Valley

A valley is a low area.

It often sits between mountains. Most valleys are made by water.

Moving rivers wear down the land. This makes a V shape.

Some valleys are made by ice. Huge sheets of ice move slowly. They carve a U shape.

These valleys have flat bottoms.

Other valleys come from the Earth. Moving ground can pull land apart. This makes a rift valley.

Some valleys are very dry. They may have no water at all. This happens in deserts.

Valleys can be very long. They can also be very wide.

A valley is a low area in the land.

They are often longer than they are wide. Most valleys sit between hills or mountains.

Many valleys are made by moving water. This is called erosion. Erosion happens when water wears away the land over a long time. River valleys often look like the letter V.

In the upper parts, the river cuts deep. In the middle, the valley gets wider. In the lower parts, the river may move in curves. This can create a wide floodplain. A floodplain is a flat area near a river.

Other valleys are carved by ice. Huge sheets of ice are called glaciers. As glaciers move, they scrape the ground. This makes a U-shaped valley.

These have steep sides and flat bottoms. Sometimes, a smaller valley sits high above a big one. This is a hanging valley.

Water often falls from these as waterfalls.

Some valleys come from movements in the Earth. These are called rift valleys. They form when the Earth's crust pulls apart.

A valley is a long, low area in the land.

These areas often sit between hills or mountains. Most valleys are longer than they are wide. They can have many different shapes and sizes. Many valleys have a river or a stream running through them.

The flat part at the bottom is called a valley floor. This floor is often made of sediments from the river. Some valleys might even be dry in desert areas.

Valleys form in a few different ways. Most are made by moving water through a process called erosion. In the upper part of a river, the water cuts deep. This creates a steep, V-shaped valley. In the middle, the river flows slower and gets wider. As it moves to the lower part, it may create a wide floodplain.

Other valleys are carved by huge sheets of moving ice called glaciers. These glaciers scrape the ground as they move. This makes a U-shaped valley with steep sides and a flat bottom.

Geographers use many names to describe these landforms. Some names are used all over the world. Others are only used in certain local places. For example, a deep cleft between cliffs is called a canyon or a gorge.

A small, wooded valley might be called a dell. In the Appalachian Mountains, a small valley might be called a cove. There are even dry watercourses called arroyos. These fill up only after it rains.

There are many famous examples of these amazing places. Yosemite Valley in the United States is a well-known glaciated valley.

In the Alps, some villages sit on valley shoulders. These shoulders are the slopes just above the valley floor. In the Rocky Mountains, some side valleys are called hanging valleys. These sit high above the main valley. They often create beautiful waterfalls.

Valleys connect many parts of our world. Small streams feed into larger valleys. These larger valleys then feed into even bigger ones. Eventually, the water reaches the ocean.

Some valleys are formed by tectonic activity. This happens when the Earth's crust moves and pulls apart. These are called rift valleys. Examples include the Albertine Rift and the Gregory Rift. Understanding valleys helps us see how our Earth changes over time.

A valley is an elongated low area in the landscape. It often runs between hills or mountains. Most valleys are longer than they are wide. They can take on many different dimensions and shapes. Many valleys contain a river or stream running through them.

The flat or relatively flat portion between the sides is called the valley floor. This floor is typically formed by river sediments. It may also be flanked by fluvial terraces.

Most valleys are created through erosion over very long periods. This process is common in river valleys. Water alters the surface through corrasion, abrasion, pot-holing, corrosion, and weathering. In the upper valley, a stream erodes its bed through corrasion. This produces a steep-sided V-shaped valley. As the stream moves to the middle valley, it becomes wider. Numerous streams often coalesce here. The flow slows down, and both erosion and deposition occur.

In the middle section, lateral erosion becomes more common. Strong currents on the outside of a curve erode the bank. Conversely, deposition happens on the inside of curves where the current is slacker. This process can lead to a meandering character. In the lower valley, the gradient decreases. Meanders may become much broader. This can result in a broad floodplain. In these lower areas, deposition dominates over erosion.

Glaciers also carve distinct types of valleys. These are often called glacial troughs. They typically have a U-shaped profile in cross-section. This shape is caused by glacial erosion removing contact surfaces. This process minimizes friction. The uppermost part of these valleys often contains cirques. These are armchair-shaped hollows excavated by rotational movement.

Abrasion by rock material in the ice deepens and widens the valley. This creates steep sides and a flat bottom. Some glacial valleys may even feature ribbon lakes. In coastal areas, these features are known as fjords.

Hanging valleys are a specific type of tributary valley. They are higher than the main valley. This occurs most commonly in U-shaped glacial landscapes. A large glacier erodes a deep main valley. A smaller tributary glacier makes a shallower valley. Because the glaciers were originally at the same elevation, the smaller one appears to be hanging.

This often results in waterfalls at the outlet. Hanging valleys can also form due to varying rates of erosion in different rock types.

Some valleys do not form through erosion at all. Rift valleys arise from tectonic processes. These are caused by the expansion of the Earth's crust. This movement happens due to tectonic activity beneath the surface. Examples of these include the Albertine Rift and the Gregory Rift. Other unique forms exist, such as tunnel valleys. These are large, U-shaped valleys cut under glacial ice. They were formed by subglacial water erosion. They once served as drainage pathways for massive volumes of meltwater.

Geographers use many specific terms to describe these landforms. A canyon or gorge is a deep cleft between cliffs. An arroyo is a dry watercourse that fills after rain. A dell is a small, secluded, and often wooded valley. In the Appalachian Mountains, a small valley might be called a cove. These terms help scientists categorize the diverse morphology of the Earth. Understanding these processes shows how water, ice, and tectonic forces shape our world.