Studied by 83 peopleerosion
The process by which the surface of the earth is worn and transported away by the action of water, ice, wind and waves.
geographical processes
The physical and human forces that work in combination to form and transform the world, e.g. erosion, the water cycle, migration or urbanisation.
geomorphology
the study of the interaction of the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere, and the shapes that make up the physical environment of the earth’s surface. It also includes the relationship, and the results of the relationship, between people and the earth’s surface.
geomorphic processes
processes that develop landscapes and modify environments
two most important parts of geomorphic processes are
erosion and deposition
deposition
the natural process of laying down a deposit of something, such as sediments
examples of geomorphic processes include
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, movement of water or solids
landform
The shape (morphology) and character of the land surface that results from the interaction of physical processes
examples of landforms include
the action of water (fluvial action), action of wind, glacial action and weathering, and the movements within the earth's crust. e.g. dunes, plateaux, canyons, beaches, plains, rivers and valleys.
landscape
the visual features of an area
landscapes include
natural elements of landforms (such as mountains, valleys, coastlines) and water bodies (such as rivers, lakes, seas and oceans) living elements of land cover (including vegetation and wildlife) human elements (including different forms of land use, buildings and structures) changeable elements (such as weather conditions)
spatial distribution
the arrangement of particular phenomena or activities across the surface of the Earth
weathering
the physical or chemical breakdown of materials into smaller materials
mountain landscapes
formed by tectonic plates on the Earth's surface pushing against each other.
movement and pressure causes the shape of the land to change.
land is pushed up in a vertical direction and overtime forms mountains.
rise high above their surroundings.
can stand alone, be grouped in ranges, or form ridges.
coastal landscapes
water is the main geomorphic agent.
in the form of waves, can either gently lap or violently crash against the coastline.
Wind can also be a geomorphic agent in this environment.
water and wind create many coastal landforms such as cliffs, caves, beaches, dunes, reefs and islands.
coast
where a land mass meets the sea.
features of coastal landscapes include
beaches, dunes, bays, cliffs, platforms, spits and lagoons.
Riverine landscapes
formed by the natural movement of a water system such as a river. - a riverine landscape includes the ecosystems in and around the area of a river
a riverine may also be defined as a network of rivers and the surrounding land.
riverine landscapes are good for
agricultural uses such as farming because the land is rich and fertile. They are a valuable resource for growing food.
Desert/Arid landscapes
no more than 25 millimetres of rain per year.
cover about one-third of the Earth's surface and contain some of the most uninhabitable regions on Earth.
two types: hot deserts and cold deserts.
hot deserts are located along the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn (the latitude lines to the north and south of the Equator).
cold deserts are located closer to the Artie and Antarctic Circles (the circles of latitude in the far north and far south).
desert landscapes are characterised also by
Because of the lack of rain they have little vegetation (plant life). Instead deserts are characterised by sand dunes, rock and gravel
Karst landscapes
formed when easily dissolvable bedrock {the rock below the surface of the land, such as limestone) is worn away by slightly acidic water, from an underground source or a source on the Earth's surface.
These flows of water form unique features such as caves, stalactites, springs and sinkholes.
extremely unstable areas of land.
sinkholes
formed when rock beneath the Earth's surface has eroded away and sections of land on the surface collapse.
can range in size from a few metres to over 1 kilometre deep and
have been known to occasionally collapse, swallowing up everything on the surface including cars and buildings.
Tropical rainforest landscapes
lush forests which can be found along the Equator.
receive lots of sunlight and rainfall - at least 1500 millimetres per year.
abundance of rainfall and sunlight means that vegetation grows rapidly.
ecosystems are complex and highly productive.
home to a wide variety of species of flora {plants) and fauna {animals), about 50 to 70 percent of all the species on the Earth.
cover about 6 percent of the Earth's surface
glacial landscapes
An environment in which water, in its solid state (ice) is the main agent of erosion.
approximately 10% of the earth’s surface is covered by ice.
glaciers are like rivers of ice flowing down valleys
Glaciers have expanded and contracted throughout the geological history of the earth.
two types of glacial landscapes: · mountainous regions where glaciers may still be found and in which there is much evidence of more extensive glaciation in the past · lowland regions where glaciers retreated during past geological times.
Volcanic landscapes
molten rock acts as a geomorphic agent.
The process is called 'volcanism' and results in the molten rock being forced into the earth’s crust or out onto the surface of that crust (the earth’s surface) volcanism produces landforms that are: · intrusive features, found underneath the earth’s surface· extrusive features, found above the earth’s surface
more examples of landscapes...
