The term "mature" is also used in other fields to describe land-based systems:

: The difference in height between the highest peaks (water divides) and the valley bottoms is at its greatest.

: A well-developed network of tributary streams efficiently drains the entire land mass. Contextual Variations

The concept is most famously defined in the , where landforms evolve from "youth" to "maturity" and finally "old age". Key Characteristics of Mature Land

: Rivers develop winding, "S" shaped curves (meanders) and may leave behind crescent-shaped bodies of water known as oxbow lakes.