landscape paisaje [its physical features]: This landscape is not unlike that of Switzerland. ^ hilly/rocky/rugged landscape
scenery /ˈsiːnəri/ paisaje [its beauty]: The scenery of this country is truly spectacular. ^ beautiful/breathtaking/spectacular scenery
landform accidente geográfico: There is a variety of landforms in the region.
panoramic view /ˌpænəræmɪk ˈvjuː/ vista panorámica: This lookout affords you panoramic views of the whole area.
expanse /ɪkˈspæns, ek-/ extensión: a large/wide/vast expanse
tract /trækt/ gran extensión de terreno: tracts of land/woodland
abrupt terrain /əˌbrʌpt təˈreɪn/ terreno abrupto
slope /sləʊp/ pendiente, cuesta, vertiente a steep/gentle slope una pendiente empinada/poco empinada: On the opposite slopes, the landscape is less abrupt.
depression /dɪˈpreʃən/ hondonada, hoyo: a depression in the ground.
subsidence /səbˈsaɪdəns, ˈsʌbsɪdəns/ hundimiento (del terreno): There were some signs of subsidence. ^ The building was affected by subsidence.
pit hoyo, foso: He fell into a pit.
chasm /ˈkæzəm/ abismo, sima: I peered down into the chasm.
abyss /əˈbɪs/ abismo [deeper than chasm]: She stepped back from the edge of the abyss.
rock face pared rocosa: a steep, dangerous rock face
rock formations /rɒk fɔːˈmeɪʃənz/ formaciones rocosas: Britain is geologically interesting because of its many different rock formations containing a large range of metals.
fault falla: the San Andreas fault
the upland (also the uplands plural) las tierras altas: In the upland and hill areas, collecting and moving sheep can take a considerable amount of time. ^ upland farms
the permanent snows las nieves perpetuas: Near the poles, the permanent snows lie at a low elevation.
the snow line el límite de las nieves perpetuas: At what altitude is the snow line in these mountains?
mesa /ˈmeɪsə/ mesa [in the south-west of the US]: a hermitage perched atop a lonesome New Mexico mesa
dune /djuːn/ (also sand dune /ˈsænd djuːn/) duna: Suddenly he appeared, climbing wearily over the top of a sand dune.
oasis /əʊˈeɪsɪs/ (plural oases /əʊˈeɪsiːz/) oasis: The oasis of Bahriyah is over 200 miles from Cairo.
dale /deɪl/ valle [especially in northern England]: Peace and tranquillity will greet you in that dale.
meadow /ˈmedəʊ/ prado: There were some sheep grazing in the meadow.
pasture /ˈpɑːsʧə/ dehesa, tierras de pastoreo: Hundreds of thousands of acres of virgin forest have been burned and continue to be burned to provide pasture for cattle.
scrubland (also scrublands plural) matorral, monte bajo: scrubland covered with thistles
the bush el monte [in Australia and Africa]
the outback la zona interior poco poblada de Australia: The dust was blown in by strong winds from the outback.
glacier /ˈglæsiə (American English ˈgleɪʃər)/ glaciar: The glacier is rapidly retreating.
glacial cirque /ˌgleɪʃəl ˈsɜːk/ circo glacial
crevasse /krɪˈvæs/ grieta en un glaciar o capa de hielo: They hoisted him out of the crevasse.
moraine /məˈreɪn/ morena: The Beardmore Glacier was below us, an immense fan of ice and moraine sloping out from the mountains.
(ice) floe /(ˈaɪs) fləʊ/ témpano de hielo: The ice floe broke up.
icicle /ˈaɪsɪkəl/ carámbano: A man was injured this morning by one of the icicles.
geyser /ˈgiːzə (American English ˈgaɪzər)/ géiser: Old Faithful is the most famous geyser in Yellowstone because it is somewhat predictable.
water table capa freática: The water table had fallen significantly.
spring manantial: They receive water from a spring outside the village.
aquifer /ˈækwɪfə/ acuífero
watershed línea divisoria de aguas, vertiente [high ground from which water flows down on both sides]: watershed alterations
catchment area (also catchment) cuenca hidrográfica: The catchment area that feeds the dam covers an estimated 1.3 million square kilometres.
waterway vía fluvial/navegable: In addition to its vital role in agriculture, the Nile serves as an important waterway for transport purposes.
dry land tierra firme on dry land en tierra firme: Helen stepped off the ship, grateful to once again be standing on dry land.
coastline litoral: a stretch of coastline
seaboard litoral, region costera: the Pacific/Western/Eastern seaboard
shoreline /ˈʃɔːlaɪn/ orilla: shoreline erosion
fjord /fjɔːd, ˈfiːɔːd/ (also fiord) fiordo: the Norwegian fjords
badlands tierras desgastadas por la erosión e incultivables: My family took a trip to the Badlands, Little Bighorn, and Yellowstone.
wetland (also wetlands plural) tierras pantanosas: wetland ecosystems
woodland (also woodlands plural) bosque, bosques: She could hear the howl of wolves in the woodland.
IDIOMS
a blot on the landscape algo que estropea el paisaje: That new hotel is a blot on the landscape.
a bottomless pit (of something) un pozo sin fondo (de algo): He descended into a bottomless pit of depression.
in the land of the living (humorous) entre los vivos: Where were you? It's good to see you back in the land of the living!
the land of milk and honey / the promised land la tierra prometida: For them, California was the promised land.
the lie of the land (British English) / the lay of the land (American English) el terreno [a particular situation]: Don't make a decision before knowing the lie of the land.
the slippery slope (to/towards...) (British English, informal) terreno resbaladizo, el mal camino (que lleva a...): The more disconnected you get from a relationship, the easier it is to slide down the slippery slope to infidelity.
be (out) in left field estar equivocado,-da / salirse de lo normal: Their politics are way out in left field.
be the pits (informal) ser de lo peor, ser de pena: His manners were the pits.
have a field day tener su día, divertirse de lo lindo: I'm sure the press would have a field day with that.
leave the field clear for somebody / leave somebody in possession of the field dejar a alguien vía libre: His resignation left the field clear for Martin.
play the field (informal) mariposear, ir de flor en flor: Jason just wanted to play the field. He did not want to be a father.
put somebody out to pasture (informal, humorous) jubilar a alguien: “You guys can't put me out to pasture,” grumbled Stan. “I got more experience than anyone else here.”
see how the land lies (British English) / spy out the land examinar el terreno: I won't sign until I see how the land lies.
seek/move on to pastures new/greener pastures/new pastures buscar nuevos horizontes: He felt it was time to move on to pastures new.
up hill and down dale por todas partes, cuesta arriba y cuesta abajo: The walk was a bit up hill and down dale and it rather tired me out.