Plain, taiga, tundra, wetland, mountain range, littoral zone (part of a coastal landscape), polar, shrubland, forest, woodland, jungle, moors
theory of plate tectonics
The Earth’s crust and upper mantle are broken into sections called plates Plates move around on top of the mantle like rafts
lithosphere
The crust and part of the upper mantle 100 km thick Less dense than the material below it so it “floats”
asthenosphere
The plastic layer below the lithosphere
divergent plate boundaries
rifting
the movement apart of tectonic plates, causes seafloor spreading
divergent boundaries features
Mid-ocean ridges rift valleys fissure volcanoes
convergent plate boundaries
Boundaries between two plates that are colliding
--> . <--
there are _ types of convergent plate boundaries
3 - oceanic plate and continental plate colliding, oceanic plate colliding with oceanic plate and continental plate colliding with continental plate
oceanic plate colliding with continental plate leads to
ocean plate colliding with a less dense continental plate: subduction zone: where the less dense plate slides under the more dense plate -> volcanoes occur at subduction zones
oceanic plate colliding with oceanic plate leads to
ocean plate colliding with another ocean plate: The less dense plate slides under the more dense plate creating a subduction zone called a trench
a continental plate colliding with another continental plate leads to
creates a collision zone
collision zone
a place where folded and thrust faulted mountains form.
transform folt boundaries
boundary between two plates that are sliding past each other forms earthquakes between faults ---> ... ---->
convection currents
Hot magma in the Earth moves toward the surface, cools, then sinks again. Creates convection currents beneath the plates that cause the plates to move
examples of australian ranges
• RANGES: Great Dividing, Carnarvon, Musgrave, Macdonnell, Davenport, Flinders, Grey, Hamersley, Robinson
examples of australian mountains
• MOUNTAINS: Kosciuszko, Bartle Frere, Ossa, Woodroffe, Liebig, Meharry, Bogong, Round
examples of australian deserts
• DESERTS: Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Simpson, Tanami, Gibson, Sturt Stony
examples of coastal landforms/landscapes
• COASTAL: North West Cape, Cape York, Cape Howe, Cape Byron, Moreton Bay, Esperance Bay, Kangaroo Island, Point d’Entrecasteaux, Exmouth Gulf, Spencer Gulf, Limmen Bight, Great Australian Bight, Gove Peninsula, Bass Strait
examples of australian rivers
• RIVERS: De Grey, Lachlan, Darling, Daly, Murray, Condamine, Leichhardt, Murchison, Diamantina, Cooper Creek
examples of lakes
• LAKES: Eyre, Pedder, Mackay, Torrens, Disappointment, Carey, Gairdner, Austin, Amadeus, Frome, Barlee
example of an australian monolith
• INSELBERG (Monolith): Uluru
spiritual value
values placed on something due to its connection, meaning, and significance to religion
economic value
value placed on something due to its role in the economy or infrastructure of that place, often associated with tourism
cultural value
the emphasis placed on something for its importance and place in society
aesthetic value
value placed on something due to its beauty
gradational processes
weathering, transport (erosion), deposition
gradation
the process of levelling of the land by natural agents like rivers, groundwater, winds, glaciers, and sea waves
tectonic
pertaining to the structure or movement of the earth's crust
tectonic processes
processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time, as well as general processes that occur within the crust
continental movement/drift
the hypothesis that the Earth's continents have moved over geologic time relative to each other, thus appearing to have "drifted" across the ocean bed
faulting
a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other
folding
a concept that embraces all geologic processes by which surfaces in rocks become curved during deformation. tectonic processes put stress on a rock, and the rock bends, instead of breaking
weathering types
chemical, physical/mechanical, biological
chemical weathering
must change the molecular structure of rocks and soil
mechanical weathering
a process that causes the disintegration of rocks, mineral, and soils without chemical change
biological weathering
biological weathering is the weakening and subsequent disintegration of rock by plants, animals and microbes
erosion/travel
condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind, and the sediments produced travel to another location
mass wasting
the movement of rock and soil down a slope under the influence of gravity
normal fault
an inclined fault in which the hanging wall appears to have slipped downward relative to the footwall
reverse fault
an inclined fault in which the hanging wall appears to have slipped upwards relative to the footwall
transform fault
a fault in which the hanging and foot walls have slipped horizontally against each other in opposite directions
anticline fold
a fold in the shape of an 'n'
syncline fold
a fold in the shape of a 'u'
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