Are there any geographic features that can't exist without life (i.e., swamps, perhaps? or tarpits?)?

Are there any geographic features of Earth that we should expect to be absent from any planet that does not have life similar to our own? For instance, how do you define "swamp"? Is it just a wet, muddy place or is it more specifically a wet, muddy place with certain kinds of life forms (bugs, worms, etc...)?