GIS–Enhanced Geomorphology Labs
for Undergraduate Geology and
Environmental Science
David A. Franzi
Center for Earth and Environmental Science
State University of New York at Plattsburgh
Academic Setting
 SUNY Plattsburgh
 Center for Earth & Environmental Science
 Role of Geomorphology in Center Curricula
Geomorphology Laboratory Exercises
 Approach and Expectations
 Laboratory Format
 GIS Component
Example: Yellowstone Hotspot and the
Eastern Snake River Plain
Academic Setting
 SUNY Plattsburgh
 One of thirteen four-year liberal arts
colleges in the State University of New
York System
Location Map
74o
ON
PQ
Plattsburgh
 Offers more than 60 major programs
72o
Montreal
ME
VT
 Enrolls approximately 5,700 students
44o
NH
NY
Boston
MA
42o
CT
RI
PA
NJ
New York
0
100 km
Academic Setting
Center for Earth and Environmental Science
CEES Majors
 Created in 1982 by merging the
Geology, Environmental Science and
Geography Programs
140
120
 Currently serves more than 230 majors
 Undergraduate Degree Programs
→ BA, BS Geology
→ BA Environmental Geology
→ BA Earth Science
→ BA, BS Environmental Science
Headcount (2014)
100
80
60
40
→ BA Environmental Planning & Management
→ BS Ecology
→ BA Environmental Studies
20
0
ENV SCI
ECOLOGY
GEOLOGY
STUDIES
Academic Setting
 Role of Geomorphology in the CEES Curricula
 Required for BS Environmental Science
 Elective class for BA, BS Geology;
BA Earth Science; BA Environmental Geology;
BA Environmental Science; BA Environmental
Planning and Management; BS Ecology
 Not listed as a required or elective course in the
BA Environmental Studies program
 Course Details
 Audience: sophomore to junior level
 Enrollment: ≈20 students
(60‒65% environmental science; 35‒40% geology)
 Frequency: every semester
Geomorphology Laboratory Exercises
 Approach: Combine traditional topographic map and aerial image analysis
and GIS technology with process-oriented regional geomorphology
 Expectations: By the end of the semester students will be expected to:
 Recognize the geomorphology of the major physiographic regions in the US
 Use GIS technology to;
→ Find sources or create new spatial databases for use with GIS software;
→ Extract morphometric data from GIS databases to measure linear dimensions, areas,
volumes, elevation, relief and slope of landforms;
→ Construct topographic and shaded relief maps;
→ Construct topographic profiles and determine vertical exaggeration;
→ Export data from GIS databases for analysis by other analytical software (e.g.
spreadsheets, visualization or modelling software);
→ Create accurate and effective graphics for presentations or final reports.
 Effectively communicate their understanding of geomorphic features and processes
Geomorphology Laboratory Exercises
 Laboratory Format
(report template provided)
 Introduction
Literature
Review
Students address questions that are designed to review basic
concepts and terminology and reinforce their understanding of the
geologic setting and geomorphic evolution of the subject landscape.
 Geomorphic Analysis
(Greek: analuein → unloose, break apart)
This section examines specific landforms or landscapes in the study
region. Students are evaluated on the overall quality of their
responses as demonstrated by their level of preparation (literature
review), breadth of comprehension and the quality of the graphic
elements.
Landform
Analysis
 Geomorphic Synthesis
(Greek: suntithenai → to place together)
Students bring together data from multiple landform analyses and
answer questions that address geomorphic system function and
landscape evolution.
Concept
Model
Geomorphology Laboratory Exercises
 GIS Component
 The Challenge
To introduce and use GIS technology as a
tool to enhance understanding of
geomorphological principles and concepts
without becoming a GIS course
 Considerations
→ Recognize the diversity of students’
academic backgrounds and experience;
→ Provide subject material that is
interesting and relevant to a diverse
audience;
→ Establish reasonable expectations and
communicate them clearly to the
students at the onset of the exercise
→ Provide an organized template for
reporting that guides students through
the exercise
Geomorphology Laboratory Exercises
 GIS Advantages
 Many useful applications can be
performed with minimal prior GIS
experience;
 Mitigates time lost due to repetitive
and mundane or time-consuming tasks;
 Allows the student to work effectively
at different spatial scales, thus enabling
the student to observe the fine details
of individual landforms and develop a
synoptic understanding, both
temporally and spatially, of the
landscape;
 Geospatial data are easily exported for
use by other analytical or presentation
software;
 Facilitates application of simple
mathematical models.
