Teaching about relict, no-analog landscapes

Only a few very young landforms are the result of currently operating geomorphic processes. Because the time scale for landscape evolution is much longer than the time scale for late Cenozoic climate changes, almost all landscapes are palimpsests, written over repeatedly by various combinations of climate-determined processes. Relict glacial and periglacial landforms are widely identified in mid-latitude regions that have been traditionally described as having been shaped by the “normal” processes of fluvial erosion. Less confidently, deeply weathered regolith and associated relict landforms in the middle and high latitudes are attributed to early Tertiary warmth. However, assemblages of geomorphic processes specific to certain climatic regions, like faunal and floral assemblages, cannot be translated across latitude, so in spite of the many books about the geomorphology of specific modern climate regions, there are few sources that discuss former warm high-latitude, or cold low-latitude, low-altitude geomorphic processes that have no modern analogs. Students and teachers alike who attempt to interpret landforms by extrapolating modern climatic conditions to other latitudinal zones will find their outlook broadened, and they become better prepared to consider the geomorphic impacts of global climate change.     

The role of roadcuts, quarries, and other artificial exposures in geomorphology education

Quarries and roadcuts are time-honored stopping points on geoscience field trips. Artificial exposures are good field sites for learning because of their accessibility, and the potential range of features they present for first-hand examination. On undergraduate-level field excursions, site discussions typically center on stratigraphic unit identification, correlation, depositional environments, paleontology, facies relationships, lithology, mineralogy, and/or structural features. It is rare (in my experience) for geomorphologic features and relationships to be the focus of attention, or even to receive more than passing mention. Yet, roadcuts and quarries offer much potential for learning about basic landform features, forms, and processes. This paper, with illustrated examples, discusses five general characteristics, present in artificial exposures, that offer opportunities for learning about geomorphology. (1) Roadcuts and quarries expose cross sections, not only of structure, but also of landforms, illustrating relationships between subsurface geology and the surface landscape. (2) The faces of roadcuts and quarries are anthropomorphic landforms of relatively well-known age and original form, two qualities that provide opportunities for discussing erosional modification over time. (3) These sites are generally nodes of intense geomorphic activity, useful for directly observing landform processes and their effects. The intensity of degradational and depositional processes at artificial exposures often produces (4) landform miniatures, and (5) landform analogs, both providing instructional examples or illustrations of geomorphic features. In addition to their utility to other geoscience sub-disciplines, roadcuts and quarries also offer important opportunities for students to learn about basic geomorphologic concepts, processes, and forms.     

Lithologic, structural, and geomorphic controls on ribbon forest patterns in a glaciated mountain environment

So-called “ribbon forests” have been attributed to snowdrift patterns and fire history without reference to geomorphology [Vegetatio 19 (1969) 192.]. This paper illustrates how site conditions of geomorphology and geology explain the origin of ribbon forests. In Glacier National Park, MT (USA), regional tectonic uplift associated with the Laramide Orogeny produced structural features that amplify lithologic differences. Pleistocene glaciation scoured deeply along the strike of bedding planes, highlighting this pattern and in some cases producing fine-scale parallel finger lakes between forested ribbon strips.Twelve ribbon forest sites on both sides of the Continental Divide were closely studied on stereoscopic aerial photographs, and several of these sites were examined in the field or from helicopter overflights. In all cases, geologic and geomorphic conditions explain the location and distribution of the ribbon forests. Change-detection of the distribution of trees versus nontree-covered surfaces in an area of ribbon forest on Flattop Mountain, a complex uplifted synclinal structure, was undertaken using panchromatic, low-altitude aerial photographs from 1966 to 1991. Areas changed from forest to meadow and from meadow to forest in roughly equal amounts in a generally random spatial pattern. No evidence was seen to suggest that the creation of one ribbon eventually created another downwind, as suggested by Billings. Aerial photograph interpretation, field examination and soils analyses of forest ribbons and adjacent unforested meadows clearly illustrated that trees occupy higher, parallel to subparallel, well-drained sites where the spatial pattern is in turn a distinct reflection of the spatial pattern of structure and stratigraphy. Meadows occupy topographically lower positions between ridges where erosion along bedding plane strike was concentrated. Topography sets conditions that allow tree growth in certain locations while precluding it in immediately adjacent areas. Ribbon forests there are thus a spatial manifestation of the interaction between structure, lithology, and topography.     

