Introduction to Geomorphology
Introduction to Geomorphology
Goals of Today’s Lecture
1. To introduce you to the course
organization.
2. To provide you with an idea of what we
will discuss in this class.
3. Review some basic geological concepts
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Introduction to Geomorphology
Geomorphologist
Department of Geography
B.Sc. University of Guelph
M.Sc. University of Southern California
Ph.D. University of British Columbia
Post-Doc University of California, Berkeley
I am a geomorphologist interested in landscape dynamics and
landscape material transport processes. Most of my current research
involves sediment transport processes in rivers including sand dune
dynamics, gravel transport, and bedrock erosion. Much of the work I
do is focused on controlled experiments in laboratories to test
hypotheses about landscape dynamics. I have a continued interest in
scientifically-based stream restoration (naturalization of streams
impacted by landuse practices).
Introduction to Geomorphology
(GEOG 213)
Instructor:
Dr. Jeremy G. Venditti
Office: 6139 RCB
Email: jeremy_venditti@sfu.ca
Office hours: Mon 12:30 - 14:30
Teaching Assistant:
Dan Haught
Office: xxxx RCB
Email: drh7@sfu.ca
Office hour: Mon 10:30 - 11:30
(Plus one additional hour by appointment on the day office
hours are scheduled. Consult with TA on times available at
each lab session. TA only hold office hours in weeks before a
lab exercise or the field trip report is due.)
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Introduction to Geomorphology
The Course Format
Lectures: Mon 14:30 - 16:20 AQ 5016
Labs:
Mon 16:30 - 18:20
Tues 8:30 - 10:20
Tues 10:30 - 12:20
RCB 7108
RCB 7108
RCB 7108
There is no lab fee
The Readings
Required Texts
Bierman, P.R. and D.R. Montgomery
(2014) Key Concepts in
Geomorphology, W.H. Freeman and
Company Publishers New York, 494p.
Available in
Bookstore
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This is a good introductory textbook.
It is the second time we have used it.
It is available in the library.
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Introduction to Geomorphology
The Readings
Required Scholarly Articles (4):
Suggested further readings:
Important works that expand on topics covered in class
The website
Readings and lecture materials can be
found at my website:
http://www.sfu.ca/~jvenditt/
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Introduction to Geomorphology
The Laboratories
Labs begin on September 21-22.
There are 8 laboratory exercises/assignments.
See ‘Tentative Lecture and Laboratory Exercise
Schedule’ for due dates and return dates.
Late labs will be penalized 1 grade per day.
You may contact myself or the TA regarding lab exercise
content, but the TA is better suited to deal with specific
questions.
The Resource Office
The Geography Department has a Resource Office
where you can go outside of lab hours to use airphotos
and maps.
Location: RCB 6209 / 6210
Hours: 8:30 – 12:00 and 13:00 – 16:30
The Resource office staff is not there to provide help
with the lab exercises. Please see the TA for that kind
of guidance.
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Introduction to Geomorphology
The Field Trip
There will be a mandatory weekend field trip to complement topics
covered in lectures and labs.
CACHE CREEK FIELD TRIP (Tentative schedule)
We leave SFU (from Security) at 8.30 am on Saturday,
November 7, 2015 and return to SFU around 17.30 to
18.30 pm on Sunday, November 8, 2015.
The Grading
Laboratory assignments
Field trip report
Mid-term examination
Final examination
40%
10%
25%
25%
Important dates
1. MIDTERM: 14:30-16:20, Mon, Nov 2, 2015
2. Field trip report due: 14:30, Fri, Nov 30, 2015
3. FINAL EXAM: 15:30 - 18:30, Sun Dec. 9, 2015
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Introduction to Geomorphology
The Course Content
Geomorphology is the study of Earth’s surface and the processes
that form it. As such, it is a crucial component of solutions to a wide
range of environmental problems and engineering designs. It has
even become an important tool for understanding how far-off planets
like Mars and Venus have evolved to their current state. This particular
course is about Earth’s landscape, its present form, and the processes
responsible for its large-scale organization. The goal is to provide
students with an appreciation of how the landscape around them
formed and its continued evolution with particular focus on
landscapes of British Columbia, Western North America, and Canada.
Our object of interest at
the global scale
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/image/globalimages.html
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Our object of interest at
the continental scale
In this course we will
focus on Western NA,
Canada, BC
Why does earth’s surface look like this?
Our object of interest at
the local scale
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Introduction to Geomorphology
Our object of interest at
the local scale
Flooding happens at the at local scale
Pachena River at base flow April, 2008
The local scale is where the change is most obvious and relevant.
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Flooding happens at the at local scale
Pachena River April 28, 2008 @ 2pm
The local scale is where the change is most obvious and relevant.
Flooding happens at the at local scale
Pachena River April 28, 2008 @ 4pm
The local scale is where the change is most obvious and relevant.
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The local scale
is where the
change is most
obvious and
relevant.
The local scale is
where the change
is most obvious
and relevant.
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Our object of interest at
the grain-scale
This scale controls what
happens at the larger
scales!
Questions we will answer in this course
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Introduction to Geomorphology
1. What is the fundamental basis of
geomorphology?
