Course Program
Introduction
The purpose and scope of geomorphology. Key concepts in geomorphology. Geomorphologic factors. Geomorphic processes and agents. Endogenic and exogenic processes and agents. Climate controls on morphogenesis: Biostasy and resistasy.
Weathering and associated landforms
The weathering system. The nature of weathering. Water and weathering. Chemical weathering. Physical weathering. Products of the weathering. The relative share of mechanical and chemical weathering in different morpho climates. Landforms due to weathering: honeycomb, tafoni, tors etc.
Slopes evolution
Denudation and slope developement. Mass movement processes. Talus slopes and cones, creep, soil creep, solifluction and gelifluction. Landslides. Landslides classification. Water erosion and solute transport on slopes. Splash erosion, sheet erosion, rill and gully erosion. Bedlands, Calanchi badlands, biancane, badlands, earth pillars. Debris flow and mud flow. Colluvial deposits.
Fluvial processes and landforms
Drainage basin hydrology. Channel discharge. Open channel flow. Laminar and turbulent flow. Velocity of flow. River energy and fluvial processes. Fluvial erosion. Sediment entrainment. Fluvial transport and deposition. Drainage basin. The longitudinal stream profile. Base level and profile development. Equilibrium tendency in profile development. Fluvial erosional landforms. Fluvial valley. Valley cross-section forms. Depositional fluvial landforms. Alluvial fans. Alluvial plains. Fluvial mouth. Stream channel patterns in relation on fluvial dynamics. Meandering channels evolution. Incised meanders. River terraces. Orografic and alluvional terraces. Eustatic, climatic e tettonic terraces. Davis cycle.
Karst processes and landforms
Karst processes in carbonatic and evaporitic rocks. Ground karst landforms. Underground karst landforms. Karst landscapes. Climate an karst morphogenesis. Tropical karst. Evolution of karst landscape.
Aeolian processes a