Interaction of geomorphic and ecologic features across altitudinal zones in a subarctic landscape

Vegetation is often considered to stabilize geomorphic processes. An increasing abundance of vegetation may cause negative feedbacks within a periglacial system. In this study, we explored the importance of vegetation on the occurrence of active cryoturbation-dominated feature fields in subarctic Finland on a landscape scale. The vegetation–cryoturbation interaction was studied across three altitudinal zones by applying hierarchical partitioning (HP) and variation partitioning (VP) methods that overcome collinearity problems in multivariate analysis. Firstly, our results showed that vegetation factors, especially the canopy cover of the field-layer vegetation and the total above ground biomass, were among the most important environmental variables affecting the occurrence of active cryoturbation features. Moreover, vegetation factors were for the most part positively associated with cryoturbation. Under the predicted global warming, the ‘greening’ of arctic and subarctic regions may, therefore, decrease and also increase the activity of the periglacial processes in sparsely vegetated terrain. Secondly, our analyses gave contrasting results of the environmental factors of the periglacial processes across altitudinal zones, although the relative importance of the vegetation group was rather constant throughout the zones. Thus, we stress the importance of the spatial study setting in geomorphic studies in topographically varying relief. We recommend either taking the altitudinal zonation of the landscape into consideration or studying the features within a predetermined zone to decrease misinterpretations in environment–process relationships. Methodologically, our results encourage wider applications of partitioning methods in multivariate settings in geomorphology.     

分形理论及其在地貌学中的应用──分形地貌学研究综述及展望

本文简介了分形的有关基本概念,回顾了分形理论在海岸、流水、喀斯特地貌等多种地貌类型和流域地貌发育的形态研究中,以及在地貌过程研究中的应用的新近成果,并提出了今后分形地貌学研究的五个主要方面.     

Perfection and complexity in the lower Brazos River

The “perfect landscape” concept is based on the notion that any specific geomorphic system represents the combined, interacting effects of a set of generally applicable global laws and a set of geographically and historically contingent local controls. Because the joint probability of any specific combination of local and global controls is low, and the local controls are inherently idiosyncratic, the probability of existence of any given landscape is vanishingly small. A perfect landscape approach to geomorphic complexity views landscapes as circumstantial, contingent outcomes of deterministic laws operating in a specific environmental and historical context. Thus, explaining evolution of complex landscapes requires the integration of global and local approaches. Because perfection in this sense is the most important and pervasive form of complexity, the study of geomorphic complexity is not restricted to nonlinear dynamics, self-organization, or any other aspects of complexity theory. Beyond what can be achieved via complexity theory, the details of historical and geographic contexts must be addressed. One way to approach this is via synoptic analyses, where the relevant global laws are applied in specific situational contexts. A study of non-acute tributary junctions in the lower Brazos River, Texas illustrates this strategy. The application of generalizations about tributary junction angles, and of relevant theories, does not explain the unexpectedly high occurrence or the specific instances of barbed or straight junctions in the study area. At least five different causes for the development of straight or obtuse junction angles are evident in the lower Brazos. The dominant mechanism, however, is associated with river bank erosion and lateral channel migration which encroaches on upstream-oriented reaches of meandering tributaries. Because the tributaries are generally strongly incised in response to Holocene incision of the Brazos, the junctions are not readily reoriented to the expected acute angle. The findings are interpreted in the context of nonlinear divergent evolution, geographical and historical contingency, synoptic frameworks for generalizing results, and applicability of the dominant processes concept in geomorphology.     

Geomorphology's role in the study of weathering of cultural stone

Great monumental places—Petra, Giza, Angkor, Stonehenge, Tikal, Macchu Picchu, Rapa Nui, to name a few—are links to our cultural past. They evoke a sense of wonderment for their aesthetic fascination if not for their seeming permanence over both cultural and physical landscapes. However, as with natural landforms, human constructs are subject to weathering and erosion. Indeed, many of our cultural resources suffer from serious deterioration, some natural, some enhanced by human impact. Groups from the United Nations to local civic and tourism assemblies are deeply interested in maintaining and preserving such cultural resources, from simple rock art to great temples. Geomorphologists trained in interacting systems, process and response to thresholds, rates of change over time, and spatial variation of weathering processes and effects are able to offer insight into how deterioration occurs and what can be done to ameliorate the impact.Review of recent literature and case studies presented here demonstrate methodological and theoretical advances that have resulted from the study of cultural stone weathering. Because the stone was carved at a known date to a “baseline” or zero-datum level, some of the simplest methods (e.g., assessing surface weathering features or measuring surface recession in the field) provide useful data on weathering rates and processes. Such data are difficult or impossible to obtain in “natural” settings. Cultural stone weathering studies demonstrate the importance of biotic and saline weathering agents and the significance of weathering factors such as exposure (microclimate) and human impact. More sophisticated methods confirm these observations, but also reveal discrepancies between field and laboratory studies. This brings up two important caveats for conservators and geomorphologists. For the conservator, are laboratory and natural setting studies really analogous and useful for assessing stone damage? For the geomorphologist, does cultural stone data have any real relevance to the natural environment? These are questions for future research and debate. In any event, cultural stone weathering studies have been productive for both geomorphologists and conservators. Continued collaboration and communication between the geomorphic, historic preservation, archaeological, and engineering research communities are encouraged.     

