Geomorphology Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Geomorphology distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

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Quick Reference

Weathering

The in-place breakdown of rock and minerals at or near the Earth's surface through physical disintegration and chemical decomposition. Physical weathering includes frost wedging and thermal expansion; chemical weathering includes dissolution, oxidation, and hydrolysis.

Erosion

The removal and transport of weathered rock and sediment by agents such as water, wind, ice, or gravity. Erosion rates depend on climate, slope gradient, vegetation cover, rock type, and human land use.

Fluvial Geomorphology

The study of rivers and streams and the landforms they create, including channels, floodplains, terraces, deltas, and alluvial fans. It examines how discharge, sediment load, and channel geometry interact to shape river systems.

Mass Wasting

The downslope movement of rock, soil, and regolith under the influence of gravity, without the primary assistance of a fluid transport agent. Types include rockfalls, landslides, debris flows, slumps, and creep.

Tectonic Geomorphology

The study of how tectonic forces, including faulting, folding, and volcanic activity, create and modify landforms. It examines the interplay between uplift rates and erosion rates in shaping mountain belts and rift valleys.

Glacial Geomorphology

The study of landforms produced by glacial erosion and deposition, including cirques, U-shaped valleys, moraines, drumlins, eskers, and outwash plains. It also investigates the behavior and dynamics of glaciers and ice sheets.

Coastal Geomorphology

The study of shoreline processes and landforms, including wave action, tidal currents, longshore drift, and the resulting features such as beaches, barrier islands, sea cliffs, spits, and estuaries.

Aeolian Processes

Geomorphic processes driven by wind, responsible for the erosion, transport, and deposition of sediment in arid and semi-arid environments. Key landforms include sand dunes, yardangs, desert pavements, and loess deposits.

Base Level

The lowest elevation to which a stream can erode its bed, ultimately controlled by sea level for streams flowing to the ocean. Local base levels, such as lakes or resistant rock layers, can create temporary limits on downcutting.

Landscape Evolution Models

Theoretical and computational frameworks that simulate how landscapes change over geologic time through the interaction of tectonic uplift, climate-driven erosion, and sediment transport. These include the stream power law, diffusion models, and coupled tectonic-surface process models.

Key Terms at a Glance

Abrasion:Mechanical wearing of rock surfaces by friction from sediment carried by water, wind, or ice.

Alluvium:Unconsolidated sediment deposited by flowing water, typically found on floodplains, deltas, and alluvial fans.

Base Level:The lowest elevation to which a stream can erode its channel, ultimately sea level for ocean-bound rivers.

Cirque:A bowl-shaped depression carved into a mountain by glacial erosion, often containing a tarn after ice retreat.

Creep:The slow, continuous downslope movement of soil and rock fragments under gravity, often imperceptible over short periods.

Delta:A landform created by deposition of sediment at the mouth of a river where it enters a standing body of water.

Denudation:The overall lowering of a land surface by weathering, erosion, and mass wasting acting together.

Drumlin:A streamlined, elongated hill of glacial till shaped by the flow of ice over the ground, with its long axis parallel to ice movement.

Escarpment:A steep slope or cliff formed by faulting or differential erosion, often separating two relatively flat surfaces.

Floodplain:A flat area adjacent to a river channel that is periodically inundated during high-flow events and built from overbank sediment deposition.

Graded Stream:A stream that has reached a balance between its sediment supply and transport capacity, resulting in a smooth, concave-up longitudinal profile.

Isostasy:The state of gravitational equilibrium between the lithosphere and asthenosphere, causing crustal uplift or subsidence in response to loading or unloading.

Karst:A type of topography formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks, characterized by sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage.

Knickpoint:A sharp change in slope along a river's longitudinal profile, often marking a zone of active erosion caused by a base-level fall or resistant rock layer.

Loess:Fine-grained, wind-deposited silt, often derived from glacial outwash or desert surfaces, forming thick, fertile mantles over large areas.

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