A valley is an elongated low area often running between

hills A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as mountains. Hills fall und ...

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

and typically containing a

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

of the land surface by rivers or streams over a very long period. Some valleys are formed through erosion by

glacial ice A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires d ...

. These glaciers may remain present in valleys in high mountains or polar areas. At lower latitudes and altitudes, these glacially formed valleys may have been created or enlarged during

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

s but now are ice-free and occupied by streams or rivers. In

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

areas, valleys may be entirely dry or carry a watercourse only rarely. In areas of limestone bedrock,

dry valley A dry valley may develop on many kinds of permeable rock, such as limestone, chalk, sand stone and sandy terrains that do not regularly sustain surface water flow. Such valleys do not hold surface water because it sinks into the permeable bed ...

s may also result from drainage now taking place underground rather than at the surface.

Rift valley A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges produced by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear ...

s arise principally from earth movements, rather than erosion. Many different types of valleys are described by geographers, using terms that may be global in use or else applied only locally.

Formation of valleys

Valleys may arise through several different processes. Most commonly, they arise from

over long periods by moving water and are known as river valleys. Typically small valleys containing streams feed into larger valleys which in turn feed into larger valleys again, eventually reaching the ocean or perhaps an internal drainage basin. In polar areas and at high altitudes, valleys may be eroded by

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s; these typically have a U-shaped profile in cross-section, in contrast to river valleys, which tend to have a V-shaped profile. Other valleys may arise principally through tectonic processes such as

rifting In geology, a rift is a linear zone where the lithosphere is being pulled apart and is an example of extensional tectonics. Typical rift features are a central linear Fault (geology), downfaulted depression, called a graben, or more commonly ...

. All three processes can contribute to the development of a valley over geological time. The flat (or relatively flat) portion of a valley between its sides is referred to as the valley floor. The valley floor is typically formed by river sediments and may have fluvial terraces.

River valleys

The development of a river valley is affected by the character of the bedrock over which the river or stream flows, the elevational difference between its top and bottom, and indeed the climate. Typically the flow will increase downstream and the gradient will decrease. In the upper valley, the stream will most effectively erode its bed through

corrasion Corrasion is a geomorphological Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topography, topographic and bathymetry, bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near ...

to produce a steep-sided V-shaped valley. The presence of more resistant rock bands, of geological faults,

fractures Fracture is the appearance of a crack or complete separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress (mechanics), stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacemen ...

, and folds may determine the course of the stream and result in a twisting course with

interlocking spur An interlocking spur, also known as an overlapping spur, is one of any number of projecting ridges that extend alternately from the opposite sides of the wall of a young, V-shaped valley down which a river with a winding course flows. Each of t ...

s. In the middle valley, as numerous streams have coalesced, the valley is typically wider, the flow slower and both erosion and deposition may take place. More lateral erosion takes place in the middle section of a river's course, as strong currents on the outside of its curve erode the bank. Conversely, deposition may take place on the inside of curves where the current is much slacker, the process leading to the river assuming a

meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the Channel (geography), channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erosion, erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank (cut bank, cut bank or river cl ...

ing character. In the lower valley, gradients are lowest, meanders may be much broader and a broader

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

may result. Deposition dominates over erosion. A typical river basin or

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land in which all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

will incorporate each of these different types of valleys. Some sections of a stream or river valleys may have vertically incised their course to such an extent that the valley they occupy is best described as a

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. Ravines may also be called a cleuch, dell, ...

, or

canyon A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency t ...

. Rapid down-cutting may result from localized uplift of the land surface or rejuvenation of the watercourse as a result for example of a reduction in the base level to which the river is eroded, e.g. lowered global sea level during an

. Such

rejuvenation Rejuvenation is a medical discipline focused on the practical reversal of the aging process. Rejuvenation is distinct from life extension. Life extension strategies often study the causes of aging and try to oppose those causes to slow aging. ...

may also result in the production of

river terrace Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial t ...

