If the highest part of the land is a mountaintop, what do you think the lowest place is? That’s right – a valley.
Most valleys begin as land with a stream or river running through it. As the river flows along, it breaks off pieces of the land and carries them away. This deepens the river’s path and changes the land beside it.
Over time, water cuts deeper into the earth, making steep walls. Wind and rain wear away at the walls, and this makes the valley widen.
The part of the valley where water flows is called the valley floor. As the valley widens, its floor and walls change shape. Valleys that are long and narrow with steep sides are called canyons or gorges. Valleys in low-lying plains can be very spread out. Many valleys become so wide that people live in them.
Most valleys are formed by running water, but some form in other ways. Some valleys form where the ground sinks, like the valley the Dead Sea is in between the countries of Jordan and Israel. It is the lowest dry land on the earth. Other valleys can be found high in the mountains where moving piles of snow and ice called glaciers scrape out deep valleys. There are even valleys on the ocean floor.
Picture Credit : Google