Rock varnish microlamination dating of late Quaternary geomorphic features in the drylands of western USA

Varnish microlamination (VML) dating is a correlative age determination technique that can be used to date and correlate various geomorphic features in deserts. In this study, we establish a generalized late Quaternary (i.e., 0–300 ka) varnish layering sequence for the drylands of western USA and tentatively correlate it with the SPECMAP oxygen isotope record. We then use this climatically correlated varnish layering sequence as a correlative dating tool to determine surface exposure ages for late Quaternary geomorphic features in the study region. VML dating of alluvial fan deposits in Death Valley of eastern California indicates that, during the mid to late Pleistocene, 5–15 ky long aggradation events occurred during either wet or dry climatic periods and that major climate shifts between glacial and interglacial conditions may be the pacemaker for alteration of major episodes of fan aggradation. During the Holocene interglacial time, however, 0.5–1 ky long brief episodes of fan deposition may be linked to short periods of relatively wet climate. VML dating of alluvial desert pavements in Death Valley and the Mojave Desert reveals that pavements can be developed rapidly (< 10 ky) during the Holocene (and probably late Pleistocene) in the arid lowlands (< 800 m msl) of these regions; but once formed, they may survive for 74–85 ky or even longer without being significantly disturbed by geomorphic processes operative at the pavement surface. Data from this study also support the currently accepted, “being born at the surface” model of desert pavement formation. VML dating of colluvial boulder deposits on the west slope of Yucca Mountain, southern Nevada, yields a minimum age of 46 ka for the emplacement of these deposits on the slope, suggesting that they were probably formed during the early phase of the last glaciation or before. These results, combined with those from our previous studies, demonstrate that VML dating has great potential to yield numerical age estimates for various late Quaternary geomorphic features in the western USA drylands.     

Profile convexities in bedrock and alluvial streams

Longitudinal profiles of bedrock streams in central Kentucky, and of coastal plain streams in southeast Texas, were analyzed to determine the extent to which they exhibit smoothly concave profiles and to relate profile convexities to environmental controls. None of the Kentucky streams have smoothly concave profiles. Because all observed knickpoints are associated with vertical joints, if they are migrating it either occurs rapidly between vertical joints, or migrating knickpoints become stalled at structural features. These streams have been adjusting to downcutting of the Kentucky River for at least 1.3 Ma, suggesting that the time required to produce a concave profile is long compared to the typical timescale of environmental change. A graded concave longitudinal profile is not a reasonable prediction or benchmark condition for these streams. The characteristic profile forms of the Kentucky River gorge area are contingent on a particular combination of lithology, structure, hydrologic regime, and geomorphic history, and therefore do not represent any general type of equilibrium state. Few stream profiles in SE Texas conform to the ideal of the smoothly, strongly concave profile. Major convexities are caused by inherited topography, geologic controls, recent and contemporary geomorphic processes, and anthropic effects. Both the legacy of Quaternary environmental change and ongoing changes make it unlikely that consistent boundary conditions will exist for long. Further, the few exceptions within the study area–i.e., strongly and smoothly concave longitudinal profiles–suggest that ample time has occurred for strongly concave profiles to develop and that such profiles do not necessarily represent any mutual adjustments between slope, transport capacity, and sediment supply. The simplest explanation of any tendency toward concavity is related to basic constraints on channel steepness associated with geomechanical stability and minimum slopes necessary to convey flow. This constrained gradient concept (CGC) can explain the general tendency toward concavity in channels of sufficient size, with minimal lithological constraints and with sufficient time for adjustment. Unlike grade- or equilibrium-based theories, the CGC results in interpretations of convex or low-concavity profiles or reaches in terms of local environmental constraints and geomorphic histories rather than as “disequilibrium” features.     

