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Valley
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Avalleyisalowareabetweenhills,oftenwithariverrunning
throughit.
Ingeology,avalleyordaleisadepressionthatislongerthanitis
wide.ThetermsUshapedandVshapedaredescriptivetermsof
geographytocharacterizetheformofvalleys.Mostvalleysbelong
tooneofthesetwomaintypesoramixtureofthem,(atleast)with
respectofthecrosssectionoftheslopesorhillsides.
CalchaquValleysinArgentina

Contents
1Valleyterminology
2Rivervalleys
3Vale
4Glacialvalleys
4.1Ushapedvalley
4.2Tunnelvalley
4.3Meltwatervalley

UshapedvalleyinGlacierNational
Park,Montana,USA

5Transitionformsandvalleyshoulders
6Hangingvalleys
7Valleyfloors
8Hollows
9Famousvalleys
10Riftvalleys
11Seealso
12References

RomsdaleninWesternNorwayisan
almostverticalvalley.

13Externallinks
13.1Extraterrestrialvalleys

Valleyterminology
Avalleyinitsbroadestgeographicsenseisalsoknownasadale.Avalleythroughwhichariverrunsmay
alsobereferredtoasavale.Asmall,secluded,andoftenwoodedvalleyisknownasadellorinScotland
asaglen.Awide,flatvalleythroughwhichariverrunsisknowninScotlandasastrath.Amountaincove
isasmallvalley,closedatoneorbothends,inthecentralorsouthernAppalachianMountainswhich
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sometimesresultsfromtheerosionofageologicwindow.Asmall
valleysurroundedbymountainsorridgesissometimesknownasa
hollow.Adeep,narrowvalleyisknownasacwm(alsospelled
combeorcoombe).Similargeologicalstructures,suchascanyons,
ravines,gorges,gullies,andkloofs,arenotusuallyreferredtoas
valleys.Seealso:"chine".Avalleyformedbyerosioniscalledan
erosionalvalleyavalleyformedbygeologiceventssuchasdrop
faultsortheriseofhighlandsiscalledastructuralvalley.[1]

Rivervalleys

FljtsdalurinEastIceland,arather
flatvalley(inScotland,thistypeof
valleyiscalleda"strath")

Foracomprehensivelistofworldwiderivervalleyssee:
Rivervalleys(category)
Avalleyformedbyflowingwater,orrivervalley,isusuallyV
shaped.Theexactshapewilldependonthecharacteristicsofthe
streamflowingthroughit.Riverswithsteepgradients,asin
mountainranges,producesteepwallsandabottom.Shallower
slopesmayproducebroaderandgentlervalleys.However,inthe
loweststretchofariver,whereitapproachesitsbaselevel,itbegins
todepositsedimentandthevalleybottombecomesafloodplain.

TheValleyofMarvelsinBabille,
Ethiopia.

SomebroadVexamplesare:
NorthAmerica:BlackCanyonoftheGunnisonNationalPark,andothersinGrandCanyonNP
Europe:
Austria:narrowpassagesofupperInnvalley(Inntal),affluentsofEnns
Switzerland:Napfregion,ZurichOberland,Engadin
Germany:affluentstothemiddlereachesofRhineandMosel
Someofthefirsthumancomplexsocietiesoriginatedinrivervalleys,suchasthatoftheNile,Tigris
Euphrates,Indus,Ganges,Yangtze,HuangHe,Mississippi,andarguablyAmazon.Inprehistory,therivers
wereusedasasourceoffreshwaterandfood(fishandgame),aswellasaplacetowashandasewer.The
proximityofwatermoderatedtemperatureextremesandprovidedasourceforirrigation,stimulatingthe
developmentofagriculture.Mostofthefirstcivilizationsdevelopedfromtheserivervalleycommunities.
AnotherwordforrivervalleyisRiverphenomenon.

Vale
Ingeography,avaleisawiderivervalley,usuallywithaparticularlywidefloodplainorflatvalleybottom.
InSouthernEngland,valescommonlyoccurbetweentheescarpmentslopesofpairsofchalkformations,
wherethechalkdomehasbeeneroded,exposinglessresistantunderlyingrock,usuallyclay.

Glacialvalleys
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Therearevariousformsofvalleyassociatedwithglaciationthat
maybereferredtoasglacialvalleys.

