Lyell Collection
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
Lyell Centre  |   Lyell Collection  |   Subscriptions   |   Geological Society  |   Email alerts  |   Online bookshop  |   Help

Keywords:
Author:
Advanced search>>
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF) FREE
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gallagher, K.
Right arrow Articles by Wainwright, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 2008; v. 296; p. 1-5;
DOI: 10.1144/SP296.1
© 2008 Geological Society of London

Articles

The Earth's dynamic surface: an overview

Kerry Gallagher1, Stuart Jones2 & John Wainwright3

1 Géosciences Rennes, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, Rennes, 35042, France email: kerry.gallagher@univ-rennes1.fr
2 Department of Earth Sciences, South Road, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
3 Sheffield Centre for International Drylands Research, Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.


   Catastrophe and continuity in landscape evolution
 
Debate about the relative roles of catastrophic v. continuous processes of landform evolution is as old as the discipline of Earth Science itself. Over the last 10 years or so, research in the Earth Sciences has focussed strongly on the Earth's surface and particularly in terms of quantifying rates of processes. This research parallels developments in geomorphology and sedimentology in the quantification of surface processes since the 1950s and 1960s. These surface processes are the manifestation of the large-scale interaction of climate and tectonics operating over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. Thus, recent research had required integration of the historically distinct subjects of geomorphology, sedimentology, climatology and tectonics. Partly as a cause and partly as a consequence of this integration, there have been many recent developments in quantitative modelling and both laboratory and field-based analytical tools. Together, these have provided new insights into absolute and relative rates of denudation, and the factors that control the many dynamic processes involved.

One of the outstanding issues concerns the balance between tectonics, climate and denudation, and in particular the limiting effects of one on the others and the nature of dynamic feedback mechanisms. The fact that processes can be considered catastrophic or continuous, depending on the timescale of observation or interest, can hinder the predictability of models, depending on how they are formulated. Certain conditions may lead to a steady-state situation in which denudation balances tectonic uplift, leading to a more or less constant topography. Steady-state topography means that detailed study of present day landforms can provide important insights into the nature of surface processes back in time. Such assumptions underpin debates in geomorphology relating to the process-form linkage and the understanding of characteristic forms in the landscape. Alternatively, the recognition of non-steady-state situations and a clearer understanding of why . . . [Full Text of this Article]