Zhengzhou has a complex terrain, and the general trend is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. The elevation of Yuzhai Peak in Dengfeng City in the southwest is 15 12m, the elevation in the hilly area in the middle is generally 150-300m, the eastern plain is flat, the elevation is generally lower than 100m, the lowest point is only 72m, and the national elevation difference is 1440m.
The landform of Zhengzhou city spans the second and third steps of the country. Songshan Mountain in the southwest belongs to the front of the second landform step, and Huanghuai Plain in the east is the back of the third landform step. The hilly area between the mountain and the plain constitutes the transition area from the second landform step to the third landform step. Zhengzhou Mountain covers an area of 2,375.4 square kilometers, accounting for 3 1.6% of the total area. The hilly area is 2256.2 square kilometers, accounting for 30.0%, and the plain area is 2879.7 square kilometers, accounting for 38.4%.
Zhengzhou is located in the transitional zone between North China Depression and Songji Uplift, and its surface is completely covered by Quaternary sediments. According to relevant data, there are more than ten east-west and northwest faults in the pre-Cenozoic basement of the urban area, among which the northwest Laoyachen fault controls the Paleogene and Neogene deposits, and the present topography in some areas is obvious, which may belong to Quaternary active faults.