Ushapedvalley
AvalleycarvedbyglaciersisnormallyUshaped.Thevalley
becomesvisibleupontherecessionoftheglacierthatformsit.
Whentheicerecedesorthaws,thevalleyremains,oftenlittered
withsmallbouldersthatweretransportedwithintheice.Floor
gradientdoesnotaffectthevalley'sshape,itistheglacier'ssizethat
does.Continuouslyflowingglaciersespeciallyintheiceageand
largesizedglacierscarvewide,deepincisedvalleys.
ExamplesofUshapedvalleysarefoundineverymountainous
regionthathasexperiencedglaciation,usuallyduringthe
Pleistoceneiceages.MostpresentUshapedvalleysstartedasV
shapedbeforeglaciation.Theglacierscarveditoutwiderand
deeper,simultaneouslychangingtheshape.Thisproceedsthrough
theglacialerosionprocessesofglaciationandabrasion,which
resultsinlargerockymaterial(glacialtill)beingcarriedinthe
glacier.Amaterialcalledboulderclayisdepositedonthefloorof
thevalley.Astheicemeltsandretreats,thevalleyisleftwithvery
steepsidesandawide,flatfloor.Ariverorstreammayremainin
thevalley.Thisreplacestheoriginalstreamorriverandisknownas
amisfitstreambecauseitissmallerthanonewouldexpectgiventhe
sizeofitsvalley.

UshapedvalleyontheAfonFathew
nearDolgoch

YosemiteValleyfromanairplane

Otherinterestingglaciallycarvedvalleysinclude:
YosemiteValley(USA)
SidevalleysoftheAustrianriverSalzachfortheirparallel
directionsandhangingmouths.
SomeScottishglensfullwithbushesandflowers.
ThatoftheSt.MaryRiverinGlacierNationalParkin
Montana,USA.

Tunnelvalley

AglaciatedvalleyintheMountHood
Wildernessshowingacharacteristic
Ushape,thebottom'srocky'rubble'
accretionandthebroadshoulders

Atunnelvalleyisalarge,long,Ushapedvalleyoriginallycutundertheglacialicenearthemarginof
continentalicesheetssuchasthatnowcoveringAntarcticaandformerlycoveringportionsofallcontinents
duringpastglacialages.[1]
Atunnelvalleycanbeupto100km(62mi)long,4km(2.5mi)wide,and400m(1,300ft)deep(itsdepth
mayvaryalongitslength).

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Tunnelvalleyswereformedbysubglacialerosionbywater.Theyservedassubglacialdrainagepathways
carryinglargevolumesofmeltwater.Theircrosssectionsexhibitsteepsidedflankssimilartofjordwalls,
andtheirflatbottomsaretypicalofsubglacialglacialerosion.

Meltwatervalley
InnorthernCentralEurope,theScandinavianicesheetduringthevariousiceagesadvancedslightlyuphill
againstthelieoftheland.AsaresultitsmeltwatersflowedparalleltotheicemargintoreachtheNorthSea
basin,forminghuge,flatvalleysknownasUrstromtler.Unliketheotherformsofglacialvalley,these
wereformedbyglacialmeltwaters.

Transitionformsandvalleyshoulders
Dependingonthetopography,therocktypesandthe
climate,alotoftransitionalformsbetweenV,Uand
plainvalleysexist.Theirbottomscanbebroador
narrow,butcharacteristicisalsothetypeofvalley
shoulder.Thebroaderamountainvalley,thelowerits
shouldersarelocatedinmostcases.Animportant
LookfromPariaViewtoavalleyinBryceCanyon,
exceptionarecanyonswheretheshoulderalmostis
Utah,withverystrikingshoulders
nearthetopofthevalley'sslope.IntheAlpse.g.the
TyroleanInnvalleytheshouldersarequitelow(100
200metersabovethebottom).Manyvillagesarelocatedhere(esp.atthesunnyside)becausetheclimateis
verymild:eveninwinterwhenthevalley'sflooriscompletelyfilledwithfog,thesevillagesarein
sunshine.
InsomestresstectonicregionsoftheRockiesortheAlps(e.g.Salzburg)thesidevalleysareparallelto
eachother,andadditionallytheyarehanging.Thebrooksflowintotheriverinformofdeepcanyonsor
waterfalls.Usuallythisfactistheresultofaviolenterosionoftheformervalleyshoulders.Aspecial
genesiswefindalsoatartesandglacialcirques,ateveryScottishglen,oranorthernfjord.

