Geomorphological Landscapes of the World

by Migon, Piotr

• ISBN13: 9789048130542
• ISBN10: 9048130549
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-02-03
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

Physical landscapes are one of the most fascinating facets of our Planet, which tell stories about the evolution of the surface of the Earth. This book provides up-to-date information about the geomorphology of the selected ‘classic’ sites from around the world and shows the variety of geomorphological landscapes as moulded by different sets of processes acting over different timescales, from millions of years to days. The volume is written by nearly fifty geomorphologists from more than twenty countries who for many years have researched some of the unique sceneries on the planet. The thirty six chapters present each continent of the world. They describe landscapes of different origin, so that the reader can learn about the complexity of processes behind the sceneries. This is a useful reference book, linking geomorphology with global initiatives focused on nature conservation.

Author Biography

Piotr Migonacute; is Professor of Geography at the University of Wroclaw, Poland. He was a Royal Society Fellow based at the University of Oxford, UK in 1995-1996, and a Fulbright Fellow based at the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2003. He served as the Secretary of the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG) in 1997-2001 and currently (2009-2013) is one of its three Vice-Presidents. His principal subject of research is how geological structures influence landforms and surface processes. Other explored issues include weathering, mass movement in mountain terrains, and long-term landform evolution. Piotr Migonacute; is also involved in various geo-conservation activities and in promotion of geomorphology. His recent publications include 'Granite Landscapes of the World' (Oxford University Press, 2006), a textbook on geomorphology published in Poland (2006), co-editing of 'Encyclopedia of Geomorphology' (Routledge, 2004) and numerous papers in international journals, including Geomorphology, Catena and Earth-Science Reviews.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
The Mackenzie Delta: An Archetypal Permafrost Landscape	p. 1
The South Nahanni: High-Latitude Limestone Landscapes	p. 13
Channeled Scablands: A Megaflood Landscape	p. 21
Badlands of the Northern Great Plains: Hell with the Fires Out	p. 29
Canyonlands and Arches: Windows on Landscapes in the American Southwest	p. 39
Grand Canyon: The Puzzle of the Colorado River	p. 49
Parícutin Volcano: To the Other Side	p. 59
The Cockpit Country of Jamaica: An Island within an Island	p. 69
The Gran Sabana: The World's Finest Quartzite Karst?	p. 79
Rio de Janeiro: A Metropolis Between Granite-Gneiss Massifs	p. 89
Iguazu Falls: A History of Differential Fluvial Incision	p. 101
The Southern Patagonian Andes: The Largest Mountain Ice Cap of the Southern Hemisphere	p. 111
The Dry Valleys: An Ancient and Cold Desert in Antarctica	p. 123
Drakensberg Escarpment: Mountains of Geomorphic Diversity	p. 133
Victoria Falls: Mosi-oa-Tunya - The Smoke That Thunders	p. 143
Spitzkoppe: The World of Granite Landforms	p. 155
Namib Sand Sea: Large Dunes in an Ancient Desert	p. 163
North-Eastern Niger: Sandstone Landscape of the Sahara	p. 171
Afar Triangle: Rift Valleys and Volcanoes over Plate Divergence	p. 183
Dolomites: The Spectacular Landscape of the 'Pale Mountains'	p. 191
Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland: Sandstone Rock Cities and Fascination in a Romantic Landscape	p. 201
The Dorset and East Devon Coast: England's Geomorphological World Heritage Site	p. 211
Fjords of Norway: Complex Origin of a Scenic Landscape	p. 223
Iceland: Glaciers and Volcanoes in the North Atlantic	p. 235
The Dead Sea Graben: Geomorphology of the Lowest Spot on Earth	p. 247
The Western Ghat: The Great Escarpment of India	p. 257
The Pokhara Valley: A Product of a Natural Catastrophe	p. 265
The Loess Plateau of China: Aeolian Sedimentation and Fluvial Erosion, Both with Superlative Rates	p. 275
Sanqingshan: The Incredible Granite Peaks of Eastern China	p. 283
Guangxi Karst: The Fenglin and Fengcong Karst of Guilin and Yangshuo	p. 293
Mt. Fuji: The Beauty of a Symmetric Stratovolcano	p. 303
Mulu: The World's Most Spectacular Tropical Karst	p. 311
Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas): Inselbergs of Central Australia	p. 321
Bungle Bungle: Tower Karst in Sandstone	p. 333
Wellington's Tectonic Landscape: Astride a Plate Boundary	p. 341
Pacific Atolls: A World Apart	p. 349
World Heritage and Geomorphology	p. 357
Index	p. 369
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