Geomorpholgy: NATURE AND SCOPE

The rapidly evolving discipline of geomorphology has undergone seachange in methodology and approaches to landforms and related processes.

1. TOPIC: GEOMORPHOLOGY:MEANING, & SCOPE…. APOORVA MATHUR

2. The rapidly evolving discipline of geomorphology has undergone seachange in methodology and approaches to landforms and related processes. INTRODUCTION

3. MEANING:- Geomorphology is significant branch of physical geography( geomorphology,oceanography,climatology and biogeography). The geomorphology stems from three GREEK WORDS i.e. ‘ ge ’(meaning earth), ‘ morphe ’(form) and ‘logos’(a discourse).

4. DEFINITION It is defined as the science of description of various forms of the earth’s surface. Geomorphology may be defined as the systematic description and analysis of landscapes and the processes that change them. - A.L.Bloom

5. SCOPE OF GEOMORPHOLOGY The subject matter of geomorphology may be organised on the basis of 1.Dimension and scale of relief features(landforms); 2.Processes that shape the landforms and 3.The approaches to the geomorphic studies.

6. Process geomorphology has evolved into subfields of specializtion such as hillscope morphology,fluvial processes,karst,volcanic,arid,eolian , glacial and coastal geomorphology-to name only some of the better known.

7. To illustrate the concept of geomorphic description in terms of structure,process,and tme,consider the following two descriptive paragraphs. The first is empirical;it states what and where ; The second is explanatory;it denotes how as well as what and where.

8. RELIEF FEATURES OF THE FIRST ORDER On the smallst scale and covering the largest area is the ‘world geomorphology’. which includes consideration of continents and ocean basins consideration and interpretation of worldwide erosion surfaces requires the analysis of the characteristics and evolution of continents and ocean basins. Eg:plate tectonics help in understanding the origin of continents and ocean basins.

9. RELIEF FEATURES OF THE SECOND ORDER The structural forms developed over a continent part thereof as mountains,plateaus,lakes,faults,rift valleys etc. constitute the category of relief features of the second order. These are also known as “constructional landforms”.

10. RELIEF FEATURES OF THE THIRD ORDER Micro –level landforms developed on second order relief features by exogenic denudational processes originating from the atmosphere are included in this category. these landforms may be erosional (glacial valleys,river valley,karst valley etc) and depositional ( drumlins,flood plains,inselbergs etc) and sometimes minor tectonics features(by endogenetic forces).

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