2. What controls topographic relief?
Bill Dietrich
Bill Dietrich
Marin County, CA
Himalayas
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3. Where do landscape materials come from?
• Weathering, soil
production, and
bedrock erosion
Bill Dietrich
David Montgomery
4. How do landscape materials get down
from mountain tops to valley floors?
D. Montgomery
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5. How do landscape materials get from valley
floors to their ultimate sink (oceans or lakes)
Lena Delta, Siberia
David Montgomery
6. How do glaciers modulate
landscape development?
Barnard Glacier, Alaska
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Introduction to Geomorphology
8. Has the emergence of life on this planet
affected the large scale topographic
organization of the earth?
Why Study Geomorphology?
• Earth’s surface is our home!
http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/
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Introduction to Geomorphology
Why Study Geomorphology?
• Earth’s surface is our home!
• All earth’s organisms rely (in
varying degrees) on physical
characteristics of earth’s
surface as habitat.
• Many transport processes
(landslides, debris flows,
floods, dust stroms) are
significant natural hazards
Why Study Geomorphology?
• Earth’s surface is our home!
• All earth’s organisms rely (in
varying degrees) on physical
characteristics of earth’s
surface as its habitat.
• Many transport processes
(landslides, debris flows,
floods, dust storms) are
significant natural hazards
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David Montgomery
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Introduction to Geomorphology
Where is this topography?
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Distributary Fan: "Smoking Gun"
Evidence for Persistent Water Flow
and Sediment Deposition on
Ancient Mars – NASA Press release
on 3 November 2003
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The end
Review of Geological Concepts
or things you should know from GEOG 111 or EASC 101
Reading Assignment:
You should review the material on the following slides. If
you don’t remember some of the material, review you
GEOG 111 or EASC 101 textbooks and notes.
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Introduction to Geomorphology
Review of Geological Concepts
or things you should know from GEOG 111 or EASC 101
Rock Materials:
We need to understand the basics of rock materials
because they contain information about how they were
formed.
As such, rock materials allow us to estimate the overall
history of a site and the rates of geomorphic processes
(weathering rates, transport rates, transport distances).
Fortunately, knowledge of a few basic minerals is all that
is needed to understand how most landscapes develop.
Review of Geological Concepts
or things you should know from GEOG 111 or EASC 101
Rock Types:
1) Igneous: Form directly from the cooling of magma (e.g.
basalt, granite).
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2)
Sedimentary: layers of this debris get compacted and
cemented together (sandstone, mudstone, limestone,
Halite).
3)
Metamorphic: Rocks whose minerals have become
unstable in their environment and are changed into
something new (e.g. slate, schist, gneiss, and marble)
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http://pubs.usgs.gov/imap/i2781/
From Ritter, 2002
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The portion of the lithosphere that is of greatest interest to us (i.e. the exposed
surface) is largely sedimentary rock overlain by loose sediments.
From Ritter, 2002
The Rock Cycle
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Bowen’s Reaction Series
Crystallization temperature
First to
Crystallize
Last to
Crystallize
Phaneritic
Aphanitic
(Coarse Grained)
(Fine Grained)
% Silica
Granite
Rhyolite
Granodiorite
Dacite
Diorite
Andesite
Gabbro
Basalt
Extrusive
Intrusive
The Classification of Igneous Rocks
Peridotite
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The Classification of Sedimentary Rocks
Clastic (Detrital) Sediments
Graywacke
(Abundant rock fragments,
felspar & clay)
Shale
Cementation
(Angular pebbles)
Quartz Arenite
(Common name for
> 50% silt & clay)
Conglomerate
Sandstone
Siltstone
Claystone
Gravel
Sand
Silt
Clay
2 mm
0.0625 mm
Compaction
Mudstone
Breccia
Fissility
Arkose
(Abundant felspar)
0.0039 mm
Nonclastic (Chemical) Sedimentary Rocks
Inorganic
Biochemical
Limestone (calcite)
Limestone (calcite)
Dolomite
Chert
Halite
Coal
Gypsum
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Classification of Metamorphic Rock
(sandstone)
Coarse
(many sed
& igneous)
Quartzite
Coarse
Increasing Metamorphism
Gneiss
Hornfels
Fine
Non-Foliated
Foliated
Quartzite
Schist
(Phyllite)
Gneiss
Phyllite
Slate
(Shale)
Fine
(slate)
(Many sed.)
Particle Size Classification
Millimeters (mm)
Boulders
≥ 256
Cobbles
64 – 256
Gravel (Pebble)
Sand
Silt
Clay
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Microns (µm)
2 – 64
0.064 – 2
64-2000
0.002-0.064
2-64
≤ 0.002
≤2
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Boulders (>256 mm)
Cobbles (64 - 256 mm)
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Gravel (2 - 64mm)
Sand (0.064 - 2mm)
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Silt (64 – 2 µm)
Clay (<2mm)
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Grain-size distributions
Probability Distribution Function (PDF)
Cumulative Distribution Function (CDF)
60
100
90
80
40
Percent Finer
Percent Retained
50
30
20
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
10
0
0
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
Grain-size (mm)
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100
0.001
0.01
0.1
1
10
100
Grain-size (mm)
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