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The term is sometimes restricted to features produced only by erosion and deposition. Although geomorphology tends to focus on terrestrial landforms, the surfaces of the Moon and Mars are now sufficiently well-known for morphological analysis to be applied there as well.

Geomorphology is fundamentally inspired by the shapes of the terrain we see every day; the meandering course of a river, the rounded shapes of some hills and the pointed shapes of others, the seemingly-random capes and bays of a coastline. While it is generally accepted that, for instance, water erodes rock over a long period of time, that doesn't answer the question of whether any particular landform was created by water erosion, how long ago, whether wind played a role also, and so forth. Geomorpology delves into these questions in depth, seeking both to explain origins, and so to provide predictive power that can be used in activities such as civil engineering.

1 Taxonomy

Some geomorphologists identify a taxonomy of landforms, sorted by magnitude:

• 1st - continent, ocean basin, climatic zone (~10,000,000 km²)
• 2nd - Baltic shield, mountain rangeThe most general definition of "mountain range" is a group of mountains bounded by lowlands. Mountain ranges are usually separated from other mountain ranges by passes and rivers. In the general definition, a mountain range does not necessarily have the s (~1,000,000 km²)
• 3rd - isolated seaSunset at sea A sea (pronounced see is a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean. The term is also used for large, usually saline, lakes that lack a natural outlet, such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is a small fres, SahelSee also Sahel, Tunisia, a region of eastern Tunisia. The Sahel (from Arabic ''sahil for shore or border) is the boundary zone in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the more fertile region to the south, known as the Sudan (not to be confused with (~100,000 km²)
• 4th - Massif CentralThe Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consiting of mountains and plateaux. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,000 years, these central mountains are separated from the Alps by the north-south trending Rhone R, WealdA weald once meant a dense forest, especially the famous great wood once stretching far beyond the ancient counties of Sussex and Kent, England, where this country of smaller woods is still called "the Weald. Now that most English forests have been cut do (~10,000 km²)
• 5th - river valley, CotswoldsThe Cotswolds are a range of hills in central England, sometimes called the "heart of England", a hilly area reaching nearly 300 m or 1000 feet. The area has been designated as the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . A district of Gloucestershi (~1,000 km²)
• 6th - individual mountainThis article is about the landform. For other meanings, see Mountain (disambiguation). Mount Cook, a mountain in New Zealand A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. A mountain is generally much higher and ste or volcano, small valleys (~100 km²)
• 7th - hillslopes, stream channels, estuary (~10 km²)
• 8th - gully, barchan (~1 km²)
• 9th - meter-sized features

Different kinds of processes tend to dominate at different magnitudes.