Glacial valleys

There are various forms of valleys associated with glaciation. True glacial valleys are those that have been cut by a glacier which may or may not still occupy the valley at the present day. Such valleys may also be known as glacial troughs. They typically have a U-shaped cross-section and are characteristic landforms of mountain areas where glaciation has occurred or continues to take place. The uppermost part of a glacial valley frequently consists of one or more 'armchair-shaped' hollows, or '

cirques A (; from the Latin word ) is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from , meaning a pot or cauldron) and ; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform arising from fluvi ...

', excavated by the rotational movement downslope of a cirque glacier. During glacial periods, for example, the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

ice ages, it is in these locations that glaciers initially form and then, as the

proceeds, extend downhill through valleys that have previously been shaped by water rather than ice. Abrasion by rock material embedded within the moving glacial ice causes the widening and deepening of the valley to produce the characteristic U or trough shape with relatively steep, even vertical sides and a relatively flat bottom.

Interlocking spur An interlocking spur, also known as an overlapping spur, is one of any number of projecting ridges that extend alternately from the opposite sides of the wall of a young, V-shaped valley down which a river with a winding course flows. Each of t ...

s associated with the development of river valleys are preferentially eroded to produce

truncated spur A truncated spur is a spur, which is a ridge that descends towards a valley floor or coastline from a higher elevation, that ends in an inverted-V face and was produced by the erosional truncation of the spur by the action of either streams, wa ...

s, typical of glaciated mountain landscapes. The upper end of the trough below the ice-contributing cirques may be a trough-end.

Valley step A valley step ( or ''Talschwelle'') is a prominent change in the longitudinal slope of a valley, mainly in trough valleys formed by glaciers. Typically, a valley formed by glaciers has a series of basins with intervening steps formed by the lo ...

s (or 'rock steps') can result from differing erosion rates due to both the nature of the bedrock (hardness and jointing for example) and the power of the moving ice. In places, a rock basin may be excavated which may later be filled with water to form a

ribbon lake A ribbon lake is a long and very deep, finger-shaped lake, usually found in a glacial trough. As such, a ribbon lake is one of a number of glacial landscapes, including arêtes, corries, rock lips, rock basins and terminal moraines. Such a la ...

or else by sediments. Such features are found in coastal areas as

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

s. The shape of the valley which results from all of these influences may only become visible upon the recession of the glacier that forms it. A river or stream may remain in the valley; if it is smaller than one would expect given the size of its valley, it can be considered an example of a

misfit stream A misfit stream is a river that is either too large or too small to have eroded the valley or cave passage in which it flows. This term is also used for a stream or river with meanders that obviously are not proportional in size to the meanders ...

Other interesting glacially carved valleys include: *

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, United States. The valley is about long a ...

(United States) *

Side valley Side valleys and tributary valleys are valleys whose brooks or rivers flow into greater ones. Upstream, the valleys can be classified in an increasing order which is equivalent to the usual orographic order: the tributaries are ordered from ...

s of the Austrian river

Salzach The Salzach (Austrian: �saltsax ) is a river in Austria and Germany. It is in length and is a right tributary of the Inn (river), Inn, which eventually joins the Danube. Its drainage basin of comprises large parts of the Northern Limeston ...

for their parallel directions and hanging mouths. * That of the St. Mary River in Glacier National Park in

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, United States.

Tunnel

A tunnel valley is a large, long, U-shaped valley originally cut under the glacial ice near the margin of continental ice sheets such as that now covering Antarctica and formerly covering portions of all continents during past glacial ages. Such valleys can be up to long, wide, and deep (its depth may vary along its length). Tunnel valleys were formed by subglacial

water erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is disti ...

. They once served as subglacial drainage pathways carrying large volumes of meltwater. Their cross-sections exhibit steep-sided flanks similar to fjord walls, and their flat bottoms are typical of subglacial glacial erosion.

Meltwater

In northern Central Europe, the Scandinavian ice sheet during the various ice ages advanced slightly uphill against the lie of the land. As a result, its meltwaters flowed parallel to the ice margin to reach the North Sea basin, forming huge, flat valleys known as Urstromtäler. Unlike the other forms of glacial valleys, these were formed by glacial meltwaters.

