Natural features are the fundamental elements of the Earth’s environment, shaping the planet’s surface and atmosphere. They are the product of immense geological, atmospheric, and biological processes acting over vast timescales. These features are studied across multiple disciplines, including geography, geology, and environmental science, to understand the distribution of resources and the structure of landscapes.
Essential Characteristics of Natural Features
A feature is considered natural if it originated without significant human intervention, arising from non-human forces like plate tectonics, erosion, or climate patterns. Natural features can range from visible geographic formations, such as canyons or mountain ranges, to less tangible elements like climate zones, soil types, and regional ecosystems.
The primary characteristic is the lack of human design or construction in its formation process. Features like rivers, deserts, and forests are formed by natural laws and processes, not by human intent. This contrasts with artificial features, which include structures like dams, roads, and buildings. Even if humans modify a natural feature, such as dredging a river, the feature remains natural because its origin is non-human.
Primary Classification: Landforms
Landforms represent the solid, physical characteristics of the Earth’s surface and are the most commonly recognized type of natural feature. These formations are primarily the result of two interacting processes: internal tectonic movements and external denudational processes like weathering and erosion. The movement of continental plates, for instance, leads to the creation of mountains, which are landforms with high elevations and steep slopes.
Mountains often form at convergent boundaries where tectonic plates collide, forcing rock layers upward over millions of years, as seen in the Himalayas. Other uplifted features include plateaus, which are elevated, flat-topped areas that cover vast regions, like the Colorado Plateau. Conversely, denudational processes sculpt the land by wearing down and moving material.
Erosion by water, wind, and ice creates distinctive features like canyons and valleys. Canyons are deep, narrow passages with steep sides, often carved out by the persistent flow of a river, such as the Grand Canyon formed by the Colorado River. Valleys shaped by flowing water typically have a V-shape, while those carved by ancient glaciers often display a wider, U-shaped cross-section. Other landforms created by erosion and deposition include sand dunes, which are shaped by wind, and coastal features like beaches and cliffs.
Primary Classification: Water Bodies and Ecological Systems
The Earth’s hydrosphere and biosphere also contain major natural features that shape the global environment. Water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans, are formed and maintained through hydrological cycles and geological depressions. Rivers are dynamic linear features where water flows across the land’s surface, carving channels and transporting sediment from their headwaters to their mouths.
Lakes are inland basins or depressions that collect and hold water, often created by glacial activity, volcanic eruptions, or tectonic rifting. Glaciers are massive, slow-moving bodies of ice that store freshwater and dramatically alter landscapes through their erosive power. The largest water bodies, the oceans, cover over 70% of the planet’s surface and contain their own set of natural features, including submarine canyons and mid-ocean ridges.
Beyond physical landforms and water, large-scale ecological systems are considered natural features when viewed as regional entities. These features are defined by their climate, vegetation, and dominant life forms. Examples include vast forests, expansive grasslands, and wetlands, which influence regional climate, soil composition, and biodiversity. The tundra, a treeless region found in the Arctic and on high mountains, is characterized by permafrost and low-growing vegetation.