Earth’s Landforms

3.4 North American Landforms

At this rate, how long can we use resources?

Step 1: Go to the ArcGIS Online map, North American Landforms, and explore the map.

Step 2: Click Modify Map, then click the Show Contents button (on the Details pane).

Step 3: Turn on the Landform Marker layer; you will now see an Edit button at the top.

Step 4: Click the Edit button and then click the Landuse Marker.

Step 5: Click and drag the cursor around the map to “sketch” similar continuous regions, based solely on their appearance. (If necessary, zoom in to see more detail.)

  • Describe how many unique regions you choose?

Step 7: To stop drawing, click the Edit button.

Step 8: If needed, click the button Show Contents (in the Details pane).

Step 9: Turn off the World Shaded Relief layer by clicking the checkbox.

Is there more to landforms than texture?

Step 10: Turn on the North American Landforms layer.

Step 11: Click the Basemap button, and then click Topographic.

  • Which color is used to show the plains?

Step 12: Click several places across the plains.

  • Which of the following are considered plains?
  • Coastal plains get more precipitation and are more moderate in temperatures than mid-continental plains. T/F

Note how the imagery Basemap shows greener areas in the plains, particularly along the Gulf Coast.

Would a bay by any other name, sound the same?

Step 13: Click on each bookmark. Identify and differentiate among various types of landforms, as listed below.

  • Coastal features
  • Freshwater regions
  • Ocean bodies
  • River-formed landforms
  • High elevation terrains
  • Large ice features

Identifying landforms in your area

Step 14: Search for any of the landform types found in your local area. Use the Find Address Or Place search tool.

  • Explain what the selected landform is and how it differs from similar features (e.g., those in Elaborate). ? If you have chosen a local cape, for instance, how is this different from a barrier island?

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Applied Physical Geography and Natural Disasters Copyright © 2020 by R. Adam Dastrup, MA, GISP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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