Landscape Evolution in the United States

Landscape Evolution in the United States
Author: Joseph A. DiPietro
Publisher: Newnes
Total Pages: 475
Release: 2012-12-21
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0123978068

Landscape Evolution in the United States is an accessible text that balances interdisciplinary theory and application within the physical geography, geology, geomorphology, and climatology of the United States. Landscape evolution refers to the changing terrain of any given area of the Earth's crust over time. Common causes of evolution (or geomorphology—land morphing into a different size or shape over time) are glacial erosion and deposition, volcanism, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, sediment transport into rivers, landslides, climate change, and other surface processes. The book is divided into three main parts covering landscape components and how they are affected by climactic, tectonic and ocean systems; varying structural provinces including the Cascadia Volcanic Arc and California Transpressional System; and the formation and collapse of mountain systems. The vast diversity of terrain and landscapes across the United States makes this an ideal tool for geoscientists worldwide who are researching the country’s geological evolution over the past several billion years. Presents the complexities of physical geography, geology, geomorphology, and climatology of the United States through an interdisciplinary, highly accessible approach Offers more than 250 full-color figures, maps and photographs that capture the systematic interaction of land, rock, rivers, glaciers, global wind patterns and climate Provides a thorough assessment of the logic, rationale, and tools required to understand how to interpret landscape and the geological history of the Earth Features exercises that conclude each chapter, aiding in the retention of key concepts

Geology and Landscape Evolution

Geology and Landscape Evolution
Author: Joseph A. DiPietro
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 638
Release: 2018-04-16
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0128111925

Geology and Landscape Evolution: General Principles Applied to the United States, Second Edition, is an accessible text that balances interdisciplinary theory and applications within the physical geography, geology, geomorphology and climatology of the United States. The vast diversity of terrain and landscape across the United States makes this an ideal tool for geoscientists worldwide who research the country’s geological and landscape evolution. The book provides an explanation of how landscape forms, how it evolves and why it looks the way it does. This new edition is fully updated with greater detail throughout and additional figures, maps, drawings and photographs. Rather than limiting the coverage specifically to tectonics or to the origin and evolution of rocks with little regard for the actual landscape beyond general desert, river and glacial features, this book concentrates specifically on the origin of the landscape itself, with specific and exhaustive reference to examples from across the United States. The book begins with a discussion of how rock type and rock structure combine with tectonic activity, climate, isostasy and sea level change to produce landscape and then explores predicting how landscape will evolve. The book goes on to apply those concepts to specific examples throughout the United States, making it a valuable resource for understanding theoretical geological concepts through a practical lens. Presents the complexities of physical geography, geology, geomorphology and climatology of the United States through an interdisciplinary, highly accessible approach Offers hundreds of full-color figures, maps and photographs that capture the systematic interaction of land, rock, rivers, glaciers, global wind patterns and climate, including Google Earth images Provides a thorough assessment of the logic, rationale, and tools required to understand how to interpret landscape and the geological history of the Earth Features exercises that conclude each chapter, aiding in the retention of key concepts Updated with greater detail throughout and additional figures, maps, drawings and photographs Includes additional subheadings so that material is easier to find and digest Includes an all-new chapter on glaciation and expanded exercises using Google Earth images to enhance understanding

Tectonics, Climate, and Landscape Evolution

Tectonics, Climate, and Landscape Evolution
Author: Sean D. Willett
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0813723981

"The Liwu River runs a short course; its channel head at the water divide in Taiwan's Central Range is a mere 35 km from its outflow into the Pacific Ocean. But in those short 35 km, the Liwu has carved one of the world's geographic wonders: the spectacular Taroko Gorge with marble and granite walls soaring nearly 1000 m above the river channel. Taroko Gorge was a fitting venue for a 2003 Penrose Conference that addressed the coupled processes of tectonics, climate, and landscape evolution. The young mountains, extreme weather, and dramatic landforms provided an appropriate backdrop to wide-ranging discussions of geomorphic processes, climate and meteorology, sediment generation and transport, the effects of erosion on tectonics, and new analytical and modeling tools used to address these processes and problems. This volume's papers extend that discussion, reaching across fields that have experienced rapid advances in the past decade."--Publisher's website.

Cenozoic Landscape Evolution of the Northern Sierra Nevada and Western Basin and Range

Cenozoic Landscape Evolution of the Northern Sierra Nevada and Western Basin and Range
Author: Elizabeth Justyna Cassel
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2010
Genre:
ISBN:

The Sierra Nevada of California reflects a complex tectonic history of late Mesozoic-early Cenozoic convergence along the western margin of North America, subsequent Laramide batholith unroofing, and Neogene-Quaternary extension and translation on the eastern edge of the range. Although long thought to be the product of very recent uplift, recent studies indicate that the Sierra Nevada has persisted as an elevated topographic feature throughout the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic. This ancestral Sierra Nevada is now widely regarded to have formed the western edge of a high elevation plateau -- the 'Nevadaplano' that covered much of what is now Nevada and western Utah -- similar to the Andean Altiplano-Puna. The topography, extent, and drainage of this plateau remain uncertain, and questions persist as to the tectonic history, paleo-elevations, erosional patterns, and drainage system of the ancestral range. Cenozoic gold-bearing fluvial deposits are locally exposed in the northern part of the range, overlain by a sequence of Oligocene ignimbrites originally sourced from central Nevada. These geologic units provide an important record of the topographic and geomorphic evolution of the range during a controversial time period in the history of the region. Paleo-landscape reconstructions based on sedimentology, stratigraphy, geochronology, geochemistry, and geologic mapping provide both a detailed reconstruction of the evolution of the ancestral Sierra Nevada drainage system and multiple lines of evidence to support the conclusion that the northern range likely acted as the steep western flank of a gradually sloping high-elevation plateau in the Oligocene. Miocene to Recent extension lowered elevations across what is now the western Basin and Range, possibly associated with gravitational spreading of overthickened, magmatically and radiogenically heated crust.

Tectonic Geomorphology of Mountains

Tectonic Geomorphology of Mountains
Author: William B. Bull
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 328
Release: 2008-04-15
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0470691557

With a balance of theory and practical applications, Tectonic Geomorphology of Mountains is essential reading for research geologists and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in the earth sciences. This book describes how tectonic events influence geomorphic processes and explores how landscapes respond to tectonic deformation in the ways in which they are weathered, washed, and abraded Uses new approaches to enhance theoretical models of landscape evolution and to solve practical problems such as the assessment of earthquake hazards Includes previously unpublished research and theory Examines how to use key landforms as reference levels in changing landscapes, estimate rates of mountain-range uplift, and map seismic shaking caused by prehistorical earthquakes Presents a diverse range of examples from around the world

Tectonically Active Landscapes

Tectonically Active Landscapes
Author: William B. Bull
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 681
Release: 2011-09-07
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1444357743

This book explores how mountainous landscapes respond to tectonic deformation. It integrates previously unpublished concepts and ideas with recent articles about hills and streams. Readers will learn which landforms change quickly in response to uplift, which parts of the landscape are slowest to adjust to tectonic perturbations, and which landform characteristics are most useful for describing tectonically active and inactive terrains. Study areas include diverse landscapes and tectonic settings: seacoasts, soil-mantled hills, and lofty mountains. The humid Southern Alps of New Zealand change quickly because of rapid uplift and erosion. The semiarid Panamint Range of southeastern California has such miniscule annual stream power that tectonic landforms persist for millions of years. Tectonically Active Landscapes addresses diverse key topics about tectonics and topography. It is essential reading for research geologists and advance-level undergraduate and graduate students in the earth sciences.