- Geomorphology

Catalog description

We will investigate how Earth’s topography reflects the response of surface processes to shifts in tectonic, climatic, and human influences. Our study of landscape evolution will focus primarily on hillslopes (creeping soil to catastrophic landslides), rivers (gullies to bedrock gorges), and glaciers (alpine cirques to Midwest moraines) always with a focus on quantifying how the shapes of landforms reflect process. Labs and class activities will require a blend of fieldwork, introductory mapping and data analysis using ArcGIS, and simple numerical modeling. Frequent, short critical writing responses to primary literature will refine both writing skills and our engagement with the forefront of process geomorphology. This course fulfills the W overlay requirement.