Cellular automata as analysis and synthesis engines at the geomorphology–ecology interface

The linkages between ecology and geomorphology can be difficult to identify because of physical complexity and the limitations of the current theoretical representations in these two fields of study. Deep divisions between these disciplines are manifest in the methods used to simulate process, such as rigidly physical-deterministic methods for many aspects of geomorphology compared with purely stochastic simulations in many models of change in landcover. Practical and theoretical research into ecology–geomorphology linkages cannot wait for a single simulation schema which may never come; as a result, studies of these linkages often appear disjointed and inconsistent.The grid-based simulation framework for cellular automata (CA) allows simultaneous use of competing schemas. CA use in general geographic studies has been primarily limited to urban simulations models of change for land cover, both highly stochastic and/or expert rule-based. In the last decade, however, methods for describing physically deterministic systems in the CA framework have become much more accurate. The possibility now exists to merge separate CA simulations of different environmental systems into unified “multiautomata” models. Because CAs allow transition rules that are deterministic, probabilistic, or expert rule-based, they can immediately incorporate the existing knowledge rules in ecology and geomorphology. The explicitly spatial nature of CA provides a map-like framework that should allow a simple and deeply rooted connection with the mapping traditions of the geosciences and ecological sciences.     

The Grayling Fingers region of Michigan: soils, sedimentology, stratigraphy and geomorphic development

This paper provides data on the landforms, soils, and sediments within a unique northern Michigan landscape known as the Grayling Fingers, and evaluates these data to develop various scenarios for the geomorphic development of this region. Composed of several large, flat-topped ridges that trend N–S, the physiography of the “Fingers” resembles a hand. Previously interpreted as “remnant moraines”, the Grayling Fingers are actually a Pleistocene constructional landscape that was later deeply incised by glacial meltwater. The sediments that comprise the Fingers form a generally planar assemblage, with thick (>100 m), sandy glacial outwash forming the lowest unit. Above the outwash are several meters of till that is remarkably similar in texture to the outwash below; thus, the region is best described as an incised ground moraine. Finally, a thin silty “cap” is preserved on the flattest, most stable uplands. This sediment package and the physiography of the Fingers are suggestive of geomorphic processes not previously envisioned for Michigan.Although precise dates are lacking, we nonetheless present possible sequences of geomorphic/sedimentologic processes for the Fingers. This area was probably a topographic high prior to the advance of marine isotope stage 2 (Woodfordian) ice. Much of the glacial outwash in the Fingers is probably associated with a stagnant, early Woodfordian ice margin, implying that this interlobate area remained ice-free and ice-marginal for long periods during stage 2. Woodfordian ice eventually covered the region and deposited 5–10 m of sandy basal till over the proglacial outwash plain. Small stream valleys on the outwash surface were palimpsested onto the till surface as the ice retreated, as kettle chains and as dry, upland valleys. The larger of these valleys were so deeply incised by meltwater that they formed the large, through-flowing Finger valleys. The silt cap that occupies stable uplands was probably imported into the region, while still glaciated. The Fingers region, a col on the ice surface, could have acted as a collection basin for silts brought in as loess or in superglacial meltwater. This sediment was let down as the ice melted and preserved only on certain geomorphically stable and fluvially isolated locations. This study demonstrates that the impact of Woodfordian ice in this region was mostly erosional, and suggests that Mississippi Valley loess may have indirectly impacted this region.     

Predicting landslides for risk analysis — Spatial models tested by a cross-validation technique

A landslide-hazard map is intended to show the location of future slope instability. Most spatial models of the hazard lack reliability tests of the procedures and predictions for estimating the probabilities of future landslides, thus precluding use of the maps for probabilistic risk analysis. To correct this deficiency we propose a systematic procedure comprising two analytical steps: “relative-hazard mapping” and “empirical probability estimation”. A mathematical model first generates a prediction map by dividing an area into “prediction” classes according to the relative likelihood of occurrence of future landslides, conditional by local geomorphic and topographic characteristics. The second stage estimates empirically the probability of landslide occurrence in each prediction class, by applying a cross-validation technique. Cross-validation, a “blind test” here using non-overlapping spatial or temporal subsets of mapped landslides, evaluates accuracy of the prediction and from the resulting statistics estimates occurrence probabilities of future landslides. This quantitative approach, exemplified by several experiments in an area near Lisbon, Portugal, can accommodate any subsequent analysis of landslide risk.     

