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This article is about the physical-geographic term. For places named "Valley" see Valley (disambiguation).
Fljótsdalur in East Iceland, a rather flat valley
Fljótsdalur in East Iceland, a rather flat valley

In geology, a valley (also called a vale or dale) is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. Fljótsdalur is a Valley in east Iceland. There is a very quaint hostel there situated in an old turf-roofed farm house Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland ( ( Ísland or Lýðveldið Ísland ( Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Depression in Geology is a Landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge. For the song see CANYONMID. For the band see Canyon (band. A canyon (rarely cañon) or gorge

The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys. In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is Many shapes have metaphorical names, ie their names are Metaphors these Shapes are named after a most common object that has it Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena Most valleys belong to one of these two main types or a mixture of them, at least with respect of the cross section of the slopes or hillsides. In Geometry, a cross section is the intersection of a body in 2-dimensional space with a line or of a body in 3-dimensional space with a plane etc

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River valleys

Schematic cross section of a typical valley in the Eastern Alps. The shoulders of U or V valleys are often located roughly halfway up the slopes
Schematic cross section of a typical valley in the Eastern Alps. Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of the Splügen Pass in eastern Switzerland. The shoulders of U or V valleys are often located roughly halfway up the slopes
Further information: River valleys (category)
Further information: River phenomenon

A valley formed by flowing water, or river valley, is usually V-shaped. River phenomenon describes distinctive deeply incised River valleys in the landscape of Central Europe in the sense of their biotic geomorphologic and climatic features "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there The exact shape will depend on the characteristics of the stream flowing through it. Rivers with steep gradients, as in mountain ranges, produce steep walls and a narrow bottom. A mountain range is a chain of Mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by passes or valleys Shallower slopes may produce broader and gentler valleys, but in the lowest stretch of a river, where it approaches its base level, it begins to deposit sediment and the valley bottom becomes a floodplain. The base level of a River or Stream is the lowest point to which it can flow often referred to as the 'mouth' of the river ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic

A V-shaped valley is formed by downcutting when the flowing stream erodes its channel at a higher rate than the sides are eroded. Downcutting, also called erosional downcutting or downward erosion or vertical erosion is a geological process that deepens the channel The resulting landform is a narrow canyon with fast water and little bank (floodplain) on the river sides. ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic

Some broad V examples are:

Glacial valleys

A glaciated valley in the Mount Hood Wilderness showing a characteristic U-shape and the broad shoulders
A glaciated valley in the Mount Hood Wilderness showing a characteristic U-shape and the broad shoulders
U-shaped valley in Glacier National Park in Montana, United States.
U-shaped valley in Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. The Napfgebiet is the hilly region lying between Berne and Lucerne. Etymology In Romansch which is the indigenous language of the region the "Engadin" literally translates as the garden of the Inn River (Romansch En The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge The Moselle (Moselle Mosel Musel is a River flowing through France, Luxembourg and Germany. The Mount Hood Wilderness is a protected Wilderness area inside the Mount Hood National Forest which is located in the U Glacier National Park is located in the US state of Montana, bordering the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Montana ( is a state in the Western United States. One-third of the state in the western part contains numerous mountain ranges (approximately 77 named of the northern The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

A valley carved by glaciers, or glacial valley, is normally U-shaped. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. The valley becomes visible upon the recession of the glacier that forms it. When the ice recedes or thaws, the valley remains, often littered with small boulders that were transported within the ice. Floor gradient does not affect the valley's shape, it is the glacier's size that does. Continuously flowing glaciers - especially in the ice age - and large sized glaciers carve wide, deep incised valleys. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets

Examples of U-shaped valleys are found in every mountainous region that has experienced glaciation, usually during the Pleistocene ice ages. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets Most present U-shaped valleys started as V-shaped before glaciation. The glaciers carved it out wider and deeper, simultaneously changing the shape. This proceeds through the glacial erosion processes of glaciation and abrasion, which results in large rocky material (glacial till) being carried in the glacier. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. A material called boulder clay is deposited on the floor of the valley. As the ice melts and retreats, the valley is left with very steep sides and a wide, flat floor. A river or stream may remain in the valley. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there A stream is a body of Water with a current, confined within a bed and stream-banks This replaces the original stream or river and is known as a misfit stream because it is smaller than one would expect given the size of its valley. A misfit stream (or underfit stream) is a Stream that is far too small to have eroded the Valley which the stream occupies

Other interesting glacially-carved valleys are the

Transition forms and valley shoulders

Look from Paria View to a valley in Bryce Canyon/Utah with very striking shoulders
Look from Paria View to a valley in Bryce Canyon/Utah with very striking shoulders

