Geomorphology studies the formation and changes of a planet’s surface, including natural processes such as erosion, tectonic movements, water bodies, glaciers, volcanoes, wind, and the impact of plants and animals. Human activities also contribute to changes in landforms. This field applies to all terrestrial planets, and related fields of study include archaeology, soil science, civil engineering, and environmental resource management.
Geomorphology is the scientific study of a planet’s surface and of those processes responsible for its formation. Scientists involved in this field often study historical changes, through events such as erosion, to understand how a particular geographic region came to be. They can also study current data to better predict how landforms might change in the future and to understand how people can help maintain current features. This allows scientists to anticipate changes in the earth’s overall structure.
Natural processes of change
Landforms on any world, including earth, are not static; they are part of a dynamically changing system. There are various geomorphic processes that can alter a world’s surface, including plate tectonics, climate change, and human activities. Wind can shape landscapes, as can water, both liquid and frozen, in the form of glaciers. Volcanic activity, including violent eruptions and the steady flow of lava from some sites, can create new islands or devastate a landscape. Plants and animals can also alter the landform, whether it’s a beaver damming a river or a grove of trees anchoring the soil in a particular location.
Tectonic changes
The slow movements of the earth’s tectonic plates contribute to the uplift and elevation of landforms. There are two common types of tectonic uplift: orogenic and isostatic. Orogenic tectonic uplift is caused when tectonic plates collide, lifting the land where they meet to create shapes such as mountains. Isostatic lift, on the other hand, refers to how landforms can become taller after the weight on the land is reduced; as land is eroded or glaciers melt, it is believed that the land that had been burdened may heave up.
Changes caused by water
The geomorphic effect of water bodies is studied in river geomorphology, which examines how water bodies alter the landscape. As streams like rivers flow, they often carry sediment, which reduces the land around the river itself but increases the areas where this sediment is released. Water from rain and flash floods can also be responsible for erosion, which physically alters rocks and other land areas.
Changes caused by glaciers
Glaciers also change the landscape. As these heavy layers of ice advanced across the landscape during the last ice age, they scoured the softer areas of land in their way; they also collected some of this material and moved it. As the ice melted, the valleys and fjords, coastal valleys filled with water, were left behind, as were the rocks and soil, called “till,” that the glacier collected.
Volcanic changes
On the flip side, volcanoes can both create and destroy landforms. Often found at tectonic plate boundaries, underwater volcanoes have shaped islands such as Hawaii, the Philippine Islands and New Zealand. On land, they can form large volcanic mountains. The violent explosion of a volcano can radically change the landscape and wipe out plants and animals in the area.
Changes caused by the wind
While often running much slower, wind can also alter the land. Called wind geomorphology, the wind can erode landforms, breaking them down and building up new ones, as material is moved from place to place. The Nebraska Sand Hills, for example, is an area where ancient winds created huge sand dunes that have since stabilized and become a regular part of the landscape.
Biogeomorfologia
Plants and animals can also have a big impact on the landscape. The animals dig tunnels and burrows, move rocks and dirt, and block rivers, among other things. Plant roots can grow through cracks in rocks, breaking them up, or help hold the soil together in an area, decreasing erosion from water and wind. Living beings can also combine with other forces to cause change; a volcanic eruption can destroy a forest, for example, leaving the soil in the area exposed to the elements caused by wind and rain.
Changes caused by people
Human interventions can also contribute to changes on earth. As civilization expanded, humans began to implement direct changes to their surroundings. The most radical changes to landforms are possible thanks to technological and organizational advances; the construction of the Panama or Suez canals, for example, were significant alterations to the natural shape of the earth. People have straightened rivers or prevented them from changing their course naturally, created lakes and other bodies of water, and in some cases prevented beaches from expanding or eroding. The long-term effects of many of the changes humans have made are not fully known, and it could take centuries for the side effects, good and bad, to become fully clear.
Geomorphology on other planets
Geomorphology is not limited to questions about landforms on earth; applies to all terrestrial planets. The field of “extraterrestrial geomorphology” is expanding thanks to the influx of scientific data from satellites and space expeditions. For example, volcanic eruptions on the surface of Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, have created many unique features, including high mountains and plains. Scientists who study Mars, Venus and other planets examine formations such as channels and valleys and theorize about the different processes that may have created them.
Related fields of study
Different research methods and fields of investigation are often used for this type of study. Archaeology, for example, can be invaluable in understanding how past human populations changed and shaped the environment and geography. Studying global relief through terrestrial and orbital photography is also beneficial, allowing geomorphologists to gain a better perspective of various landforms. Soil scientists study the composition and formation of soils, which helps explain how an area has changed over time.
Geomorphology is also used in many other fields. Civil engineers, for example, build and maintain structures such as roads, bridges, and dams; understanding how the landscape was formed and how it can change is fundamental to such projects. Environmental resource management involves finding ways to make the best use of resources, including water and land, so it’s critical to understand how human activities can change those resources.
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