The Process of Geomorphology - Lab Report Example

Geomorphology Geomology is defined as a scientific landform study and all the processes that are responsible in shaping the landscape. The Geomorphologists try to gather knowledge on the manner in which the landscapes look the manner they do. They do this to be able to understand the historical background and dynamics of the land hence predict the changes by a combination of the physical experiments, field observation, and numerical modeling. The earth surface is always modified through combining the processes of the surface that may sculpt the geology and landscape processes that result into subsidence, tectonic and uplift. This paper explores the process of geomorphology. Background Research The processes of the surface are made up of wind, water, fire, ice, and living things on the earth surface. The chemical reactions forming soils and altering the stability, material, and topographical rate of change under gravitational force are some of the surface processes. These factors are strongly affected by climate. The geological processes are the mountain range uplift, volcanic growth, isostatic changes in the elevation of land surfaces, sedimentary basins formation are also surface processes. The surface of the earth together with the topography form an intersection of climatic, biologic, and hydrologic action with the processes of geology. The huge topographies found on Earth display the surface intersection and the action of the subsurface. The belts of the mountains are always uplifted because of the geological processes. In the regions that are uplifted high, denudation produces the sediment that is deposited and transported elsewhere within the coastal landscape. In this case, The similar ideas may apply in cases where the individual landforms are evolving as a result of the subtractive and additive balance of processes. These processes may directly influence each other. The water, ice sheets together with sediments are the loads that may alter the topography via flexural isostasy. In many cases, the local climate of a certain place may be modified, which would in turn modify the topography by altering the hydraulic regimes of the evolution. Different geomorphologists are specifically interested in the feedback potential of tectonically and climate mediated through the geomorphic processes. The geomorphologists addresses the issues considered being more specific. They investigate the glacial deposits like eskers, moraines, and the proglacial lakes together with the glacial erosion traits that establishes the chronologies of all the small glaciers, ice sheets, and the landscape motions and effects. In addition, the Fluvial geomorphologists have a major focus on the river. They base their research on the manner of transporting sedimentation, landscape migration that cuts into the bedrock, and their response to the tectonic, human interactions, and environmental changes. The geomorphologists of soil research the different profiles of soil and their chemistry to gather knowledge regarding the history of a certain landscape and gain the knowledge of how the climate, biota, and interaction of rocks. The other category of geomorphologists are known to investigate the hill slopes changes and form and investigate the link between the geomorphology and ecology. The field of geomorphology is applied in different areas like the assessment of hazards, control of river, costal protection, and restoration of the stream. The studies of planetary geomorphology base their research on the landforms of different terrestrial planets (Plassmann, 2009). The causes of glacial, wind, fluvial, mass wasting, volcanic processes, meteor impact, and tectonics have been studied in this field. These studies are vital in gaining knowledge on the atmospheric history and the geologic history of the planets. The processes of modern geomorphology have a great focus on the interconnected and quantitative analysis. For instance, the major geochronology advances enhance the measurement of the rates at which the processes of geology occur. In this case, using the techniques of physical measurement, such as differential GPS laser scanning, and remote sensation, provide room for the occurrence of the processes (Plassmann, 2009). Modeling and computer simulation would then be utilized in testing the understanding of the manner in which the processes may work together and for some time. The relevant processes of geomorphology can be classified as regolith production through erosion and weathering, material transportation, the eventual deposition. Even though there exist a general material movement to lowlands from uplands, the erosion, transportation, and deposition will always happen on the tandem that are closely spaced. The process nature investigated by the geomorphologists relies on the landscape or the landforms under investigation and the scale and time length of interest. In this regard, the basic processes of the surface that are responsible for high feature of topography are waves, wind, mass wasting, chemical dissolution, ground water movement, glacial action, surface water flow, volcanism, and tectonics. Conditions that promote sand deposition at Jericho to Stanley Park Water and wind currents are the basic transportation forms of the deposited sand at Jericho and Stanley Park. The water transportation is because of shoreline, river, ocean currents, glaciers, storms, and tides. The erosion of the sand grain is a section of these processes. The wind establishes a shape that is angular to the sand while the water establishes a grain that is rounded (Gupta, 2006). In other cases, the animals and the plants in the water and terrestrial regions give high quantities of sediments. The sponges and the corals establish the reefs and the platforms of calcium carbonate in the ocean on the shelf of the continent. The numerous microorganism and algae are deposited in the form of the deep sea sediments whenever they die on the open sea. While on land, the plant roots, bacteria, and the burrowing animals uncover the rocks that are buried to rework sediment deposition. Relative area of the successive beaches Pattern of longshore drift The relative area of the beach was about 144 square feet. The pattern of the sand beach appear to move in a zigzag pattern whenever the waves strike the beach. The longshore drift has the transportation of sediments along the coast at the shoreline angle depended to the direction of wind, backwash and swash. The zigzag pattern is referred to as the zig-zag groynes. The pattern lead o the dissipation of the destructive flows and forms the induced wave currents in the breaking waves. Source of the sand. There are many sources of sand that is deposited on the shoreline of the Vancouver beach. The first source is the volcanic activity. The creation of volcanic sand may begin with a volcanic eruption that brings increased disruption of the climatic and geological conditions of any region. The volcanoes are responsible for the transformation of the topography together with the terrain. The materials that are erupted like ash lava, or magma, impound the ocean (Gupta, 2006). These materials are known to erode to form the small glass fragments that combine within the surrounding sands. Another source of the sand deposit involves the sand spits. Lakes or the currents in the ocean establish these linear deposits of sand. They are flat and posses minimum vegetation. When a current halt fall due to the coastline construction, the sand bar would reduce and disappear after some time. In addition, coral island is another source of deposited sand in the ocean. It happens in the subtropical and tropical regions of the ocean. They grow around the volcanic island extinct as the island subsides. The land mass would disappear in water, leaving a reef barrier that encircles the existing coast hence enclosing the inland lagoon. Reference Plassmann, K. (2009). Nature conservation of sand. Oxford: Oxford university press. Gupta. (2006). Topical Geomorphology Cambridge: Cambridge University press. Retrieved, 6th April 2014 from http://books.google.com.ng/books?id=llhVCGN8Kf0C&pg=PR7&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=3#v=onepage&q&f=false. Read More