Depending on the topography, the rock types and the climate, a lot of transition forms between V-, U- and plain valleys exist. Bryce Canyon National Park (ˈbraɪs is a National park located in southwestern Utah in the United States Topography ( topo-, "place" and graphia, "writing" is the study of Earth 's Surface features or those of Planets In Geology, rock is a naturally occurring aggregate of Minerals and/or Mineraloids The Earth's outer solid layer the ‘ Lithosphere Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of Their bottoms can be broad or narrow, but characteristic is also the type of valley shoulder. The broader a mountain valley, the lower its shoulders are located in most cases. An important exception are canyons where the shoulder almost is near the top of the valley's slope. For the song see CANYONMID. For the band see Canyon (band. A canyon (rarely cañon) or gorge In the Alps - e. g. the Tyrolean Inn valley - the shoulders are quite low (100-200 meters above the bottom). Tyrol is a region in Western Central Europe, which included the present day Austrian state of Tyrol (consisting of North Tyrol and East The Inn is a River in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. It is a right Tributary of the Danube and is approximately 500km Many villages are located here (esp. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. at the sunny side) because the climate is very mild: even in winter when the valley's floor is completely filled with fog, these villages are in sunshine. Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of Sunlight, in the broad sense is the total spectrum of the Electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun.

In some stress-tectonic regions of the Rockies or the Alps (e. Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a Mountain range in western North America. g. Salzburg) the side valleys are parallel to each other, and additionally they are hanging. is the fourth-largest city in Austria and the capital of the federal state of Salzburg. The terms side valley and tributary valley refer to Valleys whose Brook or River is confluent to a greater one In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is The brooks flow into the river in form of deep gorges or waterfalls. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there For the song see CANYONMID. For the band see Canyon (band. A canyon (rarely cañon) or gorge A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water often in the form of a Stream, flowing over an Erosion -resistant rock Usually this fact is the result of a violent erosion of the former valley shoulders. A special genesis we find also at arêtes and glacial cirques, at every Scottish glen, or a northern fjord. This article is about a glacial landform See Arete for other meanings A cirque ( French for " Circus " is an Amphitheatre -like Valley, or valley head formed at the head of a Glacier by A fjord or fiord (fjɔːd|fiːɔːd or fiːɔːd is a long narrow Inlet with steep sides created in a valley carved by glacial activity.

Hanging valleys

Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite National Park flowing from a hanging valley.
Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite National Park flowing from a hanging valley.

A hanging valley is a tributary valley with the floor at a higher relief than the main channel into which it flows. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river They are most commonly associated with U-shaped valleys when a tributary glacier flows into a glacier of larger volume. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. The main glacier erodes a deep U-shaped valley with nearly vertical sides while the tributary glacier, with a smaller volume of ice, makes a shallower U-shaped valley. Since the surfaces of the glaciers were originally at the same elevation, the shallower valley appears to be ‘hanging’ above the main valley. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. Often, waterfalls form at or near the outlet of the upper valley. A waterfall is usually a geological formation resulting from water often in the form of a Stream, flowing over an Erosion -resistant rock [1]

Valley floors

Usually the bottom of a main valley is broad - independent of the U or V shape. It typically ranges from about one to ten kilometers in width and is commonly filled with mountain sediments. Sediment is any particulate matter that can be transported by fluid flow and which eventually is deposited as a layer of solid particles on the bed or bottom of a body of The shape of the floor can be rather horizontal, similar to a flat cylinder, or terraced. In Astronomy, Geography, Geometry and related sciences and contexts a plane is said to be horizontal at a given point if it is locally A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes the Surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given Straight line, the axis Stream terraces are relict features such as Floodplains from periods when a Stream was flowing at a higher elevation and has downcut to a lower elevation

Side valleys are rather V than U-shaped; near the mouth clammies are possible if it is a hanging valley. The terms side valley and tributary valley refer to Valleys whose Brook or River is confluent to a greater one In Geology, a valley (also called a vale, dale, glen or strath and near or in Appalachia, a draw) is The location of the villages depends on the across-valley profile, on climate and local traditions, and on the danger of avalanches or landslides. A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. Climate encompasses the temperatures humidity rainfall atmospheric particle count and numerous other meteorogical factors in a given region over long periods of This article refers to the natural event For other uses see Avalanche (disambiguation An avalanche is an abrupt and rapid flow of snow often A landslide is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement such as rock falls deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows which can occur Predominant are places on terraces or alluvial fans if they exist. An alluvial fan is a fan -shaped deposit formed where a fast flowing Stream flattens slows and spreads typically at the exit of a Canyon onto

Historic siting of villages within the mainstem valleys, however, have chiefly considered the potential of flooding. A mainstem is defined as the principal River within a given Drainage basin, in the case where a number of tributaries discharge into a larger Watercourse A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge

