Terrain comes from the word “terra” which means Earth and refers to the study of the Earth’s horizontal and vertical surfaces. By identifying the different types of terrain, we’re able to determine the most suitable habitats for mankind.
We also use this understanding for agricultural purposes and soil conservation efforts. As history has shown, the study of terrain has its impact on military tactics, aviation, and weather patterns.
Canyon
A canyon is a big hole or gorge in the ground that is found between things such as cliffs, and the reason they are there is due to erosion from the river and various other weather conditions. Rivers are commonly found moving through the lower surfaces of a canyon, which can wash away rock layers over time.
If the estuaries and headwaters of the river have very different elevations, the erosion and weather conditions that result can form a canyon.
Canyons can be found between two mountain peaks and can be open on only one side. If they are open on one side and are found between mountains, they are called box canyons, while slot canyons are extremely narrow and have very smooth walls.
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There are other types of canyons, and they can be found almost anywhere in the world, including places such as North and South America, Africa, and throughout Asia and Europe.
Desert
When you think of the word “desert,” you likely conjure up an image in your head of what a desert looks like, but it may not be completely accurate.
A desert is a large piece of land with little or no vegetation, mostly because of factors that include lack of water, salt poisoning, or soil that is extreme. Although most deserts are very hot, many of them are not.
In fact, there are places in areas such as Poland and the Arctic that have deserts which stay rather chilly or in moderate temperatures all year long. Deserts can also get some rainfall every now and then, and they are not always sandy. Many deserts, in fact, contain miles and miles of hard-baked earth and even bare rocks.
Above all else, a desert is a land that is uninhabited and deserted, because since most of them get so little water, it is difficult for people to live in deserts unless they are close to a water source.
Some deserts have oil springs and some vegetation, and deserts can even expand, shrink, and move, which is something a lot of people don’t know about deserts. There are two main types of deserts:
- Dune: a small hill of loose material that usually consists of sand.
- Salt flat: a small area of flat land that is covered in salt.
Forest
In the English language, the term “forest” has several meanings. The first one is an area of land that is almost completely covered with trees, and they are usually located in colder or more temperate climates.
The second one refers to an area of land that is reserved by special laws. This definition is the most common one in areas such as Great Britain, and the forests there are used as both national parks and as areas for game-hunting for the king and his peers.
Forests are almost always settled sparsely; however, that doesn’t mean that villages and towns cannot be found there, because often they are. In many cases, forests are managed by a professional forester of some type, which is usually paid for by the government. Forests are broken down into types, including:
- Jungle: essentially impossible to get through, jungles are rainforests that are dense and tangled.
- Seasonal dry forest: these get their name due to the fact that they go through very long spells of being very dry.
- Temperate forest: experiencing four distinct seasons, a temperate forest is found between the polar and tropic regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
- Temperate rainforest: these are forests that receive heavy rainfalls and are usually either broadleaf or coniferous.
For a more detailed guide into this type of terrain, check out our article “3 Types of Forests and why they’re so Important”
Glacier
A glacier is a very large mass of ice that stays that way consistently, and it usually survives over many, many years. Greenland, Antarctic, and certain points in the higher parts of the Arctic have the most instances of glaciers.
Similar to lava flows or rivers, glaciers flow continuously, although at a much slower pace than those do. Most glaciers can sometimes produce glacial earthquakes, which have been increasing in past years.
Many people contribute these scenarios with climate change, but no one knows for sure why or how they occur.
Hill
Hills are pieces of land that rise to a peak and are above sea level. They are similar to mountains except they are lower and not nearly as steep. Hills are formed when sediment is deposited there or erodes, and they can be covered in trees, very grassy, or even vegetation-free like a desert.
Hills can be found in areas that segue from flatter plains to larger mountains, and sometimes even geographers cannot tell whether a certain structure is a hill or a mountain. Because of their height and the fact that they make hiding so easy, many armies have constructed fortresses located on top of hills.
When agriculture meets hilly areas, some challenges do occur, and these include erosion of the soil, drainage problems, and plowing difficulties. Fortunately, most of these challenges have been overcome in one way or another.
In fact, in some instances, grapes being a perfect example, crops grow and thrive much better on hills than they do on flat land. There is a lot of information regarding these challenges, so anyone who is considering planting any type of crop in a hilly area can easily find the information they need to decide if this is for them. Hills consist of:
- Butte: an isolated hill that has steep sides that are usually very vertical; their tops are small and flat.
- Mesa: these are similar to buttes but are often found in landscapes that have horizontal strata.
- Mima mounds: areas of several small mounds that can get up to 6.5-feet in height and to a diameter of over 29 feet.
Marsh
Marshes are considered wetlands and are inundated by plant species that are herbaceous instead of woody.
They are often located at the edges of bodies of water, such as streams and lakes, and there they can form a transition between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. They can consist mostly of grasses, reeds, or rushes, not to mention low-lying shrubs.
There are different types of marshes, and they are generally classified by their salinity and their specific location.
The amount of plant and animal life found in marshes is greatly affected by these two factors, and the three main types of marshes are salt marshes, which are found mostly in mid- to high latitudes; freshwater marshes, which are very common in North America; and tidal marshes, which are greatly affected by the nearby ocean tides.
Of course, there are also other types of marshes, including those that are found on the edges of very large rivers, and those that are perfect habitats for animals such as certain types of waterfowl.
Marshes can be found almost anywhere in the world; although nearly 90% of all wetlands have been destroyed in some areas, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Mountain
A mountain is essentially the same thing as a hill except it is much higher in elevation. In fact, the minimum height to be considered a mountain is 2,000 feet.
The Denali mountain, located in Alaska, is the tallest mountain in North America at over 20,000 feet, and the tallest mountain in the world is Mount Everest, which is over 29,000 feet in height.
Of course, there are various ways of measuring mountains. Some experts measure how high they are above sea level, while others measure them from the very bottom to the top of the summit.
Although technically there are no differences between hills and mountains, there are a few things that make each of them unique. These include:
- Hills are easier to climb than mountains.
- Hills are usually considered those fixtures which are 2,000 feet or less.
- Mountains are both higher and steeper than hills.
- Mountains are usually formed through volcanoes.
Oasis
An oasis is an area in the desert that is quite isolated, and it is usually surrounded by a water source, such as a pond, small lake, or a spring. These fixtures can be inhabited by animals and sometimes humans, depending on the size of the oasis.
Oases are very fertile and range in size from 2.5 acres to areas so large that you can support a farm with them. Rain showers can sustain natural oases, and the water is used by migrating birds and other animals as a way to sustain themselves.
