Classwork Series and Exercises {Geography – SS1}: Major Land Forms of the World

Geography, SS 1, Week 2

Topic: Major Land Forms of the World

Contents:

1. Major types of land form
2. Major types of mountain and their characteristic
3. Importance or uses of mountain to man
4. Disadvantages of mountain

There are three major types of land forms on the earth’s surface. These are: Mountain, Plateaux, Plains

Mountains

Mountains are great elevated land surfaces resulting from intense action of intense forces. They have steep slopes and show distinct peaks. Mountain are classified according to their mode of formation, resulting in four major types which are:

1. Fold Mountains
2. Block Mountains
3. Volcanic Mountains
4. Residual Mountains

Characteristics of Fold Mountains

• They contain old rocks with steep sides.
• Fold Mountains have wrinkling or folding appearance and show distinct peaks of great heights.
• Fold Mountains exist in layered form, they are soft, and have anticlines and synclines.
• Folding shorten the earth’s crust and form the most wide spread type of mountains and are noted for active volcanoes.
• Fold Mountains form the highest range. Example of Fold Mountains include Atlas, Alps, Rockies, Andes and Himalayas Mountains

Characteristics of Block Mountains

•  Block Mountains are made up of old hard rocks with flat or slightly sloping surfaces.
• They have steep sides.
• They are associated with rift valleys.
• It is a block between two fluids.
• It has fairly steep, straight edges.
• Block Mountains are usually high. Examples of block Mountains include: Voges Mountain, Black forest of the Rhine land.

Characteristics of Volcanic Mountains

•  Volcanic Mountain are made up of lava.
• They have irregular sides with conical shape.
• Materials that make up volcanic bombs, cinders etc. Which are arranged in layers. Example include Elgon, Cameroon (all in Africa) etc

Characteristics of Residual Mountains

• Residual Mountain are formed from already existing mountains.
• They have irregular surfaces with steep sides.
• They occur in varying heights and sizes and are caused by agents of denudation. Examples include Mt, Manadnock (U.S.A), Highlands of Scotland, Decon plateau etc

Importance or Uses of Mountain to Man

1. Mountains are used for tourist attraction. Example are holiday resorts like Olumo rock, Idanre Hills etc
2. Mountain serve as a source of river example is River Niger from the Guinea Highlands
3. Minerals are mined from mountain highland. Example tin and columbite from Jos
4. Rocks from highlands are used for construction example, rock from Shai Hill were used to construct the Tema Harbour in Ghana
5. Mountain encourages relief rain formation example are Jos and Cameroon

Disadvantages of Mountains

1. Mountains are barriers to communication as they prevent road, railway and airport construction
2. High mountains are known to be associated with cold weather which prevents good human and animal habitation
3. Areas close to mountain re usually associated with soil erosion due to the speed of running water down the steep slopes of mountain
4. Mountain at times do occupy good land that should have been used either for farming settlement
5. Mountainous areas are not good for agriculture s the oils are poor in nutrients and difficult to work on

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