Hollows

A hollow is a small valley or dry stream bed. A stream bed is the channel bottom of a Stream or River or creek the physical confine of the normal water flow This term is commonly used in New England, Arkansas, Missouri and Pennsylvania to describe such geographic features. History See also History of New England New England's earliest inhabitants were Algonquian -speaking Native Americans including the Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The term is also used in Southern Appalachia, but pronounced "holler. Appalachia is a term used to describe a region in the eastern United States that stretches from southern New York state to northern Alabama, " Hollows may be formed by river valleys such as Mansfield Hollow or they may be relatively dry clefts with a notch-like characteristic in that they have a height of land and consequent water divide in their bases. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. A hollow such as this is Boston Hollow. Boston Hollow is a deep Ravine in Ashford Connecticut. It is a unique location in several ways Tourists in Europe can further visit a lot of karst, stalactite and ice hollows (e. Karst topography is a landscape shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble Bedrock, usually Carbonate rock such as Limestone A stalactite ( Greek stalaktites, (Σταλακτίτης from the word for "drip" and meaning "that which drips" is a type of Speleothem g. in Slovenia and Austria). Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich

Famous valleys

A valley in the Blue Mountains
A valley in the Blue Mountains

Rift valleys

Main article: Rift valley

Rift valleys, such as the Great Rift Valley, are formed by the expansion of the Earth's crust due to tectonic activity beneath the Earth's surface. The Central Valley is a large flat valley that dominates the central portion of the U See also Copper Canyon (disambiguation The Copper Canyon (Spanish Barranca del Cobre) is a group of canyons consisting of 6 distinct canyons in the Sierra The Danube (In Donau from earlier Danuvius, Celtic *dānu, meaning "to flow run" Slovak and Polish Dunaj The Wachau (vaˈxaʊ is an Austrian valley with a landscape of high visibility formed by the Danube river For the Iron Gates built by Alexander the Great in the Alexander Romance, see Gates of Alexander. Death Valley is the lowest driest and hottest Valley in the United States. Glencoe ( Gleann Comhann in Gaelic) is a Glen in the Highlands of Scotland. The Grand Canyon There is also a village in Leicestershire called Great Glen. The Great Glen ( Scottish Gaelic: An Gleann Mòr The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by English explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trough approximately in length that runs The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. Lake Victoria or Victoria Nyanza (also known as Ukerewe and Nalubaale) is one of the Great Lakes of Africa. The Indus River { Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: urd {{Nastaliq سندھ}} Sindh; Sindhi: snd Loire Valley (Vallée de la Loire is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. Napa County is a County located north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River The Okanagan (oʊkəˈnɑːɡən also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as Okanagan Country is a region located in the Canadian province Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in southeastern California in the United States. The Panjshir Valley, also spelled Panjsher Valley ( - Dara-ye Panjšēr; literally Valley of the Five Lions) is a Valley in north-central The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge A graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults Graben is German for ditch. The Rhône wine region in Southern France is situated in the Rhône river valley and produces numerous wines under various Appellation d'origine contrôlée "Cervino" redirects here For the Italian town see Cervino (CE. ||-||} Lyon, also known as Lyons in English is a city in east-central France. The Rio Grande Valley is an area located in the southernmost tip of Texas. The Shenandoah Valley region of western Virginia and West Virginia is bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Appalachian Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California Wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Valley of the Kings ( Arabic: وادي الملوك Wadi Biban el-Muluk; "Gates of the King" is a Valley in Egypt where for The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, is a Metropolitan area that includes the City of Phoenix, much of the rest of The San Fernando Valley or The Valley is an urbanized Valley located in the north-western section of the city of Los Angeles California, United States See Silicon Valley for a discussion of the technological aspects of the Santa Clara Valley For the valley nicknamed "Silicone Valley" see San Fernando Valley. The South Wales Valleys (Cymoedd De Cymru are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Valley of Mexico is a highland Plateau in central Mexico roughly coterminous with the present-day Distrito Federal and the eastern half of the State Mexico City (in Spanish: Ciudad de México, México DF, México or simply Méjico) is the Capital city of Mexico A rift valley is a linear-shaped lowland between highlands or mountain ranges created by the action of a geologic Rift or fault. The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by English explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trough approximately in length that runs EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 Plate tectonics (from Greek τέκτων tektōn "builder" or "mason" describes the large scale motions of Earth 's Lithosphere

