In geomorphology and geology a peneplain is a low-relief non-constructional plain. This is the definition in the broadest of terms, albeit with frequency the usage of peneplain is meant to imply the representation of a near-final (or penultimate) stage of fluvial erosion during times of extended tectonic stability.[1] Peneplains are sometimes associated with the cycle of erosion theory of William Morris Davis who also coined the term around 1900.[1]
The existence of some peneplains, and peneplanation as a geomorphological process, is not without controversy, due to a lack of contemporary examples and uncertainty in identifying relic examples.[1][2] By some definitions peneplains grade down to a base level represented by sea level, yet in other definitions such a condition is ignored.[2] A common misconception about peneplains is that they ought to be featureless.[