Landforms
1st Edition
Published on 8. January 2011
293 pages
978-1-61530-536-0 (ISBN)
Description
The planet's natural dips and elevations, slopes and structures, stud the world's landscapes and enrich its panoramas. However, the Earth's landforms should not be viewed as anomalies in its topography, rather, they are often invaluable components of ecosystems and hold significant clues to the natural forces that fashion our environment. This comprehensive volume examines the various landforms-from mountains to caves to glaciers-that can be found across the globe. The processes that shape each formation are also detailed within these pages.
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Content
- BOOK COVER
- TITLE
- COPYRIGHT
- CONTENTS
- INTRODUCTION
- CHAPTER 1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF LANDFORMS
- BASIC CONCEPTS AND CONSIDERATIONS
- CONSTRAINTS ON MODERN LANDFORM THEORY
- HISTORICAL SURVEY
- LANDFORM THEORIES OF THE 18TH AND 19TH CENTURIES
- DAVIS'S EROSION CYCLE THEORY
- THE GEOMORPHIC CONCEPTS OF PENCK AND KING
- CLIMATIC MORPHOGENESIS
- TECTONIC GEOMORPHOLOGY
- CONSIDERATION OF UNIQUE LANDFORMS AND OTHER DISTINCTIVE TOPOGRAPHIC FEATURES
- THEORETICAL OVERVIEW OF LANDFORM DEVELOPMENT
- OROGENIC AND EPEIROGENIC MORPHOGENESIS
- A UNIFIED LANDFORM THEORY
- CHAPTER 2 MOUNTAINS
- GEOMORPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
- TECTONIC PROCESSES THAT CREATE AND DESTROY MOUNTAIN BELTS AND THEIR COMPONENTS
- MECHANISMS THAT SUPPORT ELEVATED TERRAINS
- TECTONIC PROCESSES THAT PRODUCE HIGH ELEVATIONS
- TECTONIC PROCESSES THAT DESTROY ELEVATED TERRAINS
- MAJOR TYPES OF MOUNTAIN BELTS
- MOUNTAIN BELTS ASSOCIATED WITH VOLCANISM
- MOUNTAIN BELTS ASSOCIATED WITH CRUSTAL SHORTENING
- ALPINE- (OR HIMALAYAN-) TYPE BELTS
- ANDEAN-TYPE BELTS
- INTRACONTINENTAL MOUNTAIN BELTS
- MAJOR MOUNTAIN BELTS OF THE WORLD
- THE CIRCUM-PACIFIC SYSTEM
- THE ALPINE-HIMALAYAN, OR TETHYAN, SYSTEM
- RESIDUAL MOUNTAIN RANGES AND THERMALLY UPLIFTED BELTS
- CHAPTER 3 PLATEAUS AND VALLEYS
- PLATEAUS
- GEOMORPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
- FORMATIVE PROCESSES
- GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION
- VALLEYS
- GEOMORPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
- ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION
- CHAPTER 4 STUCTURAL LANDFORMS
- CAVES
- CAVE TYPES
- EVOLUTION AND DEMISE OF SOLUTION CAVES
- GEOMORPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SOLUTION CAVES
- SOLUTION CAVE FEATURES
- KARST TOPOGRAPHY
- GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF KARST TERRAIN
- VOLCANIC CAVES
- TECTONIC CAVES
- PEDIMENTS
- SAND DUNES
- GEOMORPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
- FORMATION AND GROWTH OF DUNES
- DUNE AND SHEET PATTERNS
- FIXED DUNES IN SEMIARID REGIONS
- CHAPTER 5 COASTAL LANDFORMS
- FACTORS AND FORCES IN THE FORMATION OF COASTAL FEATURES
- WAVES
- LONGSHORE CURRENTS
- RIP CURRENTS
- TIDES
- OTHER FACTORS AND PROCESSES
- LANDFORMS OF EROSIONAL COASTS
- SEA CLIFFS
- WAVE-CUT PLATFORMS
- SEA STACKS
- SEA ARCHES
- LANDFORMS OF DEPOSITIONAL COASTS
- GENERAL COASTAL MORPHOLOGY
- STRAND-PLAIN COASTS
- BEACHES AND COASTAL DUNES
- CHAPTER 6 GLACIAL LANDFORMS
- GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
- TYPES OF GLACIERS
- GLACIAL EROSION
- GLACIAL DEPOSITION
- EROSIONAL LANDFORMS
- SMALL-SCALE FEATURES OF GLACIAL EROSION
- EROSIONAL LANDFORMS OF VALLEY GLACIERS
- EROSIONAL LANDFORMS OF CONTINENTAL GLACIERS
- DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS
- DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS OF VALLEY GLACIERS
- DEPOSITIONAL LANDFORMS OF CONTINENTAL GLACIERS
- PERIGLACIAL LANDFORMS
- FELSENMEERS, TALUS, AND ROCK GLACIERS
- PERMAFROST, PATTERNED GROUND, SOLIFLUCTION DEPOSITS, AND PINGOS
- CHAPTER 7 TECTONIC LANDFORMS AND METEORITE CRATERS
- TECTONIC LANDFORMS
- SALT DOMES
- TECTONIC BASINS AND RIFT VALLEYS
- METEORITE CRATERS AS MEASURES OF GEOLOGIC ACTIVITY
- THE IMPACT-CRATERING PROCESS
- VARIATIONS IN CRATERS ACROSS THE SOLAR SYSTEM
- METEORITE CRATERS AS MEASURES OF GEOLOGIC ACTIVITY
- CONCLUSION
- APPENDIX: SELECTED WORLD MOUNTAINS
- GLOSSARY
- BIBLIOGRAPHY
- CONTINENTAL LANDFORMS
- MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS
- CAVES AND SAND DUNES
- COASTAL LANDFORMS
- GLACIAL LANDFORMS
- TECTONIC LANDFORMS
- PLAYAS
- TECTONIC BASINS AND RIFT VALLEYS
- METEORITE CRATERS
- INDEX
- BACK COVER
