Geomorphological Landscapes of the World

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.

Key themes:

Geomorphic processes

Geomorphology

Karst

Landscape

Landforms

Nature conservation

Tectonics

World Heritage

Piotr Migon 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. Currently he is a member of the IAG Task Group to strengthen cooperation between the IAG and the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). His recent publications include 'Granite Landscapes of the World' (Oxford University Press, 2006), a textbook on geomorphology published in Poland (2006) and numerous papers in international journals, including Geomorphology, Catena, Earth-Science Reviews.

Auteur

The editor Piotr Migon is Professor of Geography at the University of Wroclaw, Poland. In 1997-2001 he was the Secretary of the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG). His publications include 'Granite Landscapes of the World' (2006), co-editing of 'Encyclopedia of Geomorphology' (2004) and many papers in peer-reviewed international journals.

Contenu

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