The valley is what? The meaning of the word "valley"

An integral part of the mountain landscape is the valley. This is a special form of relief, which is an elongated hollow. It is formed more often from the erosive action of flowing water, and also due to certain features in the geological structure of the earth's crust.

What does the word "valley" mean?

All kinds of beams, ravines, gullies caused by unstable watercourses, are rudimentary forms of valleys. As a result of flushing the soil with river water along the banks, lowlands arise, which, when combined, can form entire systems.

Their relief is unstable and can vary depending on the direction of river flows. Mountain or river valley is part of a complex ramified system of landscapes. It consists of several elements:

1. Slopes are areas of the surface that limit the valley from the sides. They differ in height and, in addition, can have the same or different steepness (when one bank is flat, and the other - steeper).
2. The bottom (bed) is the most flat and low-lying part of the valley.
3. The sole is the place where the bottom and slopes meet.
4. Brovka - the line of contact of the slopes with the surface of the adjacent terrain.
5. Terraces. These are small leveled horizontal platforms, located at different heights from the bottom of the valley.

Varieties of valleys

Geologists divide all valleys into mountainous and lowland valleys. They are formed, according to the name, in a certain locality. Mountain valleys are forms of relief characterized by considerable depth and uneven steep slopes.

The plains are wider, with less pronounced depth and with gentle flat slopes, considerably inferior to the width. The main element is the wide bottom of the cut. The mouth of the valley is often a bay, where the river flows into.

Depending on the location of the valley, the meaning of this word is interpreted in different sources. In some, the "valley" is an elongated hollow between mountains or hills, and in others the space below the surrounding terrain, usually located along the river.

River valley

It is formed as a result of the action of running water. The river valley is an elongated lowland on the land surface, which extends from the source to the mouth. In its appearance, experienced geographers can easily determine the age and stage of development, as well as the geological structure of the area, the movement of the earth's crust in the river basin, learn about weathering forces and much more.

The river valley is a ramified, isolated system that contrasts sharply with the surrounding landscape. The river flow changing the direction often leads to variability and reorganization of the valleys, which periodically rejuvenate. Their hydrological features have no analogues among other types of landscapes. This applies to seasonal floods and rain floods. Spills occur synchronously throughout the profile of the valley.

Slopes of river valleys are usually covered with forest, and floodplains are used for hayfields, sowing of crops, in places most safe from erosion in these areas are located and settlements.

In large rivers, the floodplain can occupy an area of 15 to 30 km wide. It is low, annually flooded, and high, which goes under water only in severe floods.

The terraces that the river valley has are some kind of nicks, able to tell a lot about the history of the river. They are based on bedrock, and the surface is covered with river sediments. On such terraces you can find various deposits of old swamps and lakes, remnants of plants and animals that existed a long time ago.

Gorges and valleys are the components of the mountain landscape. They are distinguished by steep slopes and rapids. The river flows through a powerful stream of rock, forming gorges and canyons with almost steep slopes where there are no terraces.

The profile of the young valleys has areas where the rivers swiftly rush along the rapids. Over time, under the action of the flow, the place is leveled. The smooth profile that the valley acquires is a sign of its maturity.

Forms of river valleys

The formation of the valley is influenced by many factors. Among them, tectonic processes that determine the direction, rocks, slipping of the ground and washing them off by atmospheric precipitation. All this contributes to the creation of various forms of river valleys.

Gorges, or gorges, are formed due to deep erosion and are prevalent mainly in high-mountain areas. Their steep slopes consist of strong rocks. The bottom of the river is its full width.

Canyons are narrow valleys formed in areas where layers of different strengths are laid. The deepest is the canyon on the Colorado River (in the USA) with a depth of 2 km.

In the floodplain valleys, the riverbed occupies only a small part. They are characteristic of the plains. The whole valley together with the terraces can have a width of up to 100 or more kilometers. In these areas, crops are grown and cattle grazed. It is not for nothing that in many encyclopedic sources the word "valley" is interpreted as "fertility", "life", "cultivation".