What Is Geomorphology?
Geomorphology is the scientific study of the geometric features of landforms and the process that creates them. Geomorpholgists may study the historical process of landforms, such as erosion, in order to formulate a hypothesis about how a particular landform came into existence. They may also study current data along with the historical data in order to predict how landforms might change in the future or how to maintain current landforms. This allows scientists to both anticipate and plan for changes in the general structure of the earth. Geomorphology is a term etymologically derived from the Ancient Greek, where ge means earth and morphe means form.
Landforms of the earth are not static; rather, they are a dynamically changing system. There are various causes for such geomorphic processes. These causes include plate tectonics, changes of climate, volcanic activity, fluvial movement, and human intervention.
Movement of the earth's tectonic plates aid in the uplift and elevation of landforms. There are two types of tectonic uplift: orogenic and isostatic. Orogenic tectonic uplift is caused by the crashing together of the tectonic plates, which raises land to create forms such as mountains. Isostatic uplift refers to how landforms become higher after the weight of the land is reduced through processes such as erosion.
The geomorphic effect of water bodies are studied in fluvial geomorphology, which examines how bodies of water move sediment around. As fluvial bodies continue to carry more sediment, they tend to become bigger. This action displaces and changes the landform as water volume is increased.
Climate changes in the history of the earth have also affected landforms. During the Ice Age, the formation of ice sheets covered oceans and even mountaintops. These ice sheets compressed already existing landforms, however upon their melting, the compressed earth created uplift as it rebounded from its compressed state.
Factors that contribute to changes on the earth may also include human interventions. With the expansion of civilization, humans began to enact direct changes to their surrounding habitat. The most radical changes to landforms are made possible by superior technological and organizational skill, such as the building of the Panama or Suez canals.
Geomorphology is not restricted to questions about the landforms on earth. Extraterrestrial geomorphology is a growing field made possible by scientific data provided by satellites and space expeditions. This field investigates questions such as the possible existence of water on Mars. It also considers the creation of landforms on Mars, like the infamous Face on Mars located in the Cydonia region.
Written by Klaus Strasser