Extraterrestrial valleys

The other terrestrial planets and the moons of our Solar System can also have valley-like features. A terrestrial planet, telluric planet or rocky planet is a Planet that is primarily composed of Silicate rocks Within our A natural satellite or moon is a Celestial body that Orbits a Planet or smaller body which is called the primary. Lunar valleys can be formed from a linked chain of impact craters. The Moon's surface is covered in many interesting features Among these are several large Valleys that have been given names In the broadest sense the term impact crater can be applied to any depression natural or manmade resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with larger body Smaller valleys, known as rilles, may have originated from lava flows or from the contractions of cooling lava sheets. Rille (German for 'groove' is typically used to describe any of the long narrow depressions in the lunar surface that resemble channels. Lava is molten rock expelled by a Volcano during an eruption When first expelled from a volcanic vent it is a Liquid at Temperatures

Besides the lunar craters, the details of lunar mountain ranges have been well known for more than 300 years (e. In the broadest sense the term impact crater can be applied to any depression natural or manmade resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with larger body g. J.H. Schröter's Selenotopographische Fragmente of 1791). Johann Hieronymus Schröter ( August 30 1745 &ndash August 29 1816) was a German Astronomer. Year 1791 ( MDCCXCI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A lot of linear phenomena like Rheita or Schröter valley and the famous Vallis Alpes (see also below) were observed with details less than 1 km (which corresponds to a coin seen from 5-10 km distance)—but the geological genesis was debated until the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Vallis Rheita is a linear valley on the near side of the Moon. Vallis Alpes ( Latin for"Alpine Valley" is a spectacular lunar valley feature that bisects the Montes Alpes range Astronomers have long been able to observe some highlands and mountains on Mars, and therefore guessed that there may be valleys, as well. Historically Astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky while Astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena The term highland is used to denote any Mountainous region or elevated mountainous Plateau. A mountain is a Landform that extends above the surrounding Terrain in a limited area with a peak In the 1970s this interpretation was proven correct by results from space probes. A space probe is a scientific Space exploration mission in which a Robotic spacecraft leaves the Gravity well of Earth and approaches the Valleys have also been found on Mercury and on the volcanic surfaces of Venus and Io. The VENUS ( V ictoria E xperimental N etwork U nder the S ea project is a cabled sea floor observatory operated by the University TemplateInfobox Planet.--> Io (ˈaɪoʊ, or as Greek

The largest valley in our solar system is the Valles Marineris formation on Mars. The Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by Gravity. Valles Marineris ( Latin for Mariner Valleys, named after the Mariner 9 Mars orbiter The Valles (which were first detected in 1877 by Schiaparelli) are a huge canyon system spanning 4,500 x 600 km in area and having a depth up to 8 km. Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common For a time in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was believed that there were canals on Mars. For the song see CANYONMID. For the band see Canyon (band. A canyon (rarely cañon) or gorge These enormous dimensions are 4-8 times greater than those of the American Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon The Valles is currently understood to have been created by tectonic forces like the main grabens on Earth, rather than by running water. Plate tectonics (from Greek τέκτων tektōn "builder" or "mason" describes the large scale motions of Earth 's Lithosphere A graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults Graben is German for ditch. Later, though, it may have been expanded considerably by erosion, possibly including the action of surface water.

Icy moons of the gas planets Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune were also photographed by the two Voyagers as well as by other space probes. Ice is a Solid phase, usually crystalline, of a Non-metalic substance that is liquid or gas at Room temperature, such as Ammonia A natural satellite or moon is a Celestial body that Orbits a Planet or smaller body which is called the primary. Neptune ( English|AmE] ] is the eighth and farthest Planet from the Sun in the Solar System. See also Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The Voyager program consists of a pair of unmanned scientific probes Voyager 1 and Some linear ruptures in the ice or apparent low areas between hills have been interpreted by astrogeologists as tectonic structures or valleys similar to grabens or active geologic rifts on Earth. Planetary geology, alternatively known as astrogeology or exogeology, is a Planetary science discipline concerned with the Geology of the A graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults Graben is German for ditch. In Geology, a rift is a place where the Earth 's crust and Lithosphere are being pulled apart and is an example of Extensional tectonics

See also

A view of Orosí, Costa Rica.
A view of Orosí, Costa Rica. Orosi is a town in the Cartago Province in Costa Rica, about 30 kilometers south of the capital San José. Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica,) is a Country in

References

  1. ^ Glossary of Glacier Terminology. U. S. Geological Survey (May 28, 2004). Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Retrieved on 2007-05-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. 1276 - Magnus Ladulås is crowned

External links

Extraterrestrial valleys

Vallis Alpes ( Latin for"Alpine Valley" is a spectacular lunar valley feature that bisects the Montes Alpes range English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.

Dictionary

valley

-noun

  1. An elongated depression between hills or mountains, often with a river flowing through it.
  2. The area which drains into a river.
  3. Any structure resembling one, e.g., the meeting point of two pitched roofs.
  4. The internal angle formed by the intersection of two sloping roof planes.
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