Geomorphology
Geomorphology is in large part the study of the formation of terrain or topography. Terrain is formed by intersecting processes:
- Geological processes: migration of tectonic plates, faulting and folding, volcanic eruptions, rivers.
- Erosional processes: water and wind erosion, landslides.
- Extraterrestrial: meteorite impacts.
Tectonic processes such as orogenies cause land to be elevated, and erosional or weathering processes cause land to be worn away to lower elevations.
Land surface parameters are quantitative measures of various morphometric properties of a surface. The most common examples are used to derive slope or aspect of a terrain or curvatures at each location. These measures can also be used to derive hydrological parameters that reflect flow/erosion processes. Climatic parameters are based on the modelling of solar radiation or air flow.
Land surface objects, or landforms, are definite physical objects (lines, points, areas) that differ from the surrounding objects. The most typical examples arelines of watersheds, stream patterns, ridges, break-lines, pools or borders of specific landforms.
Read more about this topic: Terrain