This list covers 14 geological features that start with Y, from “Yardang” to “Yellow River Loess Plateau.” They include wind-carved ridges, deep canyons, ancient rock belts, and volcanic basins. People study them to understand how the Earth formed, to plan travel, and to find resources such as gold.
Geological features are natural landforms and rock formations shaped by forces like volcanoes, water, ice, and wind over long periods of time. One famous example is “Yellowstone Caldera,” whose massive eruption about 640,000 years ago still powers the park’s geysers today.
Below you’ll find the table with the geological feature, region, characteristics, and description for each entry.
Geological Feature: the name of each landform or formation, listed alphabetically so you can quickly find the one you want to look up.
Region: the place where each feature is found, which helps you locate it on a map or plan a visit.
Characteristics: a short label for the type of feature, so you can see at a glance how each one formed or what it looks like.
Description: a brief explanation of each feature, including its size, age, and what makes it special or useful to people.
Geological features
Geological Feature
Region
Characteristics
Yardang
Deserts worldwide (Central Asia, Egypt, Peru)
Wind-carved ridge
Yellowstone Caldera
Wyoming, USA
Supervolcano caldera
Yellowstone Hotspot
Northwestern USA
Mantle plume track
Yosemite Valley
California, USA
Glacier-carved valley
Yosemite Falls
California, USA
Tiered waterfall
Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon
Tibet, China
Deep river gorge
Yilgarn Craton
Western Australia
Ancient continental core
Yamal Crater
Yamal Peninsula, Russia
Gas-blowout crater
Yunnan Stone Forest
Yunnan, China
Karst limestone pillars
Yellowknife Greenstone Belt
Northwest Territories, Canada
Ancient volcanic rock belt
Yucatán Cenotes
Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico
Limestone sinkholes
Yucca Mountain
Nevada, USA
Volcanic tuff ridge
Yazoo Stream
Mississippi, USA
Parallel-flowing tributary
Yellow River Loess Plateau
Northern China
Wind-blown silt deposits
Descriptions
Yardang
A streamlined ridge of rock sculpted by wind-blown sand, usually aligned with the prevailing wind. Yardangs can range from a few feet to several hundred feet long.
Yellowstone Caldera
A huge volcanic basin formed by massive eruptions, the latest about 640,000 years ago. It powers Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs.
Yellowstone Hotspot
A heat source in the Earth’s mantle beneath the North American plate. Over millions of years it has left a trail of calderas across Idaho and Wyoming.
Yosemite Valley
A deep U-shaped valley cut by glaciers through granite in the Sierra Nevada. It is known for sheer cliffs like El Capitan and Half Dome.
Yosemite Falls
One of North America’s tallest waterfalls, dropping about 2,425 feet in three sections. It spills over a glacially carved granite cliff.
Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon
One of the deepest canyons on Earth, at about 17,000 feet in places. It wraps around the eastern end of the Himalayas.
Yilgarn Craton
A very old, stable block of crust more than 2.5 billion years old. It holds some of the oldest known minerals on Earth and rich gold deposits.
Yamal Crater
A large hole in the Siberian permafrost that appeared in 2013. It is thought to result from pressurized gas escaping from thawing ground.
Yunnan Stone Forest
A landscape of tall, jagged limestone pillars resembling a petrified forest. The formations were shaped by water dissolving rock over about 270 million years.
Yellowknife Greenstone Belt
A band of metamorphosed volcanic rocks about 2.7 billion years old. It is a major gold-producing region.
Yucatán Cenotes
Natural sinkholes created when limestone caves collapse and expose groundwater. Thousands dot the peninsula, and many were sacred to the Maya.
Yucca Mountain
A ridge of compacted volcanic ash in the Nevada desert. It was studied as a possible site for nuclear waste storage.
Yazoo Stream
A river that runs alongside a larger river for a long distance before joining it, because natural levees block a direct junction. The term comes from the Yazoo River.
Yellow River Loess Plateau
A vast region covered by thick layers of fine, wind-deposited silt. Erosion here gives the Yellow River its muddy color.
If you think there is a missing term, let us know using the contact form.
