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History of Geomorphology Flashcards

1
Q

what is geomorphology

A

the study of earth landforms

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2
Q

describe the current working paradigm

A

systems theory and dynamic equilibrium

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3
Q

what is involved in the study of geomorphology

A
  • mineralogy
  • structures
  • tectonics
  • stratigraphy
  • chemistry
  • physics
  • meteorology and climate
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4
Q

why bother studying geomorphology

A

allows understanding towards topics like:
- climate change
- past tectonic activity
- engineering problems
- hazard assessment
- stratigraphy

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5
Q

how does geomorphology allow understanding of climate change

A

relating to how systems respond differently to the same conditions

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6
Q

how does geomorphology allow understanding of past tectonic activity

A

relating to distinct stratigraphic and landform features

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7
Q

how does geomorphology allow understanding of engineering problems

A

the construction of structures depends on understanding potentially destructive events

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8
Q

how does geomorphology allow understanding of hazard assessments

A

allows the mapping of areas with high risk of disasters (map of where to build structures and where not to)

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9
Q

how does geomorphology allow understanding of stratigraphy

A

relates to reading the stratigraphic record of the past which is a narrative of geologic past

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10
Q

what are some agents of change in landscapes

A
  1. gravity (ex. landslides)
  2. rivers and oceans
  3. glaciers and ice
  4. wind (transporting sediments)
  5. humans
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11
Q

how are humans a huge agent of change in landscapes

A
  • construction (changing habitats and ecosystems - building dams, steepening slopes…)
  • damaging the biosphere
    (removing biodiversity by removing plants)
  • recreational activities (damaging the landscape - hiking, camping)
  • water usage (lowering water tables which increase erosion and sink holes)
  • climate change
    (pollution, upping temperatures)
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12
Q

how was earth viewed back in the 17th and early 18th century

A

as relatively static (not changing)

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13
Q

how were changes in landscape explained in the 17th century/early 18th

A

according to catastrophism

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14
Q

what is catastrophism

A

Belief that the surface of the Earth was shaped by a series of infrequent high-magnitude events that were separated by long periods of time

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15
Q

what was catastrophism often related to

A

Biblical events (Noah’s flood for example)

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16
Q

Uniformitarianism

A

Idea that changes to earth’s surface in the geologic past were caused by the same processes, operating at the same rates, that are slowly changing earth’s surface today

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17
Q

what were the two opposing concepts regarding changes to earth’s surface

A

Catastrophism and Uniformitarianism

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18
Q

when was Uniformitarianism introduced

A

late 18th and 19th century

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19
Q

works of who introduced the concept of Uniformitarianism

A

Hutton, Playfair, Lyell

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20
Q

based on Catastrophism, how old was the world estimated to be

A

about 6000 years old

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21
Q

how did Uniformitarianism update the age of the earth

A

by claiming the earth was much older than 6000 years, about 1 million instead

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22
Q

what was proposed about earth’s surface in the late 19th century

A

that landforms reflect an adjustment between geomorphic processes and geology (looking at the processes that form the landscapes)

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23
Q

recap the development of geomorphology through the ages

A
  • starts in the 17th and early 18th century with the idea of catastrophism and how earth’s surface was viewed as static
  • later in the late 18th and 19th century Hutton, Lyell and Playfair introduced the topic of Uniformitarianism
  • the late 19th century saw Gilbert proposing the idea that landforms reflect the adjustment between geomorphic process and geology
  • geomorphologists were than lured by the Davisian model of landform development based on principles of evolution
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24
Q

how was evolution seen in geomorphology

A

principle that landscapes evolved through time which allowed for the changes seen today