The effect of syndepositional deformation within the Upper Permian Capitan Platform on the speleogenesis and geomorphology of the Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico, USA

The Guadalupe Mountains in New Mexico and Texas are home to more than 300 caves. Caves have been formed within the Upper Permian Capitan carbonate platform and are oriented along two structural trends, one of which is parallel to the platform margin and the other of which is roughly perpendicular to it. Our recent studies of the Capitan Platform have identified syndepositional faults associated with growth monoclines and synclines in Slaughter Canyon, New Mexico, and these are also parallel to the platform margin. In this study, we demonstrate that syndepositional faults and folds are also present in Rattlesnake and Walnut Canyons, as much as 19 km along strike, and that they have exerted control on karstification of the Guadalupe Mountains from the Upper Permian until present.Three distinctive episodes of karst formation have been recognised in outcrops on the basis of karst-filling deposits and crosscutting relationships. The syndepositional “Phase 1 karst” was formed along syndepositional faults and fractures and is filled by platform-derived sediments. The burial “Phase 2 karst” is filled by post-Permian siliciclastics and is limited to the youngest syndepositional faults and fractures that penetrate the platform in the proximity of its terminal margin. Connectivity of these youngest faults and fractures to the platform top and the overlying stratigraphy is inferred to have controlled the distribution of the Phase 2 karst. The “Phase 3 karst” includes the present cave systems, which were mainly formed by sulphuric acid produced by mixing of fossil and fresh underground waters in conjunction with the uplift of the Guadalupe Mountains in the Late Tertiary, and have since been modified by vadose karst processes. The Phase 3 karst caves are not solely developed along syndepositional faults and fractures as the earlier karst palaeocaverns are, but also follow another, uplift-related, structural trend.Syndepositional folds, faults, and fractures in the Capitan Platform have influenced the shaping of the modern surface geomorphology of the Guadalupe Mountains by controlling drainage and, hence, erosion. Trellis drainage parallel to the platform margin is developed where syndepositional folds, faults, and fractures occur. The morphology of the trellis drainage varies systematically across the range in response to the character of the deformation structures and karst features along which the drainage channels have developed.     

曾昭璇先生对南海地理研究的重要贡献

曾昭璇先生是中国著名的地理学家,地貌学家和教育家.他在学术生涯的不同阶段对地貌学,自然地理学,历史地理学,人类地理学等学科领域均有积极的探索,他对南海地理问题的研究贯穿他的一生,为中国南海地理研究作出重要贡献.他深入研究南海海岸地貌,珊瑚礁地貌,主张采用"地形类型分析法"划分海岸类型,将中国海岸类型划分为山地港湾岸,台地岸与平原岸;他与梁景芬等合著《中国珊瑚礁地貌研究》,系统论述中国珊瑚礁探测史和石珊瑚的种属,生态,地貌特征与发育,并将中国珊瑚礁划分为四大区,六种地貌类型;他完善了珊瑚礁地貌土地名分类,根据《更路簿》划分南海珊瑚岛礁分布区,绘制珊瑚岛礁探测图;他利用历史文献资料考证"石塘"等南海诸岛古地名;他从地质学与地貌学角度论证南海诸岛与中国大陆的陆缘关系,还利用历史地理与地方志等资料佐证了南海诸岛自古以来就是中国的固有领土.     

Morphotectonic evidence from lateral propagation of an active frontal fold; Pakuashan anticline, foothills of Taiwan

The Pakuashan anticline is uniquely suited for study of the forward and lateral growth of fault-related folds. The Pakuashan ridge development arises from the late Quaternary uplift of the most external thrust zone of the western foothills of Taiwan. From Kaoshiung to Taichung, recent and active westward thrusting occurs at the front of the foothills. The Pakuashan anticline, trending N 150°E in the northern part to N 000° in the southern part, has been active throughout the Quaternary period. This activity is marked by geological structures, tectonic geomorphology and seismicity. A multisource and multiscale approach to study of the continental collision setting has been undertaken to combine tectonics, sedimentology and geomorphology. Studies of fracture patterns allow identification of two main features of stress orientations: a WNW/ESE compression direction, and E–W and N–S extension directions. Quantitative geomorphic parameters have been used to define the morphotectonic evolution and to infer tectonic style along the mountain front. Geomorphic evidence provides significant information on the processes that govern lateral propagation of an active anticline. Quaternary terraces are uplifted, tilted and folded over the Pakuashan ridge. Drainage systems in areas of active compression give information on the thrust zone structures and their development. Steep drainage and high local relief indicate that the Pakuashan anticline forms a well-defined zone of high uplift, especially in the southern part. The two main controls on drainage in that area are rock strength in the hanging wall and propagation of the deformation towards the south.     

