Geomorphology and Global Tectonics

Since the late 1980s earth scientists have begun to view the relationships between global tectonics and the Earth’s macroscale topographic features as an important research issue. This new research emphasis has emerged from a range of practitioners within the earth sciences, including geophysicists concerned with what can be learnt about tectonic processes from their topographic effects, geologists interested in the factors controlling erosion and the supply of material to sedimentary basins, and geomorphologists wanting to understand the role of tectonics in landscape evolution. Various technical developments and new sources of data have also contributed to these developments, such as the construction of coupled tectonic surface process numerical models of large-scale landscape development, the creation of large-area, high resolution digital elevation models, and the derivation of long-term denudational records using methods such as thermochronology.

This book presents the state of current research on the inter-relationships between global tectonics and macroscale landscape development across a wide range of topics and study areas. Each chapter aims to provide up-to-date surveys of key research questions,to report on important current work, and to highlight outstanding research issues. The book will be invaluable to those across the earth science community who are interested in the relationships between tectonics and topography.