Transition forms and shoulders

Depending on the

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

, the

rock type In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's o ...

s, and the

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteoro ...

, a variety of transitional forms between V-, U- and plain valleys can form. The floor or bottom of these valleys can be broad or narrow, but all valleys have a shoulder. The broader a mountain valley, the lower its shoulders are located in most cases. An important exception is canyons where the shoulder almost is near the top of the valley's slope. In the Alps – e.g. the Tyrolean

Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway. Before the advent of motorized transportation, they also provided accomm ...

valley – the shoulders are quite low (100–200 meters above the bottom). Many villages are located here (esp. on the sunny side) because the climate is very mild: even in winter when the valley's floor is filled with fog, these villages are in

sunshine Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrared (typically per ...

. In some stress-tectonic regions of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

or the Alps (e.g.

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

), the

side valley Side valleys and tributary valleys are valleys whose brooks or rivers flow into greater ones. Upstream, the valleys can be classified in an increasing order which is equivalent to the usual orographic order: the tributaries are ordered from ...

s are parallel to each other, and are

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

. Smaller streams flow into rivers as deep canyons or

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

Hanging tributary

Closeup of Bridalveil Fall seen from Tunnel View in Yosemite NP

A hanging valley is a

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...

valley that is higher than the main valley. They are most commonly associated with U-shaped valleys, where a tributary glacier flows into a glacier of larger volume. 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 elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

, the shallower valley appears to be 'hanging' above the main valley. Often, waterfalls form at or near the outlet of the upper valley. Hanging valleys also occur in

systems underwater. The branches of

Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, ), nicknamed the King of the Fjords (), is the list of Norwegian fjords, longest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the small village ...

are much shallower than the main fjord. The mouth of Fjærlandsfjord is about deep while the main fjord nearby is deep. The mouth of Ikjefjord is only deep while the main fjord is around at the same point. Glaciated terrain is not the only site of hanging streams and valleys. Hanging valleys are also simply the product of varying rates of erosion of the main valley and the tributary valleys. The varying rates of erosion are associated with the composition of the adjacent rocks in the different valley locations. The tributary valleys are eroded and deepened by glaciers or erosion at a slower rate than that of the main valley floor; thus the difference in the two valleys' depth increases over time. The tributary valley, composed of more resistant rock, then hangs over the main valley.

Trough-shaped

Trough-shaped valleys also form in regions of heavy topographic

denudation Denudation is the geological process in which moving water, ice, wind, and waves erode the Earth's surface, leading to a reduction in elevation and in relief of landforms and landscapes. Although the terms erosion and denudation are used interchang ...

. By contrast with glacial U-shaped valleys, there is less downward and sideways erosion. The severe downslope denudation results in gently sloping valley sides; their transition to the actual valley bottom is unclear. Trough-shaped valleys occur mainly in periglacial regions and in tropical regions of variable wetness. Both climates are dominated by heavy denudation.

Box

Box valleys have wide, relatively level floors and steep sides. They are common in periglacial areas and occur in mid-latitudes, but also occur in tropical and arid regions.

Rift

Rift valleys, such as the Albertine Rift and Gregory Rift are formed by the expansion of the Earth's crust due to Plate tectonics, tectonic activity beneath the Earth's surface.

Terms for valleys

There are many terms used for different sorts of valleys. They include: * Cove (Appalachian Mountains), Cove: A small valley, closed at one or both ends, in the central or southern Appalachian Mountains which sometimes results from the erosion of a Cove (Appalachian Mountains), geologic window. * Dell (landform), Dell: A small, secluded, and often wooded valley. * Dry valley: A valley not created by sustained surface water flow. * Erosional valley: A valley formed by

. * Hollow: A term used regionally for a small valley surrounded by mountains or ridges. In Ireland, New England, Appalachia, and the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missouri, a hollow is a small valley or dry stream bed; often called a holler. * Longitudinal valley: An elongated valley found between two nearly-parallel mountain chains. * Steephead valley: A deep, narrow, flat-bottomed valley with an abrupt ending. * strike and dip, Strike valley: A valley typically developed parallel to a cuesta from more readily eroded strata. * Structural valley: A valley formed by geologic events such as drop faults or the rise of highlands. Similar geographical features such as gully, gullies, chines, and Canyon, kloofs, are not usually referred to as valleys.

