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Plains Facts

Plains Facts
A plain is a type of landform made up of a flat area that can exist in valleys, lowlands, on plateaus, or uplands. They are formed by a variety of weather and geological phenomena including water deposits, ice, wind, erosion, and even lava. Plains make excellent agricultural ground in many places because of their rich soil and their relatively flat landscape. There are different types of plains including structural plains, erosional plains, and depositional plains, as well as coastal plains and flood plains. Natural plant life on plains is dependent on the climate and can range from thick forests, to grasslands, and everything in between.
Interesting Plains Facts:
Structural plains tend to be large flat surfaces that make up extensive lowlands.
Erosional plains are those that have been created by erosion die to glaciers, wind, running water and rivers.
Depositional plains are created when material is deposited from rivers, glaciers, waves and wind. Sometimes these plains are very fertile because of the type of material that has been deposited there.
Depositional plains are classified as alluvial plains, or glacial plains.
Alluvial plains are created by a river that deposits material that becomes the soil.
Flood plains are plains that experience periodic flooding or just occasional flooding. One of the most famous flood plains is the one surrounding the Nile River in Africa.
A lacustrine plain is a plain that was originally the bottom of a lake.
A lava plain is formed when lava creates sheets over time, eventually becoming rich soil.
Glacial plains are formed when a glacier moves across land and the force of gravity creates the large flat surface.
An abyssal plain is an area of the ocean basin that is either flat or sloping very gently.
Plains that exist on other planets are referred to as planitia (Latin for the word plain). Mars has Hellas Planitia and Venus has Sedna Planitia.
The Great Plains in North America cover areas of ten states including New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. Weather on the Great Plains can be extreme at times, which has led to a lot of irrigation to help compensate for drought conditions that can occur.
Coastal plains are lowlands that stretch along the shore and slope towards it. An example of a coastal plain is the Atlantic Coastal Plain. This plain stretches from Florida to Nova Scotia.
Many of the world's rivers are surrounded by plains.
Plains cover approximately one-third of the land on earth.
Every continent on earth has plains in one form or another.
In North America, where some plains are grasslands, these are referred to as prairies. These types of plains have warm summers and cold winters.
Mexico has a forested plain called Tabasco Plain that is home to all sorts of vegetation including trees and shrubs.
A tropical grassland plain is called a savannah. Savannahs are warm all year and tend to have scattered trees. Africa's main savannah is the Serengeti.
In very cold climates like the Arctic, plains are often frozen. They are referred to as tundra.


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