Introduction Flashcards
1
Q
What is geomorphology?
A
- Study of landforms, processes, their form and sediments
- How earth surface processes shape and mould the landscape
2
Q
Landforms are produced by
A
- erosion
- deposition
- different climate regimes
- different suites of landforms
3
Q
Geomorphology rates
A
- often slow
- occasionally abrupt, short lived events
4
Q
Youthful (River)
A
- incipient streams, limited floodplain, V shaped forms, waterfalls and rapids common
5
Q
Maturity (river)
A
integrated drainage scheme, floodplains common on valley floors, fewer waterfalls
6
Q
Old age (river)
A
Broad, gently sloping valleys, meandering, lakes, marshes on floodplain, mass wasting significant, vey near base level
7
Q
10 things everyone should know about geomorphology
A
- landscapes are shaped by movement of mass
- landscape shaping processes are influenced by many different factors
- Landscape processes operate at many different scales
- Earths landscapes are dynamic
- landscape dynamics can be complex
- landscapes are archives of the past
- global change affects landscape dynamics
- human activities influence landscape dynamics
- earths landscapes are becoming more hazardous
- successful environmental management needs geomorphological knowledge
8
Q
Different types of geomorphology
A
- Historical geomorphology
- Structural geomorphology
- Process geomorphology
- Climatic geomorphology
9
Q
Structural landforms
A
- produced by crustal movement and volcanism
- endogenic forces
10
Q
Sculptural landforms
A
- structural forms that have been modified over time
- exogenic forces
11
Q
Summary of Plate Tectonic geomorphology
A
- tectonics are the primary drivers of landscape development
- dictate the distribution of topographic highs and lows
- also provides background energy control for the operation of surface processes
- tectonics aren’t restricted to plate margins but also occur as a response to ‘unloading’ or isostatic rebound
