Geomorphology is the study of the Earth's diverse physical land surface features and the dynamic processes that shape these features. Examining natural and anthropogenic processes, The SAGE Handbook of Geomorphology is a comprehensive exposition of the fundamentals of geomorphology that examines form, process, and history in the discipline. Organized into four sections, the Handbook is an overview of foundations and relevance, including the nature and scope of geomorphology, the origins and development of geomorphology, the role and character of theory in geomorphology, the significance of models and abstractions to geomorphology; techniques and approaches, including geomorphological mapping, field observations and experimental design, remote sensing in geomorphology, quantifying rates of erosion, measuring fluid flows and sediment fluxes, dating surfaces and sediment, GIS in geomorphology, and modelling landforms and processes; process and environment, including rock weathering, the evolution of regolith, hill slopes, riverine environments, glacial environments, periglacial environments, coastal environments, desert environments, karst landscapes, environmental change and anthropogenic activity; and environmental change, including geomorphology and environmental management, geomorphology and society, and planetary geomorphology.

Introduction to the Discipline of Geomorphology

Introduction to the Discipline of Geomorphology

Introduction to the discipline of geomorphology
Kenneth J.Gregory and AndrewGoudie

The word geomorphology, which means literally ‘to write about (Greek logos) the shape or form (morphe) of the earth (ge)’, first appeared in 1858 in the German literature (Laumann, 1858; see Roglic, 1972, Tinkler, 1985). The term was referred to in 1866 by Emmanuel de Margerie as ‘la géomorpholgie’ it first appeared in English in 1888 (McGee, 1888a,b) and was used at the International Geological Congress in 1891 in papers by McGee and Powell. The term came into general use, including by the US Geological Survey, after about 1890, and it received wide currency in Mackinder's lecture to the British Association meeting in Ipswich in 1895 when he referred to ‘what ...

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