Why is the Earth relief very diverse? The main processes of relief formation

There are many natural components that are studied in detail by the geography of the Earth. The relief is one of them. Our planet is beautiful and unique! Its external appearance is the result of the action of a whole complex of different processes.

Why is the Earth relief very diverse? We will try to answer this question as easily as possible in this article.

Why is the terrain varied? The main reason

Deep underwater gorges and highest peaked peaks, huge flat plateaus and marshy hollows, wide boundless plains and hilly uplands - all this can be found on the surface of our wonderful planet. Let's try to answer a simple question: why is the Earth relief very diverse?

The main reason for this diversity is the mutual impact on the surface of the planet of internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) processes. In turn, the catalyst of these processes, ultimately, is the energy of the Sun.

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 the general structure of the earth's crust, but also create new forms of relief.

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

Denudation and accumulation are the main processes of relief formation

Now that you already know why the Earth's relief is very diverse, you can describe in more detail those processes that are guilty of this. It will be about denudation and accumulation, which are related dialectically.

By denudation is understood the totality of all processes that are aimed at the destruction of rocks. The main driving force of denudation is gravity (the force of universal gravitation). Mountain landslides, mudslides, the movement of large glaciers and the flow of rivers - all this, one way or another, is associated with it. Denudation aims to maximize the terrain.

Accumulation is the opposite process, which consists in the accumulation of mountain particles in certain parts 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, barkhans, 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 distinguished:

• Fluvial relief (river valleys, gullies, ravines, gullies, etc.);
• Glacial (oz, moraine ridges and plains, kams, "sheep's foreheads," etc.);
• Coastal or abrasive (marches, scythes, abrasion beaches, beaches, etc.);
• Gravitational (landslides, landslides, screes);
• Eolian (barkhans, dunes);
• Karst (caves, funnels, karst mines);
• Suffosion (pods, "steppe saucers");
• Anthropogenic (relief created by human activity: career, mine, mound, heap, dam, etc.).

All these numerous forms of relief create this colorful and unique drawing of our planet.

Finally

After reading our article, the question of why the Earth's relief is very diverse will not be able to drive you into a dead end. The external appearance, the drawing of our planet, was created for millions of years. At the basis of the formation of the main forms of terrestrial relief are various processes, such as endogenous (internal) and exogenous (external).