Learning objectives
Knowledge of processes and landforms are due to exogenous and endogenous morphological agents responsible for shaping the landscape as a function of the litho-structural conditions of bedrock, climatic variations in time and space, Earth's crust dynamics and anthropogenic influence. Providing the tools to learn: to interpret processes and landforms, on regional extension, responsible for the geomorphological evolution of the landscape, related to the changes (direct and indirect) due to climate variations; the succession of geological phenomena or to one or more cycles of erosion; knowledge tools for determining chronology of geomorphological events; predict the morphological changes of the landscape over time.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of Physical Geography, Geology and Structural Geology.
Course unit content
Aims, methods and problems in Geomorphology. Extraterrestrial impact morphology. Rocks weathering and soil formation. Paleosols: use and their utility in geomorphology. Causes and types of mass movement.
Structural landforms and their evolution; structural influence on hydrography. Fluvial morphology, drainage pattern, hydrographic evolution. Glacial and periglacial processes and landforms: alpine/high latitude environments. Karst processes and landforms. Volcanic processes and landforms. Elements of eolian and coastal processes and landforms. Landscape evolution and slope formation theories. General problems in geomorphological researches. Photointerpretation in class-rooms and field observations.
Bibliography
Bartolini C. - "I fattori geologici delle forme del terreno-Lezioni di geomorfologia strutturale", Pitagora, Bologna, 1992.
Bland W. and Rolls D. -”Weathering - a introduction to the scientific principles” Arnold Ed., Londra, 1998.
Castiglioni G.B. - "Geomorfologia", UTET, TO, 1991.
Casati P. e Pace F. -"Scienze della Terra- L'atmosfera, l'acqua, i climi, i suoli", CittàStudi, MI, 1991.
Ciccacci S. –“Le forme del rilievo-Atlante illustrato di geomorfologia”, Mondadori Univ., Milano, 2010.
Duff P.McL.D.- "Holmes' principles of physical geology", IV Ed., Chapman & Hall, Londra, 1993.
Easterbrook D.J. -"Surface Processes and Landforms", McMillan Publ. Comp, New York, 1993.
Marchetti M.- “Geomorfologia fluviale”, Pitagora Ed., Bologna, 2000.
Ollier C. -"Vulcani -attività, geografia, morfologia", Zanichelli Ed., BO, 1990.
Panizza M. -"Geomorfologia", Pitagora Ed.,Bologna, 1992.
Smiraglia C. -"Guida ai ghiacciai e alla glaciologia - forme, fluttuazioni, ambienti", Zanichelli Ed., Bologna, 1992.
Summerfield M.A.-”Global geomorphology”, Longman, Essex, 1991.
Turner A.K. and Schuster R.L. (Eds.) – “LANDSLIDES: investigation and mitigation”, TRB special report 247,Nat. Acad.Press,Washington D.C., 1996.
Washburn A.L. -"Geocryology: a survey of periglacial processes and environments". E. Arnold Ed., London, 1979.
Teaching methods
Frontal lessons, class-room practices and field excursions.
