Physical landscapes are one of the most fascinating facets of our Planet, which tell stories about the evolution of the surface of the Earth. This book provides up-to-date information about the geomorphology of the selected ‘classic’ sites from around the world and shows the variety of geomorphological landscapes as moulded by different sets of processes acting over different timescales, from millions of years to days. The volume is written by nearly fifty geomorphologists from more than twenty countries who for many years have researched some of the unique sceneries on the planet. The thirty six chapters present each continent of the world. They describe landscapes of different origin, so that the reader can learn about the complexity of processes behind the sceneries. This is a useful reference book, linking geomorphology with global initiatives focused on nature conservation.
This book presents an introduction to desert landscapes—primarily landforms that are natural and man-made. It is based around the presentation of a series of beautiful and informative annotated Google Earth images. These are accompanied by text that describes the feature(s) concerned, their location, and their origin. There are also, in some cases, ground images taken by the author.
This book on Turkish geomorphology offers location descriptions, based on their dynamics and evolution processes, including hydrology, tectonics, volcanism, slopes, coasts, ice/snow, and wind. It presents landforms as a result of evolution (Quaternary, Holocene, historic) and in relation to the elements determining and/or impacting this evolution (vegetation, soil, hydrology, geology, climate, sea level and human action) as well as the resulting landscapes. Richly illustrated with pictures from each site, including geomorphological maps and sections, it explains the risks associated with the geomorphological dynamics (on local and global scales), natural and/or cultural heritage (archaeology, prehistory, history, architectural specifications adapted to the landscape), as well as challenges for human society (endangered landscape, protection/conservation rules/statutes, posters/paintings.).
This unusual encyclopedia brings together in-depth information on more than 450 natural geographic features from around the world and offers an array of creative tools to promote critical thinking and classroom discussion. • Provides a one-stop reference for students of geography and environmental and earth sciences • Offers global coverage of diverse features, whether terrestrial, aquatic, geological, ecological, or physiographic • Includes an overview of the various kinds of landforms of the world, how they are formed, and how they continue to change over time • Explains each feature's origins and significance, as well as major environmental issues in which it's involved • Indicates the importance of features to the development of Western science and contemporary scientific thought in fields such as evolutionary biology, paleontology, plate tectonics, and climate change • Features a "Top 10s Appendix" to provoke student interest through statistics such as the tallest mountains, largest lakes, and longest rivers
This is the only book to focus on the geomorphological landscapes of Canada West. It outlines the little-appreciated diversity of Canada’s landscapes, and the nature of the geomorphological landscape, which deserves wider publicity. Three of the most important geomorphological facts related to Canada are that 90% of its total area emerged from ice-sheet cover relatively recently, from a geological perspective; permafrost underlies 50% of its landmass and the country enjoys the benefits of having three oceans as its borders: the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Canada West is a land of extreme contrasts — from the rugged Cordillera to the wide open spaces of the Prairies; from the humid west-coast forests to the semi-desert in the interior of British Columbia and from the vast Mackenzie river system of the to small, steep, cascading streams on Vancouver Island. The thickest Canadian permafrost is found in the Yukon and extensive areas of the Cordillera are underlain by sporadic permafrost side-by-side with the never-glaciated plateaus of the Yukon. One of the curiosities of Canada West is the presence of volcanic landforms, extruded through the ice cover of the late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs, which have also left a strong imprint on the landscape. The Mackenzie and Fraser deltas provide the contrast of large river deltas, debouching respectively into the Arctic and Pacific oceans.
This critical book focuses on the geomorphological landscapes of eastern Canada and provides a companion volume to “Landscapes and Landforms of Western Canada” (2017). There are a number of unique characteristics of eastern Canada’s landscapes, notably its magnificent coastlines, the extraordinary variety and extent of wetlands, the huge Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, the high incidence of meteorite craters, the spectacular Niagara Falls, urban karst in Montreal and Ottawa, youthful, glaciated karst in Ontario, Newfoundland, Quebec and Nova Scotia, the ubiquitous permafrost terrain of Nunavut, Labrador and northern Quebec and the magnificent arctic fjords and glaciers. Looking at coastlines, the tidal extremes of the Bay of Fundy are world renowned; the structural complexity of the island of Newfoundland is less well known, but produces an astounding variety of coastlines in close succession; the arctic fjordlands of Baffin and Ellesmere islands and the extravagant raised beaches of Hudson Bay bear comparison with the classic fjords of Norway and the Baltic Sea raised beaches. As for wetlands, there are distinctive Arctic, Subarctic, Boreal, Eastern Temperate and Atlantic wetlands, and their extent is second only to those of Russia. In the Hudson and James Bay regions, between 75-100% of the terrestrial surface is comprised of wetlands. One of North America’s largest river basins, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin, has its source in Minnesota, straddles the USA-Canada border and debouches into Quebec as the St. Lawrence River and evolves through its estuary into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a journey of almost 5,000 km. As far as meteorite craters are concerned, 10% of the world’s total are located in eastern Canada, including some of the largest and most complex landforms. They are preserved preferentially in the ancient Shield terrain of Quebec. Finally, the three million km2 of permafrost controlled relief in eastern Canada serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of eastern Canada’s landscapes to climate change. Effects of warming are expressed through thawing of the permafrost, disruption of transportation corridors and urban construction problems, ever-present geomorphic hazards.
