Lecture# 1 What is geomorphology?

Definitions

geo = earth morph = form -ology = study of The study of the morphology or form of the Earths surface. The study of landforms on or near the earths surface and the processes working on them The Mechanics and chemistry of landsforms or land scapes
1

What is geomorphology?
Definitions
Surface features Surface processes Surface materials

What is geomorphology?
Definitions

Study of landforms and landscapes

Types of landforms
Hills, valleys, floodplains, sinkholes, moraines, etc.

Types of landscapes
Karst, Fluvial, Glacial

What is geomorphology?

Study of surface processes responsible for landforms / landscapes

A sub-discipline is process geomorphology Current processes Past processes
Relict landscapes/landforms ( = paleoforms). Relic is something that has survived decay or deterioration. Example of a relict landscape? Geomorphic processes: 1. Internal (Diastrophism or deformation, Volcanism) 2. External (Weathering, Mass wasting, Erosion) Folding and faulting. Faults broken rocks, displacement, Horizental and/ or vertical movement. Normal, reverse, strike-slip, or thrust.

What past processes created this relict landscape?

What modern processes are modifying it?

5

Were the processes that created the relict landforms destructional or constructional?

Are the modern processes modifying this landscape destructional or constructional?

6

Plate Tectonics and Continental drift Theory

Unifying theory in the earth sciences Alfred Wagner (1912) 1960 become accepted Implications in Geography Distribution of plants, animals, landforms, soils, human use. Proposed by Alfred wegner in 1912, 250 million years ago, all of the continents were combined into one super-continent called pangaea The continents gradualy driftted apart to where they are today. Published: the origin of continents and oceans.
7

Were the processes that created the relict landforms destructional or constructional?

Are the modern processes modifying this landscape destructional or constructional? 8

What is geomorphology? Scale

Consider scale of earths surface features

How does scale of features relate to age?

10

The Earth: the ultimate landform

11

12

13

 Scale of landforms varies over 15 (!) orders of magnitude. continents (107 km2) to microscale features like ripples, glacial striations (10-8 km2). Age of landforms varies over 7-8 orders of magnitude. continents (109 years) to microscale features like pools and riffles (102 years). Larger landforms most durable (longer-lasting). Smaller landforms created/destroyed faster than larger ones. Rates of geomorphic / geologic change slow for larger areas, faster when measured over small areas. example: earthquakes compared to glaciers rate of erosion in small watershed compared to larger one
14

William MorrisDavis introduced idea that landforms can be explained by one --or usually a combination-of the following:
Structure: rock mass (or unconsolidated material mass). Process: constructive or destructive process(es) acting now or previously on structure. Time (stage): landforms evolve through stages from continued actions of geomorphic process(es). Summary: some rock (or soil/sediment) mass is being altered by some process, and the alteration has proceeded to a definable extent (stage) over a definite interval. (Bloom, 1998) 15

Structure

Process

Time

Resulting Landform

16

Example
Structure:
Limestone bedrock (Paleozoic)

Process:

Dissolution (Cenozoic)

Time:

10,000 years

17

Structure? Process? Time?

18

Structure: limestone bedrock Process: weathering (dissolution) Time: 103 to 106 years?

19

Structure? Process? Time?

20

Structure: delta sediments Process: deposition / erosion Time: 103 to 104 years?

21

What is geomorphology?
Study of landforms and landscapes (the what). Study of surface processes responsible for landforms / landscapes (the why). Relationship between landform scale and age. Landforms can be explained in terms of structure, process and time.

22