Landscape Evolution Test 1

Front 1

Laws of Geomorphology A

Back 1

Law of Structure: Erosion is the most rapid where resistance is the least so as soft rocks wear away, hard ones are left prominent.

Front 2

Laws of Geomorphology B

Back 2

Law of Divides: The nearer the divide the steeper the slope, the further from the divide the gentler the rock.

Front 3

Laws of Geomorphology C

Back 3

Law of Declivities: Where declivity (slope) is the greatest, agents of erosion are the most powerful, where it is small they are weak.

Front 4

Dynamic Equilibrium A

Back 4

Suggests that elements of a landscape rapidly adjust to the processes operating on geology, and thus process and form reveal a cause and effect relationship. Form within a landscape maintain their character as long as their fundamental controls do not change.

Front 5

Dynamic Equilibrium B

Back 5

Consists of a set of fluctuations around the middle state that changes in a certain direction.

Front 6

Dynamic Equilibrium C

Back 6

Applied to any form landform, dynamic equilibrium represents the state of balance in a changing situation.

Front 7

Dynamic Equilibrium D

Back 7

A landform appears unchanging in forms despite additions to, and removal from the system.

Front 8

Dynamic Equilibrium E

Back 8

Must be covered over cyclic time: Millions of years.

Front 9

Systems approach A

Back 9

Emphasizes intimate relationships between process and from.

Front 10

Systems approach B

Back 10

Stresses multivariate nature of geomorphology.

Front 11

Systems approach C

Back 11

Reveals that some forms may not be in balance balance with contemporary processes because the owe their character to relict conditions (Perigraciation).

Front 12

Systems approach D

Back 12

Meaning equilibrium depends on time interval over which balance is being considered.

Front 13

Static equilibrium

Back 13

The tendency of a system to return to its original state after experiencing a small perturbation.

Front 14

Meta-stable equilibrium A

Back 14

Condition of a system when internal/external threshold has been crossed.

Front 15

Meta-stable equilibrium B

Back 15

Intrinsic thresholds: changes that take place inside the system without changes in an external variable (i.e. weathering state).

Front 16

Meta-stable equilibrium C

Back 16

Extrinsic thresholds: An abrupt change triggered by a progressive change in an external variable.

Front 17

Stable state equilibrium A

Back 17

Occurs when numerous small scale fluctuations occurs around a mean stable state.

Front 18

Stable state equilibrium B

Back 18

A geomorphic system maintains a constant stable state in the face off all but all but the largest perturbations.

Front 19

Stable state equilibrium C

Back 19

Landforms and/processes are considered over graded time to hundreds to thousands of years.

Front 20

Dynamic Meta-stable equilibrium A

Back 20

Combines dynamic and meta-stable tendencies in with fluctuations, a tendency that crosses thresholds.

Front 21

Dynamic Meta-stable equilibrium B

Back 21

It involves a stable equilibrium acting on upon by some form of incremental changes (trigger mechanism) that drives the system over a threshold into a new equilibrium state.

Front 22

Dynamic Meta-stable equilibrium C

Back 22

Is really a form of disequilibrium as a progressive change of mean state occurs.

Front 23

Modern Landscapes

Back 23

Physical expression of the interaction of endogenic and exogenic processes.

Front 24

Endogenic Processes

Back 24

Processes that are happening within the Earth's crust and lithosphere.

Front 25

Exogenic Processes

Back 25

Processes that hare happening on the Earth's surface.

Front 26

Tectonic Processes A

Back 26

Processes that involve crustal disruption

Front 27

Tectonic Processes B

Back 27

Diastophic processes: Epirogenic or orogenic processes.

Front 28

Tectonic Processes C

Back 28

Volcanic processes: Extrusive and intrusive processes.

Front 29

Diastrophic processes A

Back 29

Epirogenic processes are broad crustal warping processes with minimal disruption of crust.

Front 30

Diastrophic processes B

Back 30

Orogenic processes are mountain building processes that result in considerable disruption and relief production.

Front 31

Epirogenesis A

Back 31

Thermal models: hot spots, melting of lithosphere, lithospheric thining, asthenospheric intrusion, crustal uplift.

Front 32

Epirogenesis B

Back 32

Phase changes: Lithopsheric rising or falling due to mineral phase changes as temperature and pressure change.

Front 33

Epirogenesis C

Back 33

Mechanical models: isostatic adjustments due to removal of superimcumbent loads.

Front 34

Plate boundaries A

Back 34

Divergent: plates moving away from each other in opposing directions.

Front 35

Plate boundaries B

Back 35

Convergent: plates moving towards each other, result in orogenic moutain belts or intra-oceanic volcanic islands.

Front 36

Plate boundaries C

Back 36

Transcurrent: plates sliding past eachother.

Front 37

Passive boundaries A

Back 37

Develop on trailing edges of lithospheric plates.

Front 38

Passive boundaries B

Back 38

Begin as old interior planes.

Front 39

Passive boundaries C

Back 39

Downwarping along coastal margins.