Geomorphology

Geomorphology is the study of landforms, including their origin and evolution, and the processes that shape them. The underlying question is: Why do landscapes look the way they do? The term is derived from the Greek geo, meaning Earth, and morph, meaning form. Geomorphologists seek to understand landform history and dynamics, and predict future changes through a combination of field observation, physical experiment, and numerical modeling. The discipline is practiced within geology, geography, archaeology and civil and environmental engineering. Early studies in geomorphology are the foundation for pedology, one of two main branches of soil science.

Processes

Modern geomorphology focuses on the quantitative analysis of interconnected processes, such as the contribution of solar energy, the rates of steps of the hydrologic cycle, and plate movement rates from geophysics to compute the age and expected fate of landforms. The use of more precise measurement technique has also enabled processes like erosion to be observed directly, rather than merely surmised from other evidence. Computer simulation is also valuable for testing that a particular model yields results with properties similar to real terrain.

Related Topics:
Solar energy - Hydrologic cycle - Geophysics - Simulation

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Primary surface processes responsible for most topographic features include wind, waves, weathering, mass wasting, ground water, surface water, glaciers, tectonism, and volcanism.

Related Topics:
Wind - Glaciers

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Fluvial Geomorphology

Rivers and streams are not only conduits of water, but also of sediment. The water, as it flows over the channel bed, is able to mobilise sediment and transport it downstream, either as bedload or suspended load. The rate of sediment transport depends on the avilability of sediment itself and on the river's discharge.

Related Topics:
Sediment - Bedload - Suspended load - Discharge

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As rivers flow across the landscape, they generally increase in size, merging with other rivers. The network of rivers thus formed is a drainage system and is often dentritic, but may adopt other patterns depending on the regional topography and underlying geology.

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Glacial Geomorphology

Glaciers, while geographically restricted, are effective agents of landscape change. The gradual movement of ice down a valley causes abrasion and plucking of the underlying rock. Abrasion produces fine sediment, termed glacial flour. The debris transported by the glacier, when the glacier recedes, is termed a moraine. Glacial erosion is responsible for U-shaped valleys, as opposed to the V-shaped valleys of fluvial origin.

Related Topics:
Glacier - Ice - Abrasion - Plucking - Rock - Glacial flour - Moraine

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Weathering

Main article: Weathering.

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This results from chemical dissolution of rock and from the mechanical wearing of rock by plant roots, ice expansion, and the abrasive action of sediment. Weathering provides the source of the sediment transported by fluvial, glacial, aeolian, or biotic processes.

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