British regional terms for valleys

The terms cirque, corrie, glen, and strath are all Anglicisations of Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic terms and are commonly encountered in place-names in Scotland and other areas where Gaelic was once widespread. Strath signifies a wide valley between hills, the floor of which is either level or slopes gently. A glen is a river valley which is steeper and narrower than a strath. A corrie is a basin-shaped hollow in a mountain. Each of these terms also occurs in parts of the world formerly British Empire, colonized by Britain. ''Corrie'' is used more widely by geographers as a synonym for (glacial) ''cirque'', as is the word ''cwm (landform), cwm'' borrowed from Welsh language, Welsh. The word dale (landform), dale occurs widely in place names in the north of England and, to a lesser extent, in southern Scotland. As a generic name for a type of valley, dale (landform), the term typically refers to a wide valley, though there are many much smaller stream valleys within the Yorkshire Dales which are named "(specific name) Dale". Clough (valley), Clough is a word in common use in northern England for a narrow valley with steep sides. ''Gill'' is used to describe a ravine containing a mountain stream in Cumbria and the Pennines. The term combe (also encountered as ''coombe'') is widespread in southern England and describes a short valley set into a hillside. Other terms for small valleys such as hope, dean, slade, slack and bottom are commonly encountered in place-names in various parts of England but are no longer in general use as synonyms for ''valley''. The term vale is used in England and Wales to describe a wide river valley, usually with a particularly wide flood plain or flat valley bottom. In Southern England, vales commonly occur between the outcrops of different relatively erosion-resistant rock formations, where less Geological resistance, resistant rock, often claystone has been eroded. An example is the Vale of White Horse in Oxfordshire.

Human settlement

Some of the first human complex society, complex societies originated in river valleys, such as that of the Nile, Tigris–Euphrates river system, Tigris-Euphrates, Indus, Ganges, Yangtze, Yellow River, Mississippi River, Mississippi, and arguably the Amazon River, Amazon. In prehistory, the rivers were used as a source of fresh water and food (fish and game), as well as a place to wash and a sewer. The proximity of water moderated temperature extremes and provided a source for irrigation, stimulating the development of agriculture. Most of the cradle of civilization, first civilizations developed from these river valley communities. Siting of settlements within valleys is influenced by many factors, including the need to avoid flooding and the location of river crossing points.

Notable examples

Africa

* Albertine Rift * East African Rift * Ethiopian Rift Valley * Great Rift Valley * Nile Valley (Egypt/Sudan/Ethiopia/Uganda) * Nugaal Valley (Somalia) * Umba Valley (Tanzania) * Valley of the Kings (Egypt)

Asia

*List of valleys in India *List of valleys in Pakistan * Beqaa Valley (Lebanon) * Inner Terai Valleys of Nepal, Dang Valley (Western Nepal) * Emin Valley (Kazakhstan) * Ihlara valley, Ihlara, Turkey * Jordan Rift Valley (Jordan - Israel) * Jordan Valley (Middle East), Jordan Valley * Kathmandu Valley, Kathmandu (Nepal) * Klang Valley (Malaysia) * Mahaweli (Sri Lanka) * Panjshir Valley (Afghanistan) * Valleys of China **Baligou Valley **Emin Valley **Heizhu Valley **Insukati Valley **Jiuzhaigou Valley **Mutou Valley

Oceania

* Barossa Valley (Australia) * Bulolo Valley (Papua New Guinea) * Cagayan Valley (Philippines) * Capertee Valley (Australia) * Hunter Valley (Australia) * Hutt Valley (New Zealand) * Kangaroo Valley (Australia) * Markham Valley (Papua New Guinea) * Strath Taieri (New Zealand) * Swan Valley, Western Australia, Swan Valley (Australia)

