Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
planation

planation

9.9
A process that wears away rock or soil to make a nearly level surface
  • noun
  • /pləˈneɪʃən/
  • Specialized
translation icon : planación
  • Over millions of years, the river contributed to the planation of the entire valley.

Examples

  • The planation process is fascinating!

  • Wind can also play a significant role in the planation of desert landscapes.

  • Geologists study planation surfaces to understand an area's erosional history.

  • What is a planation?

  • The river's slow flow contributed to the planation of the valley floor over many years.

  • Geologists studied the planation of the mountains, noting how erosion had created flat areas.

  • The formation of a plateau is often the result of planation, where layers of rock are worn down.

Synonyms

erosion
vsplanation
  • Specialized
34 3.7

The gradual wearing away of land, rock, and other materials by forces such as water or wind

is the specific process that creates a nearly level surface through gradual wearing

Antonyms

deposition
  • Specialized
6 7.2

Material that settles in one place after water, wind, or ice moves it

uplift
  • Specialized
2 7.0

A rise of land to a higher level often forming mountains

Surface Forms

planation singular
planations plural

Morphology

planation = plane (semi-transparent) = plan + ation

Morphologically it is 'plane' + '-ation' meaning the process of making flat, but the form appears as 'plan-' and the term is technical and not broadly familiar.

Etymology

The word planation comes from the Latin root planus, which means 'flat', and is like plane (a flat surface) or plain (flat land) to help you remember it. So planation is the slow wearing away of rock or soil that makes a nearly level, flat surface.