The trajectory of geomorphology

Special Issue : The future of geomorphology

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
Modern geomorphology was founded in the nineteenth century as an exercise of historical interpretation of landscapes. After the mid-twentieth century it dominantly became a quest to understand the processes by which landscapes are modified. The period also saw the emergence of an applied geomorphology. Toward the end of the twentieth century the subject was transformed by improved technologies for remote sensing and surveying of Earth’s surface, the advent of personal computation and of large-scale computation, and important developments of absolute dating techniques. These technical innovations in turn promoted recognition of geomorphology as a ‘system science’ and facilitated the reintegration of tectonics into geomorphology. Finally, increasing recognition of the dominance of human agency in contemporary modification of Earth’s terrestrial surface has become a significant theme.


Type de document :
Article de monographie

Source :
Progress in physical geography, issn : 0309-1333, 2010, vol. 34, n°. 3, p. 265-286, nombre de pages : 22, Références bibliographiques : 4 p.

Date :
2010

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, London, Sage Publications