Hangingvalleys
Ahangingvalleyisatributaryvalleythatishigherthanthemainvalley.Theyaremostcommonly
associatedwithUshapedvalleyswhenatributaryglacierflowsintoaglacieroflargervolume.Themain
glaciererodesadeepUshapedvalleywithnearlyverticalsideswhilethetributaryglacier,withasmaller
volumeofice,makesashallowerUshapedvalley.Sincethesurfacesoftheglacierswereoriginallyatthe
sameelevation,theshallowervalleyappearstobe'hanging'abovethemainvalley.Often,waterfallsform
atorneartheoutletoftheuppervalley.[2]
Glaciatedterrainisnottheonlysiteofhangingstreamsandvalleys.Hangingvalleysarealsosimplythe
productofvaryingratesoferosionofthemainvalleyandthetributaryvalleys.Thevaryingratesoferosion
areassociatedwiththecompositionoftheadjacentrocksinthedifferentvalleylocations.Thetributary
valleysareerodedanddeepenedbyglaciersorerosionataslowerratethanthatofthemainvalleyfloor,
thusthedifferenceinthetwovalleys'depthincreasesovertime.Thetributaryvalleycomposedofmore
resistantrockthenhangsoverthemainvalley.[3]
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Valleyfloors
UsuallythebottomofamainvalleyisbroadindependentoftheUorVshape.Ittypicallyrangesfrom
aboutonetotenkilometersinwidthandiscommonlyfilledwithmountainsediments.Theshapeofthe
floorcanberatherhorizontal,similartoaflatcylinder,orterraced.
SidevalleysareratherVthanUshapednearthemouthwaterfallsarepossibleifitisahangingvalley.The
locationofthevillagesdependsontheacrossvalleyprofile,onclimateandlocaltraditions,andonthe
dangerofavalanchesorlandslides.Predominantareplacesonterracesoralluvialfansiftheyexist.
Historicsitingofvillageswithinthemainstemvalleys,however,havechieflyconsideredthepotentialof
flooding.

Hollows
Ahollow(holler)isasmallvalleyordrystreambed.Thistermis
commonlyusedinNewEngland,Appalachia,Ozarks,Arkansasand
Missouritodescribesuchgeographicfeatures.Inruralareas,itmay
bepronouncedas"holler".Hollowsmaybeformedbyrivervalleys,
suchasMansfieldHollow,ortheymayberelativelydrycleftswith
anotchlikecharacteristicinthattheyhaveaheightoflandand
consequentwaterdivideintheirbases.

Famousvalleys
AburraValley(Colombia)
BarossaValley(Australia)
CaucaValley(Colombia)
CentralValley(California)(California,UnitedStates)
Dalen,Telemark(Telemark,Norway)

BridalVeilFallsinYosemite
NationalParkflowingfroma
hangingvalley.

DanubeValley(EasternEurope)
DeathValley(California,UnitedStates)
FraserCanyon(BritishColumbia,Canada)
FraserValley(BritishColumbia,Canada)
GlenCoe(Scotland,UnitedKingdom)
GrandCanyon(Arizona,UnitedStates)
GreatGlen(Scotland,UnitedKingdom)
Gudbrandsdalen(Oppland,Norway)
Hallingdalen(Buskerud,Norway)

WheatintheHulaValley,Israel

Hell'sGate(BritishColumbia,Canada)
Heddal(Telemark,Norway)
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HudsonValley(NewYork,UnitedStates)
HunterRegion(Australia)
HunzaValley(Pakistan)
HuttValley(NewZealand)
Ihlara,Turkey
IndusValley(Pakistan)
IronGate(Romania/Serbia)
JordanValley
KaghanValley(Pakistan)
Kathmandu(Kathmandu,Nepal)
LasVegasValley(Nevada,UnitedStates)

RiverIndusrunningthroughKohistan
valleyinPakistan

LauterbrunnenValley(Bern,Switzerland)
LittleCottonwoodCreekValley(Utah,UnitedStates)
LoireValleywithitsfamouscastles(France)
ValleyoftheMoon,SanJuanArgentina
MidtTelemark(Telemark,Norway)
MonumentValley(UnitedStates)
NantFfrancon(Wales,UnitedKingdom)
NapaValley(California,UnitedStates)
NeelumValley(Pakistan)
NileValley(Egypt/Sudan/Ethiopia/Uganda)

TheValleyofFlowersin
Uttarakhand,India

Numedalen(Buskerud,Norway)
OkanaganValley(BritishColumbia,Canada)
OttawaValley(Ontario/Quebec,Canada)
PaloDuroCanyon(Texas,UnitedStates)
PanjshirValley(Afghanistan)
UpperRhineValley,anoldgrabensystem.(France)
RhoneValleyfromtheMatterhorntoGrenobleandLyon
(France)

