Erosion Landforms

The following landforms are the result of either erosion or weathering or a combination of both.

• butte—an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top (smaller than mesas, plateaus, and tables).

• canyon—a deep valley between cliffs, often carved from the landscape by a river.

• cuesta—a ridge formed by gently tilted sedimentary rock strata in a homoclinal structure.

• dissected plateau—a plateau area that has been uplifted, then severely eroded so that the relief is sharp.

• eolianite—any rock formed by the lithification of sediment deposited by Aeolian processes (i.e., the wind).

• gulch—a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion.

• gully—a landform created by running water eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside.

• hogback—a homoclinal ridge, formed from a monocline, composed of steeply tilted strata rock protruding from the surrounding area.

• hoodoo—a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland.

• lavaka—a type of erosional feature common in Madagascar.

• limestone pavement—a natural karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed limestone that resembles an artificial pavement.

• malpais—a landform characterized by eroded rocks of volcanic origin in an arid environment.

• mesa—an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs.

• pediment—a gently inclined erosional surface carved into bedrock.

• peneplain—the final stage in fluvial or stream erosion.

• potrero—a long mesa that at one end slopes upward to higher terrain.

• tea table—a rock formation that is a remnant of new strata that have eroded away.

• tepui—a tabletop mountain (mesa) found only in the Guayana highlands of South America.

• valley—a depression with predominant extent in one direction.