which creates an ocean
trench. The pressure causes earthquakes.
TYPES OF BORDERS
2. EROSION SHAPES THE RELIEF
Erosion creates landforms such as valleys and plains. Weathering is a natural
force that breaks rock into small particles. Erosion then transports these
particles from one place to another on the earth's surface.
It is produced by the action of water, ice, wind and living organisms.

WATER EROSION
As it flows over the Earth's surface, water erodes the rock and carries away
tiny fragments of weathered rock. Over time, water erodes the rock even
deeper. Eventually, a valley forms.
GLACIAL EROSION
During ice ages, glaciers moved slowly across the Earth's crust, scraping
against the upper layers of rock. In some places, such as Norway, glaciers have
carved long, deep, narrow valleys called fjords .
WIND EROSION
On empty land, the wind lifts the weathered particles and carries them
elsewhere. The stronger the wind blows, the larger and more abundant the
particles it carries. When the wind weakens (weakens), the particles are
deposited to form dunes.
The Grand Canyon
Scientists estimate
that the canyon was
formed 5 to 6 million
years ago.
3. HUMAN ACTIVITY SHAPES AND MODIFIES THE RELIEF
Today, more than 7 billion people live on Earth. Human activities such as
cutting down trees or building roads can temporarily modify the relief and
landscape (landscape).
Certain activities, such as mining, transform the landform more permanently.

CREATE LIVING SPACES
● Human beings are modifying the territory to create better living spaces
for building houses, practicing agriculture and establishing transport
networks.
● It is easier to construct buildings on firm and flat ground. In some cities,
waterways are filled (fill in water sources) to create flat land and to build
homes and businesses.
● Construction crews raze hills or fill valleys to provide equal surfaces for
building roads and train tracks.
SATISFYING OUR BASIC NEEDS
We need food, water and shelter to live. We sometimes modify the land so we
can grow more food.
In some parts of Asia, rice is planted in flat terraces cut into the sides of hills.
This makes it possible to increase harvests. To prevent rain from eroding the
soil by running down slopes, the flow of water into the terraces is controlled.
EXPLOIT MINES
We need Earth's resources, like minerals, to make tools, cars, computers,
homes, and other goods. We mine to obtain ore like iron, silver and gold.
In some cases, the mines dug are gigantic holes. They destroy the original
shape of the land. In some places, such as the Appalachian Mountains in the
United States, the tops of entire mountains are dynamited to access the coal
found in the ground.

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Geography

MODIFY THE disastrous for us.

These boundaries are found primarily on the ocean

The San Andreas Fault, near San Francisco, California, is

When an oceanic plate and a continental plate collide, the oceanic

It is produced by the action of water, ice, wind and living organisms.

Certain activities, such as mining, transform the landform more permanently.

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