TheHarauValleyinWestSumatra,
Indonesia

RioGrandeValley(Texas,UnitedStates)
Romsdalen(MreOgRomsdal,Norway)
SaintLawrenceValley,themostdenselypopulatedregionofCanada.(Ontario/Quebec/NewYork)
(Canada/UnitedStates)
SanFernandoValley(California,UnitedStates)
Setesdal(Agder,Norway)
ShenandoahValley(Virginia/WestVirginia,UnitedStates)
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SiliconValley,(California,UnitedStates)
SonomaValley,(California,UnitedStates)
SouthWalesValleys(Wales,UnitedKingdom)
SwatValley(Pakistan)
Valleyofflowers(India)
ValleyoftheGods(UnitedStates)
ValleyoftheKings(Egypt)
ValleyofMexico(Mexico),alsoknownas"ElVallede
Mxico",seeMexicoCity
ValleyoftheSun(Arizona,UnitedStates)
Vestfjorddalen(Norway)
WillametteValley,(Oregon,UnitedStates)
JordanRiftValley(Israel)
sterdalen(Hedmark,Norway)

Hell'sGate,BritishColumbia

Riftvalleys
Riftvalleys,suchastheAlbertineRift,areformedbytheexpansion
oftheEarth'scrustduetotectonicactivitybeneaththeEarth's
surface.

Seealso
Canyon,Grassvalley,Streamchannel,Gully
Cliff,Glaciallandforms,Sidevalley

AviewofOros,CostaRica

Geography,Geomorphology,Geodynamics,Glaciology
Landform
Listoflandforms
Listofmountainranges
Geologicalfeaturesofthesolarsystem
ListofLunarvalleys
ListoflineaeonEuropa
ListofvallesonMars
ListoflargestriftsandvalleysintheSolarSystem

GudbrandsdaleninEasternNorway
nearGl

ListofgeologicalfeaturesonTitan,(escarpmentsand
ruptures).
Grottoheavens,Daoistreligioususage
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References
1. "EarlyHistory,SantaClaraCounty"(http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/santaclara/history.htm).NationalPark
Service.NationalParkService.RetrievedJanuary16,2015."SantaClaraValleyisastructuralvalley,createdby
mountainbuilding,asopposedtoanerosionalvalley,oronewhichhasundergonethewearingawayoftheearth's
surfacebynaturalagents."
2. "GlossaryofGlacierTerminology"(http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2004/1216/h/h.html).U.S.GeologicalSurvey.May
28,2004.Retrieved20070524.
3. "IllustratedGlossaryofAlpineGlacialLandformsHangingValley"
(http://www4.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/lemke/alpine_glacial_glossary/landforms/hangingvalley.html)..uwsp.edu.
Retrieved20111003.

Externallinks
NPS.gov

LookupValleyin
Wiktionary,thefree
dictionary.

(http://www.nps.gov/brca/geodetect/Landfroms/valleys.htm),
UniversityofWisconsin
Glacialmorainetypes(LEOdictionary)(http://dict.leo.org/se?
lp=ende&p=5qvU.&search=moraine)

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoValleys.

UWSP.edu

Wikisourcehasthetextof
the1920Encyclopedia
AmericanaarticleValleys.

(http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/lemke/alpine_glacial_glossary),GlossaryofAlpineGlacial
Landforms
BGU.ac.il(http://www.bgu.ac.il/BIDR/research/phys/remote/Papers/1998
Ichoku_Coherance_IJRS_98.pdf)PDF,SARinterferometry(analysisofvalleyformsinFig.2and6)
Braggiotourismus.ch(http://www.braggiotourismus.ch/),ShoulderoftheSwissCalancavalleynear
Braggio
Zum.de(http://www.zum.de/Faecher/Ek/BAY/gym/Ek11/tal.htm),Typicalvalleysections(valleys
andterracevalleys)
Kented.org.uk
(http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/subjects/geography/rivers/RiverArticles/vshapedvalley.htm),V
shapedvalley
Valleys.com(http://www.valleys.com/),ValleysoftheWorld

Extraterrestrialvalleys
ESAimage(http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/SMART1/SEMM7R7X9DE_2.html):VallisAlpes,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley#Hanging_valleys

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bisectingtheLunarAlps
VallesMarinerisandOphirChasma(http://www.geoinf.fuberlin.de/projekte/mars/hrsc152
OphirChasma.php),bilingualwebsite(EnglishandGerman)
Retrievedfrom"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Valley&oldid=654332914#Hanging_valleys"
Categories: Valleys Erosionlandforms Fluviallandforms Slopelandforms
Thispagewaslastmodifiedon31March2015,at12:56.
TextisavailableundertheCreativeCommonsAttributionShareAlikeLicenseadditionaltermsmay
apply.Byusingthissite,youagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Wikipediaisa
registeredtrademarkoftheWikimediaFoundation,Inc.,anonprofitorganization.

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