ES 546 Field
Geomorphology

James S. Aber

Study of landforms and landscape development in the field. Techniques for description, surveying, mapping, and interpretation of landforms in a natural setting. Practical application of geomorphology to terrain analysis. Required field trips; three credit hours.

http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/geomorph/

Course Information
Course requirements 2007 project summary
Geomorph introduction Geomorph weblinks
Weekly announcements Syllabus attachment

Course availability

This course will be taught in fall semester, 2007. Regular (on-campus) students should enroll through normal procedures. The course is also available for distance learning. Off-campus students should enroll through Lifelong Learning. The XA section is for graduate students; ZA is for undergraduates. In order to receive university credit, students must be enrolled officially and must be in contact with the instructor for course materials and directions.

The course will be taught during two intensive weekend periods, in which we will take field trips to various parts of Kansas. The two field-trip periods are Sept. 28-30 and Oct. 25-28. The latter includes the fall-break period. Students must be available to participate in these two intensive weekends. There are no other required class meetings; students may consult with your instructor individually as needed.

Note: this course could substitute for ES 555, which
is required for the Geospatial Analysis certificate.

ES 546 requirements

  1. Participation: In-state students are expected to attend and participate in all field trips, as noted above. Distance-learning students from out of state may attend only one of the intensive weekends with instructor permission and prior arrangement. Notes, maps, photographs, samples, and measurements that are taken on field trips will form the basis for preparing final reports.

  2. Field trips: An extended trip is scheduled for Sept. 28-30. We will depart ESU campus on Friday morning (28th) and return on Sunday afternoon (30th). Local accomodations will be arranged at Camp Aldrich, operated by Barton County Community College, near Great Bend, KS. This locality provides good access to sites in central and west-central Kansas.

    Sundowner cabin at Camp Aldrich. The cabin includes two rooms (for men and women) and full baths. Photo date 3/03, © J.S. Aber.

    A special fee of $35 will be charged to cover accomodations and some meals; transportation is furnished free. The fee is due by Sept. 14th; make checks out to "ESU field geomorphology, c/o J.S. Aber" and give to your instructor.

    Daily trips will be conducted from the ESU campus on Oct. 25, 26, 27 and 28th to selected sites in eastern Kansas depending on weather conditions. We will return to campus each evening. This is the fall-break period.

  3. Webpage report of findings based on field trips and on published or unpublished information relevant to the project. Report should include pertinent observations, data, calculations, maps and illustrations to support your interpretation of the geomorphic problem. Report must follow standard scientific style and include a bibliography of all references cited. Report is due by Nov. 15th.

    Instructions for preparing student webpages.

  4. Grading scheme: participation = 40%, report = 60%. Final grades are given in letters (A-F) with +/- designations, according to current university policy. The ESU student academic dishonesty policy is observed in this course.

ADA statement: Emporia State University will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students need to contact the Director of Disability Services and the professor as early in the semester as possible to ensure that classroom and academic accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. All communication between students, the Office of Disability Services, and the professor will be strictly confidential.

Return to top of page.

Introduction to geomorphology

Geomorphology is the study of the Earth's surface landforms both on land and on the sea floor. This study is both descriptive and quantitative; it deals with morphology, processes, and origins of landforms. The ultimate goals of geomorphology are to understand the way in which landforms are created and to document the evolution of landforms through time. The geomorphology of any region or site is the result of interplay involving three factors.

  1. Structure: refers to the nature of solid materials that form the surface and subsurface, their composition, texture, fabric, architecture, mechanical strength, and other physical attributes.

  2. Process: refers to the physical, chemical, biological or human processes that shape the surface into landforms. Broadly speaking, processes are either depositional (constructive) or erosional (destructive).

  3. Time: refers both to the rate at which a process modifies the surface and to the length of time or duration that a process has operated at a site.

All Earth surfaces are subject to diverse processes that operate at greatly varying rates. Static landscapes do not exist; all landscapes undergo constant modification--some quite slowly, others rapidly, and almost instantaneously in certain cases. The active processes also change through time, so that every landscape is subject to continual evolution.

The processes that shape landforms can be categorized as endogenetic or exogenetic. Endogenetic processes are related to plate tectonics and to the surface effects of plate movements, both horizontally and vertically, as well as to other processes originating from the Earth's interior. Exogenetic processes develop at or above the surface in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, or biosphere. They involve wind, water, ice, mass movements, or living organisms that modify landforms. Impact and accumulation of extra-terrestrial materials (meteorites, comets, etc.) are also exogenetic processes.

Endogenetic and exogenetic processes combine with structure and time to produce the observed landforms at the Earth's surface. Most landforms involve a considerable mass of material--bedrock and sediment, and so are slow to adapt when environmental changes take place. The geomorphology of a region, therefore, represents a long-term integration of environmental conditions and trends. A region's geomorphology is, thus, a reflection of both past and present environments.

Return to top of page.

Useful geomorphology websites

This course is presented by the Earth Science department for the express use and benefit of students enrolled at Emporia State University. Anyone else may view and enjoy the information here. All course curriculum © by the author (2007).


Please send your comments to the course instructor.
J.S. Aber, e-mail: jaber@emporia.edu.
Last update: Feb. 2007.