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14 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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landform:
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recognizable feature on Earth's
surface with characteristic shape, produced by natural processes |
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landscape:
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distinct association of landforms
operated on by natural processes |
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Geomorphology
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scientific study of Earth surface
landforms & processes interpretation of pattern & process over various spatial & temporal scales |
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applications of geomorphology
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Reconstructing past climate & environments
Modelling modern processes & responses Resource exploration & management… e.g.? Land use planning & development… e.g.? Simulating future scenarios… e.g.? |
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theories of Earth surface evolution
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1. Catastrophism
‘creationism’, 18th century 2. Uniformitarianism ‘gradualism’, 19th century 3. Plate tectonics & continental drift A. Wegener, 1915 4. Cycle of erosion W.M. Davis, 1909 5. Earth surface systems 1960s – present |
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Catastrophism
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‘creationism’, 18th century
Earth created & shaped by catastrophic events & remains unchanged otherwise ‘Great Flood’, volcanic eruptions, meteor impacts extinctions in fossil record (Cuvier) The Bible: created in 6 days, 6000 yrs old |
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Uniformitarianism
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idea that laws of nature remain same through time &
change is gradual present-day processes explain past Earth surface evolution(*this is a key idea in geomorphology!): - Hutton (1785): endless rock cycle, gradualism - Playfair (1800): rivers carve their valleys - Lyell (1830): Principles of Uniformity countered Creationism… heresy! |
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How can the cycle of erosion date the Earth?
What are the stages that landscapes evolve by? |
- (Davis 1909)
- driven by uplift, degraded by fluvial action 1. <bold>youthful </bold>(high energy, steep slopes) to… 2. mature (max. relief) to… 3. old (low energy ‘peneplain’) |
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Difference between open and closed systems? examples?
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An open system exchanges energy and/or matter w/ surroundings
open syst - most geol systems; river, glacial, closed syst - cooling lava, Earth itself! (mostly) |
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What are 'process-response' systems? examples?
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-processes of M & E exchange produce morphological responses
-weathering, water/ice flow, sediment transport, mass movement |
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entropy
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tendancy to move to lower energy state
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Geomorphic work from 2 kinds of energy?
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1. Potential (position)
2. Kinetic (movement) |
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What factors control landform dynamics?
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1. climate
2. relief & tectonics 3. lithology 4. time 5. human action |
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Earth's sufaces systems: open or closed?
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open - exchange between different 'spheres' (litho, hydro, bio)
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