This book presents selected research highlights from the Seventh Argentine Geomorphology and Quaternary Studies Congress, hosted at Puerto Madryn, Northern Patagonia, Argentina by the Argentine Association of Geomorphology and Quaternary Studies (AACYG). The congress included special sessions, symposia, invited lectures and posters on the following topics: Quaternary stratigraphy and geochronology, paleontology (diatoms, mollusks, foraminifera, palynology, phytoliths, paleobotany, vertebrates), dendrochronology, climate change, paleoclimate, Pampean Quaternary paleolimnology, paleomagnetism, environmental magnetism, hydrogeochemical processes, geoarchaeology, geomorphology, structural geology and neotectonics, paleosurfaces, volcanism, geological hazards, assets, geomorphosites, and digital mapping. The Scientific Committee of the Congress has selected the papers published in this volume from more than 150 contributions in many different disciplines.
Landscapes and Landforms of the Slovakia provides an attractive physiographical overview of the most prominent landscapes of Slovakia and the distinctive landforms associated with them. It describes the main driving factors leading to their evolution and importance for geoconservation and geotourism. The richly illustrated book provides the reader with enjoyable and informative descriptions of the selected sites within their regional geographical and geological settings range from the Tatras Mts. with glacially shaped relief as the highest region in the Carpahians to caves and lowlands taking into account fluvial, gravity-induced, karst and structural landscapes of the Slovakia. The book is organized in 3 parts: a) Introduction, which presents a general framework of the physical geography of Slovakia, b) Geomorphological landscapes, presenting papers dealing with key geomorphological areas, resp. landforms, c) Geoheritage and landscape protection, providing an updated vision on the geomorphological/geological heritage sites and landscape protection policy in Slovakia. The book will be relevant to scientists, scholars and any readers interested in geomorphology, geology, physical geography, geoheritage, landscape tourism and environmental protection. It can be also used for undergraduate and graduate courses in Earth and environmental sciences.
This book presents the geomorphological diversity of England and Wales. These regions are characterised by an extraordinary range of landforms and landscapes, reflecting both the occurrence of many different rock types and drastic climatic changes over the last few million years, including ice sheet expansion and decay. The book begins by providing the geological and geomorphological context needed in order to understand this diversity in a relatively small area. In turn, it presents nearly thirty case studies on specific landscapes and landforms, all of which are landmarks in the territory discussed. These include the famous coastal cliffs and landslides, granite tors of Dartmoor, formerly glaciated mountains of Snowdonia and the Lake District, karst of Yorkshire, and many others. The geomorphology of London and the Thames is also included. Providing a unique reference guide to the geomorphology of England and Wales, the book is lavishly illustrated with diagrams, colour maps and photos, and written in an easy-to-read style. The contributing authors are distinguished geomorphologists with extensive experience in research, writing and communicating science to the public. The book will not only be of interest to geoscientists, but will also benefit specialists in landscape research, geoconservation, tourism and environmental protection.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the Landscapes and Landforms of Switzerland. It covers the country’s geological and tectonic context, together with its climatic context, geomorphological history, structural and karstic landscapes, glacial and periglacial landscapes, landscapes with natural hazards, geomorphology and society, and the preservation of its geomorphological heritage. Richly illustrated, it presents case studies on some of the country’s most famous natural sites, including the Matterhorn, Aletsch Glacier, Sardona Tectonic Arena, and Engadine, among others.
This book presents extensive and new information on the geomorphology of cratonic areas of southern South America. It includes valuable data relating to recurrent controversies in general geomorphology beyond the boundaries of South America and reveals the great need to integrate many different aspects of geomorphology in regional studies. With the focus on ancient landscapes and especially on planation surfaces it addresses the question of what processes could form such huge features, and how they can be preserved for so long. Many of the papers include maps of planation surfaces or other geomorphic units. The volume brings together an up-to-date, state-of-the-art collection of information on South American geomorphology, and shows beyond doubt that geomorphology is on the same time scale as global tectonics, biological evolution and major climate change. Some of the papers describe ancient geomorphological features of areas that have never been studied or published before, while others describe regions which are totally unknown to the public. The scope of the book extends from tropical latitudes north of the Tropic of Capricorn, south to freezing Patagonia in the “roaring fifties”, more than 3,500 km from north to south. Including over one thousand citations from geological and geomorphological literature, this volume will serve as a starting point for a whole new phase of studies of the fascinating landscape history of southern South America.
![Earth's Landscape: An Encyclopedia of the World's Geographic Features [2 volumes]](https://books.google.com/books/content/images/frontcover/ErkxBgAAQBAJ)
