Global geomorphology. An introduction to the study of landforms / Глобальная геоморфология. Введение в изучение форм рельефа

Geomorphology is the science concerned with the form of the landsurface and the processes which create it. It is extended by some to include the study of submarine features, and with the advent of planetary exploration must now incorporate the landscapes of the major solid bodies of the Solar System. One focus for geomorphic research is the relationship between landforms and the processes currently acting on them. But many landforms cannot be fully explained by the nature and intensity of geomophic processes now operating so it is also nec~ssary to consider past events that may have helped shape the landscape. To a significant extent, then, geomorphology is a historical science. Since the landsurface is located at the interface of the Earth's lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, geomorphology is closely related to a wide range of other disciplines (Table 1.1). While having a central interest in landforms, geomorphologists must, none the less, be aware of those aspects of allied disciplines that bear on their subject. Equally, geomorphology has a potential, as yet only partially realized, of making significant contributions to these other areas of knowledge. <...>