An Introduction to Theoretical Geomorphology

ISBN-13: 9789401094436 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 270 str.

C. Thorn

Opis

This book stems from the belief that undergraduate, and many graduate, students in geomorphology are taught far too little about the theoretical foundation of the discipline. This is a tragic oversight because all disci plines exist solely by virtue of a body of theory; furthermore, all substan tive research must, of necessity, be directed at improving this body of theory. While the centrality of theory is a characteristic of all science, it appears that it is fieldwork that has achieved sacrosanct status in geo morphology. The supreme standing of fieldwork would seem at first sight to be supported by such comments as that cited by Ager (1984, p. 42): "My old professor - the great H. H. Read - once said, 'The best geologist is, other things being equal, he who has seen the most rocks'. " The key issue in Read's comment is obviously "other things being equal"; what are these other things? For they will be just as applicable to geomorphology as to geology at large. One is certainly personal ability, but another critical com ponent is the individual's knowledge of relevant theory. Pursuit of theo retical knowledge is not generally a favored activity in geomorphology, a situation epitomized by Chorley's (1978, p. 1) one-liner: "Whenever anyone mentions theory to a geomorphologist, he instinctively reaches for his soil auger.

Recenzje

`The concentration on theory will be welcomed by many geomorphologists and will encourage more research into theory. With a long list of references this will be a very useful book providing a good background to practical geomorphology.'
The Geographical Journal
`...a worthwhile book which, rightly, argues the essential place of theory. Colin Thorn has certainly provided a valuable service in introducing theory in a relatively digestible form...a highly readable introduction.'
Geological Magazine

Spis treści

1 Introduction.- Content.- Organization.- A disciplinary context.- One.- 2 Science — the reality.- On thinking.- Science.- Philosophy.- Methodology.- Theory.- Technique.- Scientific method.- Some admonitions, caveats, and options.- 3 Geomorphology — definitions and approaches.- What is geomorphology?.- Some historical objectives in geomorphology.- Contemporary geomorphology.- Morphology.- Climatic geomorphology.- Process geomorphology.- Geotechnical science.- Applied geomorphology.- Geomorphology or geomorphologies?.- 4 The importance of terminology.- Terminology in geomorphology.- Description and interpretation.- Terminological problems.- Morphogenetic terms.- Inadequately defined terms.- Evolving terms.- Systematization.- 5 Uniformitarianism and ergodicity.- Uniformitarianism.- Definition.- Original purpose.- Contemporary uniformitarianism.- Uniformitarianism versus neocatastrophism.- Ergodicity.- Conclusions.- 6 Time in geomorphology.- The nature of geomorphic time.- Treatment and sampling of time.- Frequency.- Change through time.- Entropy and equilibrium.- Conclusions.- 7 Space in geomorphology.- Orientation.- Distance.- Connectiveness.- Boundaries.- Scale coverage.- Scale linkage.- Scale standardization.- Conclusions.- 8 Morphology.- Morphological mapping.- Geomorphometry.- Linear forms.- Areal forms.- Three-dimensional forms.- Conclusions.- 9 The fundamentals — a summary.- Two.- 10 Traditional models of landscape evolution.- William Morris Davis.- Scientific context.- The geographical cycle.- Davisian geomorphology: strengths and weaknesses.- Walter Penck.- Scientific context.- Penckian geomorphology.- Penckian geomorphology: strengths and weaknesses.- Lester Charles King.- Scientific context.- The standard epigene cycle of erosion.- King’s geomorphology: strengths and weaknesses.- Some comparative comments.- 11 A time-independent model.- John T. Hack.- Scientific context.- Dynamic equilibrium.- Dynamic equilibrium: strengths and weaknesses.- 12 Systems modeling.- Systems and models.- Definitions.- Classification of systems and system models.- Inputs to system models.- Canonical structures.- Canonical structures: geomorphic illustrations.- Systems modelling: an evaluation.- 13 Mathematical models.- Frank Ahnert.- Scientific context.- A mathematical equilibrium model.- Michael J. Kirkby.- Scientific background.- A deterministic continuous slope model.- The two models: a brief comparison.- 14 Diagnosis and prognosis.- Geomorphology: history or science?.- What kinds of theory?.- The yellow brick road.- Objective(s).- Methodology.- Some footnotes.- Multiple working hypothesis.- On linguistic preference.- Conclusion.- References.