Europe

* Bergensdalen (Vestland, Norway) * Dalen, Telemark (Telemark, Norway) * Danube Valley (Eastern Europe) * Evrotas Valley, Sparta, Laconia, Sparta (Greece) * Glen Coe (Scotland, United Kingdom) * Great Glen (Scotland, United Kingdom) * Gudbrandsdalen (Oppland, Norway) * Hallingdalen (Buskerud, Norway) * Heddal (Telemark, Norway) * Iron Gate (Danube), Iron Gate (Romania/Serbia) * Lauterbrunnen Valley (Bern, Switzerland) * Loire Valley with its famous castles (France) * Midt-Telemark (Telemark, Norway) * Nant Ffrancon (Wales, United Kingdom) * Numedalen (Buskerud, Norway) * Østerdalen (Hedmark, Norway) * Po Valley, (Italy) * Rhone Valley from the Matterhorn to Grenoble and Lyon (France) * Romsdalen (Møre Og Romsdal, Norway) * Setesdal (Agder, Norway) * South Wales Valleys (Wales, United Kingdom) * Upper Rhine Valley or Upper Rhine Plain, an old graben system. (France and Germany) * Vestfjorddalen (Norway)

North America

* Central Valley (California), Central Valley (California) * Coachella Valley (California) * Cumberland Valley (Maryland/Pennsylvania) * Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cuyahoga Valley (Ohio) * Death Valley (California) * Fraser Canyon (British Columbia) * Fraser Valley (British Columbia) * Grand Canyon (Arizona, United States) * Hell's Gate, British Columbia, Hell's Gate (British Columbia) * Hudson Valley (New York) * Imperial Valley (California) * Las Vegas Valley (Nevada) * Missouri River Valley (Missouri) * Monument Valley (Arizona, Utah) * Napa Valley AVA, Napa Valley (California) * Okanagan Valley (British Columbia) * Ottawa Valley (Ontario/Quebec) * Palo Duro Canyon (Texas) * Phoenix, Arizona, Valley of the Sun (Arizona) * Rio Grande Valley (Texas), Rio Grande Valley (Texas) * Rocky Mountain Trench (British Columbia/Montana) * Saint Lawrence River, Saint Lawrence Valley (Ontario/Quebec/New York) * Salt Lake Valley (Utah) * San Fernando Valley (California) * Shenandoah Valley (Virginia/West Virginia) * Sonoma Valley (California) * Toluca Valley (Mexico) * Valley of the Gods (Utah) * Valley of Mexico (Mexico) * Willamette Valley (Oregon) *

(California)

South America

* Aburra Valley (Colombia) * Calchaquí Valleys (Argentina) * Cauca River, Cauca Valley (Colombia) * Ischigualasto ''Valley of the Moon'' (Argentina) * Paraíba Valley (Brazil)

Antarctica

*West Antarctic Rift System

Extraterrestrial valleys

Numerous elongate depressions have been identified on the surface of Mars, Venus, the Moon, and other Solar System, planets and their satellites and are known as vallis (planetary geology), valles (singular: 'vallis'). Deeper valleys with steeper sides (akin to canyons) on certain of these bodies are known as chasmata (singular: 'chasma'). Long narrow depressions are referred to as Fossa (planetary nomenclature), fossae (singular: 'fossa'). These are the Latin terms for 'valley, 'gorge' and 'ditch' respectively. The German term 'rille' or Latin term 'rima' (signifying 'cleft') is used for certain other elongate depressions on the Moon. See also: * List of valleys on Mars * List of chasmata on Mars * List of valleys on the Moon * List of largest rifts, canyons and valleys in the Solar System

References

Extraterrestrial valleys

Vallis Alpes, bisecting the Lunar Alps
Valles Marineris and Ophir Chasma
bilingual website (English language, English and German language, German) {{Authority control Valleys, Erosion landforms Fluvial landforms Slope landforms Bodies of water

Formation of valleys

River valleys

Glacial valleys

Tunnel

Meltwater

Transition forms and shoulders

Hanging tributary

Trough-shaped

Box

Rift

Terms for valleys

British regional terms for valleys

Human settlement

Notable examples

Africa

Asia

Oceania

Europe

North America

South America

Antarctica

Extraterrestrial valleys

See also

References

External links

Extraterrestrial valleys