Systematic Geomorphology

To most people, travel is an exciting experience. When one journeys around the world, one is struck by the great variety and beauty of the landscapes that one encounters. The scientific mind, naturally, is not satisfied with admiring the various landscapes, but would like to understand how they were formed. The exact theory of landscape formation is a very com- plicated affair, but much can be learnt from accurate observation. The need for the present little book became apparent to the writer during his studies of the mechanics oflandscape formation. It turned out that there was, in fact, no systematic compilation of those surface features of the Earth available, that have to be explained by theory. In effect, even the taxonomic principles that have to be applied in a classification of landscapes have nowhere been clearly stated. Thus, this book is intended to present a pictorial taxonomy of geomorphic features based on the basic principles of landscape genesis, as they have recently been worked out. The pictures have all been taken by the writer himself during many geoscientific studies and travels throughout the world. Some of these pictures had already been used in earlier publications of the writer's.