"Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material."
Relationship between elevation and relief in topography.
Altitude and Elevation: The height of a point or object above sea level or reference point.
Contour Lines: Lines drawn on a map to show the shape and elevation of the surface that indicate the height above sea level.
Relief: The difference between the highest and lowest points in a particular area such as a mountain range, hill, or valley.
Landforms: Natural features of the earth's surface like mountains, hills, valleys, and plains that are a result of varying elevation and relief.
Slope: The steepness of a hill or mountain which is often expressed as a ratio of vertical rise to horizontal run.
Gradient: The angle, rate or slope of a topographical feature or terrain which is often expressed as a percentage, degrees, or ratio.
Topographic Maps: A two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional terrestrial surface, where contour lines are used to show elevation and relief.
Relief Maps: A three-dimensional representation of the earth's surface depicting natural and artificial terrain features like mountains, hills, valleys, and plains.
Bathymetry: The measurement of the depth and topography of the ocean floor, lakes or any other body of water.
Geologic Structures: The arrangement, orientation, and relationship of formations and rock layers in the earth's crust which has a great impact on the topography.
Plate Tectonics: The study of the movement of the earth's crustal plates that result in the formation of mountains, valleys, ocean trenches and other geologic features.
Soil Erosion and Deposition: The movement of soil by the actions of wind, water, or ice which affects the shape and form of the earth's surface.
Weathering and Erosion: The breakdown of rocks, soils, and minerals on the earth's surface by physical, chemical, and biological processes that affect the topography and landscape.
Glaciers: A large mass of ice that moves over land and can create valleys, mountains, and other geographic features.
Watersheds: The area of land that drains into a particular river, lake or other water body, and can impact the topography, relief, and erosion of a region.
Mountain: A landform that rises prominently above its surroundings with steep sides and a peak.
Hill: A raised area of land that is lower and less steep than a mountain.
Volcano: A mountain with an opening in its top that communicates with a magma chamber, spewing out lava, ash, or gases.
Plateau: A flat-topped raised area of land that is higher than the surrounding land.
Plain: An area of flat or gently rolling land that is often covered with grass or forests.
Mesa: A flat-topped mountain or hill that has steep sides and is often found in desert regions.
Butte: A smaller flat-topped mountain or hill that has steep sides and is often found in desert regions.
Escarpment: A steep slope or cliff that separates two areas of land that are at different elevations.
Ridge: A long, narrow elevation of land, often with a crest running along the top.
Valley: An area of lower land between mountains or hills, often with a river running through it.
Canyon: A deep, narrow gorge with steep sides that has been eroded by a river or other water, often found in desert regions.
Fjord: A long, narrow inlet of the sea between steep cliffs that has been carved by a glacier.
Sinkhole: A depression or hole in the ground caused by the collapse of a surface layer, often forming in limestone regions.
Dune: A hill of sand formed by the wind, often found in desert regions.
Marsh: A wetland that is covered in grass and other vegetation, often found near rivers, lakes, or coastlines.
Swamp: A wetland that is covered in trees and shrubs, often found near rivers or lakes.
Delta: A triangular deposit of sediment at the mouth of a river, often forming in areas with high sedimentation rates.
"The term relief is from the Latin verb relevo, to raise."
"To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane."
"In other materials such as metal, clay, plaster stucco, ceramics or papier-mâché the form can be simply added to or raised up from the background."
"A relief saves forming the rear of a subject, and is less fragile and more securely fixed than a sculpture in the round."
"There are different degrees of relief depending on the degree of projection of the sculpted form from the field."
"The full range includes high relief (alto-rilievo, haut-relief) and low relief (basso-rilievo)."
"The distinction between high relief and low relief is the clearest and most important."
"The opposite of relief sculpture is counter-relief, intaglio, or cavo-rilievo, where the form is cut into the field or background rather than rising from it."
"Reliefs are common throughout the world on the walls of buildings and a variety of smaller settings."
"Relief is more suitable for depicting complicated subjects with many figures and very active poses, such as battles, than free-standing 'sculpture in the round'."
"Most ancient architectural reliefs were originally painted, which helped to define forms in low relief."
"Rock reliefs are those carved into solid rock in the open air."
"This type is found in many cultures, in particular those of the Ancient Near East and Buddhist countries."
"A stele is a single standing stone; many of these carry reliefs."
"A relief saves forming the rear of a subject, and is less fragile and more securely fixed than a sculpture in the round."
"Sculpture in relief often depicts decorative geometrical or foliage patterns, as in the arabesques of Islamic art, and may be of any subject."
"In other materials such as metal, clay, plaster stucco, ceramics or papier-mâché the form can be simply added to or raised up from the background."
"Monumental bronze reliefs are made by casting."
"The full range includes high relief (alto-rilievo, haut-relief), where more than 50% of the depth is shown and there may be undercut areas, mid-relief (mezzo-rilievo), low relief (basso-rilievo), or French: bas-relief (French pronunciation: [baʁəljɛf]), and shallow-relief or rilievo schiacciato, where the plane is only very slightly lower than the sculpted elements."