Heavy metal storage in near channel sediments of the Lahn River, Germany

Heavy metal pollution in urban, industrial, and mined watersheds of Europe is well documented, but less is known about metal contamination in agrarian watersheds or those with no history of mining. Along a 75-km reach of the Lahn River, central Germany, near-channel flood-plain sediments (<5 m from the active channel) have mean concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn that exceed background values. Vertically, metal concentrations are highest at 15 or 20 cm below the flood plain. Although mean metal concentrations in the watershed are below mean values found in more industrial watersheds of western Europe, individual near-channel sites along the Lahn River have metal concentrations approaching those found in more urbanized drainage basins. Several sites along the Lahn are “excessively contaminated” with Cd and “moderately/strongly” contaminated with Cu, Pb, and Zn. Metal concentrations are generally higher and more variable downstream from metal-producing locations and in the vicinity of industrial facilities. Topographic and geomorphic factors appear to have minimal influence on near-channel metal concentrations. The elevated concentrations of metals in geomorphically sensitive channel banks and near-channel sediments raise the possibility of future metal pollution in the Lahn River watershed even as metal emissions to the environment decline.     

Geomorphic hazard assessment of landslide dams in South Westland, New Zealand: fundamental problems and approaches

Quantitative assessments of landslide hazard usually employ empirical, heuristic, deterministic, or statistical methods to derive estimates of magnitude–frequency distributions of landsliding. The formation and failure of landslide dams are common geomorphic processes in mountain regions throughout the world, causing a series of consequential off-site hazards such as catastrophic outburst floods, debris flows, backwater ponding, up- and downstream aggradation, and channel instability.Conceptual and methodological problems of quantifying geomorphic hazard from landslide dams result from (a) aspects of defining “landslide-dam magnitude”, (b) scaling effects, i.e. the geomorphic long-range and long-term implications of river blockage, and (c) paucity of empirical data. Geomorphic hazard from a landslide dam-break flood on the basis of conditional probabilities is being analysed for the alpine South Westland region of New Zealand, where formation and failure of landslide dams is frequent. Quantification of the annual probability of landsliding and subsequent dam formation in the area is limited by historical and only partially representative empirical data on slope instability. Since landslide-dam stability is a major control governing the potential of catastrophic outburst flooding, the ensuing hazard is best assessed on a recurring basis. GIS-based modelling of virtual landslide dams is a simple and cost-effective approach to approximate site-specific landslide dam and lake dimensions, reservoir infill times, and scaled magnitude of potential outburst floods. Although crude, these order-of-magnitude results provide information critical to natural hazard planning, mitigation, or emergency management decisions.     

Geomorphic analysis of large alluvial rivers

Geomorphic analysis of a large river presents particular challenges and requires a systematic and organised approach because of the spatial scale and system complexity involved. This paper presents a framework and blueprint for geomorphic studies of large rivers developed in the course of basic, strategic and project-related investigations of a number of large rivers. The framework demonstrates the need to begin geomorphic studies early in the pre-feasibility stage of a river project and carry them through to implementation and post-project appraisal. The blueprint breaks down the multi-layered and multi-scaled complexity of a comprehensive geomorphic study into a number of well-defined and semi-independent topics, each of which can be performed separately to produce a clearly defined, deliverable product. Geomorphology increasingly plays a central role in multi-disciplinary river research and the importance of effective quality assurance makes it essential that audit trails and quality checks are hard-wired into study design. The structured approach presented here provides output products and production trails that can be rigorously audited, ensuring that the results of a geomorphic study can stand up to the closest scrutiny.     

The Promise for Geomorphic Discovery in the South

Abstract

Until recently a neglected region, renown for limited exposures, the southern United States is becoming an area of geomorphic discovery. This article presents an overview of current geomorphic research in this region, suggesting that despite past problems, academic geographers have made significant contributions to the geomorphology of the South in recent years. Research topics published on the region are highly varied, with some spatial bias as well as topical bias toward fluvial systems. Yet because of the limited historical work, much is unknown about these unique landscapes and their susceptibility to natural and human disturbances, and much benefit is to be gained from both applied and theoretical study of them.