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25
when evolution first became a part of geomorphologic formations, what was wrong with the proposal
evolution on landscapes was seen as unilateral while in reality evolution is almost cyclic
26
how can stages of evolution in a landscape be determined
by examining the characteristics of the landscape
27
how did the evolutionary view of landscape formation shift the age of the earth
pushed it way back (further than Uniformitarianism) to support the idea of gradual evolution of landscapes
28
what is a critical factor in determining what the landscapes look like
TIME
29
who originally proposed equilibrium
G K Gilbert
30
who championed the evolutionary development of landscapes
W M Davis
31
was the original claim that landscapes are static correct
NO - landscapes are in dynamic equilibrium
32
how is a landscape in dynamic equilibrium
the landscape is in a a constant shifting/battle to hold a state of balance between driving and resisting forces
33
what does a dynamic equilibrium exist between
landforms and processes
34
is dynamic equilibrium constantly being adjusted in landscapes
YES
35
what can happen with changes in driving forces/resisting forces
will either disrupt the equilibrium temporarily or change the equilibrium to the extent it cannot revert and must form a new equilibrium state
36
are processes interrelated in landscape development
YES - changes in one system can affect neighbouring systems
37
geomorphical processes can either be ________ or __________ which leads to either _________ or ________ processes
1. terrestrial or extra-terrestrial 2. exogenetic or endogenetic
38
examples of exogenetic processes
weathering, erosion, mass movement
39
examples of endogenetic processes
volcanism, earthquakes, landslides, faulting/folding
40
endogenetic processes are found ________ causing changes in landscapes
inside the system
41
exogenetic processes are found ________ causing changes in landscapes
outside the system
42
what makes up a system
a collection of related components interconnected by flows of energy and matter
43
how are the flows of energy and matter balanced in systems
tend to be dynamically balanced by the system within certain thresholds
44
what are possible results for changes in a system
- negative feedback - positive feedback
45
negative vs positive feedback
- negative feedback are Changes in a system that tend to compensate for or counteract the original change - positive feedback are changes that Changes that reinforce or increase the effect of the original change
46
what is the main factor for promoting equilibrium in geomorphic systems
negative feedback
47
describe a complex response in systems
the series of positive and negative reactions that happen in a system which affect neighboring systems
48
extrinsic threshold vs intrinsic threshold
extrinsic - the threshold is caused by external factors and changes in DRIVING factors intrinsic - threshold is caused by external factors STAYING THE SAME and changes in RESISTING FORCES = there is a gradual deterioration of system from inside
49
what is an advantage of the current geomorphological theory
emphasis can be placed on the relationship between form and process
50
describe dynamic equilibrium in landscapes
landforms are rapidly adjusting to changes in their systems to try and re-establish equilibrium between driving and resisting forces
51
are systems always in equilibrium
NO - often in disequilibrium
52
how can a system be in disequilibrium
if things are changing too fast which causes more disruptions and the equilibrium cannot be reached so the system is not balanced
53
do landforms represent relic conditions
YES - geological journal of past landforms
54
what is an example of processes no longer existing today but their landforms are still seen
landscapes caused by glacier movements (the glaciers are not found today, but the impressions left on the environment are)
55
what is a key factors when taking into account perceptions of equilibrium
TIME - there can be a larger geologic time frame needed to form the landscapes OR time referring to landscape formation time
56
types of equilibrium
static steady state dynamic dynamic metastable
57
static equilibrium
occurs over steady time intervals (days, months...) and the human perception does not reveal any changes in the landscape
58
steady state equilibrium
similar to dynamic equilibrium, where it occurs over cyclic time intervals (million of years)
59
what is an example of steady state equilibrium
glacier and interglacial cyclic cycles (cycles of cold and warmer temperatures in the ice age)
60
dynamic metastable equilibrium
like dynamic, occurs over cyclic time HOWEVER these sudden changes of threshold are irreversible where causes a new equilibrium to be reached
61
dynamic equilibrium
62
dynamic metastable equilibrium
63
static equilibrium
64
steady state equilibrium
65
driving forces examples
- gravity - climate - internal heat
66
how is climate a driving force
solar radiation drive exogenic processes - ocean currents affect heat distribution - temperature affect ecosystems
67
What driving force affects all exogenic and endogenic processes
Gravity (influences fluvial processes, mass wasting, glacial movement, tidal motions)
68
how is internal heat a driving force
responsible for movements of lithospheric plates, earthquakes and volcanism
69
what are the resisting forces
- lithology (rock type) - structure - friction cohesion
70
how does lithology be a driving force
internal strength of rocks are not static, some resist agents of change (like weathering) more than others
71
how are structures resisting forces
structures like beddings, jointing and faulting can help determine resistance to rock failure and susceptibility
72
how is the friction cohesion a resisting force
resists downslope movement
73
when is the resisting force of friction significant to consider
slope processes
74
how is gravity also a resisting force
by being a component of the friction cohesion, friction has to be greater than gravity to resist movement
75
what is a threshold
a limit that a system has to overcome for changes to occur
76
can changes in driving force or resisting force or both cause crossings of thresholds
both
77
does meeting one threshold and crossing it only affect that one system
NO - often responses to thresholds are interconnected with other systems (creating defenses against floods raises the threshold potential for floods but lowers the water available to the area causing potential droughts, lowering that threshold)
78
examples of extrinsic thresholds
climate change and human impacts
79
examples of intrinsic thresholds
weathering of rock and friction
80
frequency of HIGH MAGNITUDE EVENTS are _____ but impacts are _____
low but significant
81
frequency of LOW MAGNITUDE events are _____ but impacts are ______
low and significantly less
82
what is an example of frequency and magnitude of events
mass movements are less likely to occur (high magnitude = low frequency) but there are high risks and impacts when they do occur

Geomorphology (12 decks)

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