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Geomorphology > History of Geomorphology > Flashcards

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
Q

when evolution first became a part of geomorphologic formations, what was wrong with the proposal

A

evolution on landscapes was seen as unilateral while in reality evolution is almost cyclic

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26
Q

how can stages of evolution in a landscape be determined

A

by examining the characteristics of the landscape

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27
Q

how did the evolutionary view of landscape formation shift the age of the earth

A

pushed it way back (further than Uniformitarianism) to support the idea of gradual evolution of landscapes

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28
Q

what is a critical factor in determining what the landscapes look like

A

TIME

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29
Q

who originally proposed equilibrium

A

G K Gilbert

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30
Q

who championed the evolutionary development of landscapes

A

W M Davis

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31
Q

was the original claim that landscapes are static correct

A

NO - landscapes are in dynamic equilibrium

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32
Q

how is a landscape in dynamic equilibrium

A

the landscape is in a a constant shifting/battle to hold a state of balance between driving and resisting forces

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33
Q

what does a dynamic equilibrium exist between

A

landforms and processes

34
Q

is dynamic equilibrium constantly being adjusted in landscapes

A

YES

35
Q

what can happen with changes in driving forces/resisting forces

A

will either disrupt the equilibrium temporarily or change the equilibrium to the extent it cannot revert and must form a new equilibrium state

36
Q

are processes interrelated in landscape development

A

YES - changes in one system can affect neighbouring systems

37
Q

geomorphical processes can either be ________ or __________ which leads to either _________ or ________ processes

A
  1. terrestrial or extra-terrestrial
  2. exogenetic or endogenetic
38
Q

examples of exogenetic processes

A

weathering, erosion, mass movement

39
Q

examples of endogenetic processes

A

volcanism, earthquakes, landslides, faulting/folding

40
Q

endogenetic processes are found ________ causing changes in landscapes

A

inside the system

41
Q

exogenetic processes are found ________ causing changes in landscapes

A

outside the system

42
Q

what makes up a system

A

a collection of related components interconnected by flows of energy and matter

43
Q

how are the flows of energy and matter balanced in systems

A

tend to be dynamically balanced by the system within certain thresholds

44
Q

what are possible results for changes in a system

A
  • negative feedback
  • positive feedback
45
Q

negative vs positive feedback

A
  • 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
Q

what is the main factor for promoting equilibrium in geomorphic systems

A

negative feedback

47
Q

describe a complex response in systems

A

the series of positive and negative reactions that happen in a system which affect neighboring systems

48
Q

extrinsic threshold vs intrinsic threshold

A

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
Q

what is an advantage of the current geomorphological theory

A

emphasis can be placed on the relationship between form and process

50
Q

describe dynamic equilibrium in landscapes

A

landforms are rapidly adjusting to changes in their systems to try and re-establish equilibrium between driving and resisting forces

51
Q

are systems always in equilibrium

A

NO - often in disequilibrium

52
Q

how can a system be in disequilibrium

A

if things are changing too fast which causes more disruptions and the equilibrium cannot be reached so the system is not balanced

53
Q

do landforms represent relic conditions

A

YES - geological journal of past landforms

54
Q

what is an example of processes no longer existing today but their landforms are still seen

A

landscapes caused by glacier movements (the glaciers are not found today, but the impressions left on the environment are)

55
Q

what is a key factors when taking into account perceptions of equilibrium

A

TIME
- there can be a larger geologic time frame needed to form the landscapes OR
time referring to landscape formation time

56
Q

types of equilibrium

A

static
steady state
dynamic
dynamic metastable

57
Q

static equilibrium

A

occurs over steady time intervals (days, months…) and the human perception does not reveal any changes in the landscape

58
Q

steady state equilibrium

A

similar to dynamic equilibrium, where it occurs over cyclic time intervals (million of years)

59
Q

what is an example of steady state equilibrium

A

glacier and interglacial cyclic cycles (cycles of cold and warmer temperatures in the ice age)

60
Q

dynamic metastable equilibrium

A

like dynamic, occurs over cyclic time HOWEVER these sudden changes of threshold are irreversible where causes a new equilibrium to be reached

61
Q
A

dynamic equilibrium

62
Q
A

dynamic metastable equilibrium

63
Q
A

static equilibrium

64
Q
A

steady state equilibrium

65
Q

driving forces examples

A
  • gravity
  • climate
  • internal heat
66
Q

how is climate a driving force

A

solar radiation drive exogenic processes

  • ocean currents affect heat distribution
  • temperature affect ecosystems
67
Q

What driving force affects all exogenic and endogenic processes

A

Gravity

(influences fluvial processes, mass wasting, glacial movement, tidal motions)

68
Q

how is internal heat a driving force

A

responsible for movements of lithospheric plates, earthquakes and volcanism

69
Q

what are the resisting forces

A
  • lithology (rock type)
  • structure
  • friction cohesion
70
Q

how does lithology be a driving force

A

internal strength of rocks are not static, some resist agents of change (like weathering) more than others

71
Q

how are structures resisting forces

A

structures like beddings, jointing and faulting can help determine resistance to rock failure and susceptibility

72
Q

how is the friction cohesion a resisting force

A

resists downslope movement

73
Q

when is the resisting force of friction significant to consider

A

slope processes

74
Q

how is gravity also a resisting force

A

by being a component of the friction cohesion, friction has to be greater than gravity to resist movement

75
Q

what is a threshold

A

a limit that a system has to overcome for changes to occur

76
Q

can changes in driving force or resisting force or both cause crossings of thresholds

A

both

77
Q

does meeting one threshold and crossing it only affect that one system

A

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
Q

examples of extrinsic thresholds

A

climate change and human impacts

79
Q

examples of intrinsic thresholds

A

weathering of rock and friction

80
Q

frequency of HIGH MAGNITUDE EVENTS are _____ but impacts are _____

A

low but significant

81
Q

frequency of LOW MAGNITUDE events are _____ but impacts are ______

A

low and significantly less

82
Q

what is an example of frequency and magnitude of events

A

mass movements are less likely to occur (high magnitude = low frequency) but there are high risks and impacts when they do occur

Geomorphology (4 decks)

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