Geomorphology Laboratory Exercises
2014 Laboratory Exercises
Introduction to topographic maps,
Geographic Information Systems and
Physiographic Regions of the US
Geomorphological Content
review topographic map analysis skills, geology and physiography
Piedmont Landscapes of the
Basin and Range
piedmont landforms, stream capture, supply-limited and transportlimited fluvial systems, effects of climate change, relict landforms,
landscape evolution
The Nevadaplano and Origin of the
Basin and Range
Cenozoic tectonics in the western US, crustal delamination, crustal
extension and isostatic response, inverted topography
The Yellowstone Hotspot and
Eastern Snake River Plain
hotspot tectonics, phreatomagmatic eruptions, maar-diatreme
pyroclastic cones, flood basalts, calderas, isostatic adjustments, fluvial
drainage patterns, eolian dune classification, response of fluvial and
eolian systems to climate change
The Colorado Plateau; Grand Canyon,
Monument Valley and Arches
Cenozoic tectonics in the western US, crustal delamination, isostatic
adjustments, salt tectonics, foreland basins, inverted topography
Mammoth Cave and the
Interior Low Plateaus
karst landforms, origin of caves, karst hydrology, entrenched rivers,
foreland basins, sinking streams, stream networks and drainage
density
Morphometry of Watersheds in the
Appalachian Plateau
watershed delineation, network topology, hypsometry, entrenched
rivers, stream piracy, landscape evolution
Geomorphology of the Eastern Snake River Plain
 Introduction
 Physiographic setting of the Eastern Snake
River Plain;
 Hotspot tectonics, isostatic adjustments
and climate change;
 Phreatomagmatic eruptions.
Climate
System
Controls
Tectonics
Gravity
Map showing the northeastward apparent motion of hotspot migration
and the ages of the various calderas (Modified from; Barenek et al., 2006;
Link et al., 1992; Pierce and Morgan, 1992).
Geomorphology of the Eastern Snake River Plain
 Geomorphic Analysis
112o W
 Menan Buttes
→ Morphology of maar-diatreme cones
→ Volume of pyroclastic ejecta
44o N
St. Anthony
Dune Field
 Fluvial Geomorphology
→ Regional Drainage Network Patterns
→ Channel pattern, sinuosity and stream
gradient
 St. Anthony Dune Field
Menan
Buttes
→ Dune classification
→ Composition and provenance
→ Relict dunes
→ Loess
The Eastern Snake River Plain. NASA Earth Observatory image created by Jesse
Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of
the NASA EO-1 team.
 Geomorphic Analysis – Example Data
 Menan Buttes ‒
Controls on Pyroclastic Cone Morphology
Map and Data from: P. Montouri, GEL 341, 2014)
 Geomorphic Analysis – Example Data
 Menan Buttes ‒ Ejecta Volume
The volume of a maar frustrum (including the
crater volume) is given by the equation;
𝑽𝒎 =
𝟏
𝛑𝑯𝒎 (𝑹𝟐𝟏 + 𝑹𝟏 𝑹𝟐 + 𝑹𝟐𝟐 )
𝟑
And the volume of the crater frustrum is given
by the equation;
𝟏
𝟑
𝑽𝒄 = 𝛑𝑯𝒄 (𝑹𝟐𝟐 + 𝑹𝟐 𝑹𝟑 + 𝑹𝟐𝟑 )
where R1, R2 and R3 are the average radii of the
upper and lower surfaces of each frustrum and
Hm and Hc are the heights of the maar and
crater frustra, respectively. The volume of the
pyroclastic material that comprises the buttes
is the difference between the maar and crater
frustra;
𝐕 = 𝐕𝐦 − 𝑽𝒄
Data from: P. Montouri, GEL 341, 2014)
Figure 6. Variables used to calculate the volume of pyroclastic
material in the Menan Buttes.
Sato and Taniguchi (1997) equation: D = 0.97V0.36
Where D = average cone diameter.
Table 2. Estimates of the volume of pyroclastic material in the
Menan Buttes.
Cone Volume
(measured)
Cone Volume
(estimated from
Sato and Taniguchi
(1997) equation)
North Menan Butte
9.29 x 108
m3
2.16 x 108
m3
South Menan Butte
3.80 x 108
m3
2.50 x 108
m3
Geomorphology of the Eastern Snake River Plain
 Geomorphic Analysis – Example Data
 Controls on Regional Drainage Patterns
St.Anthony
Dunes
Snake River:
Network: Distributary (alluvial fan) and
Anabranching (to south)
Teton River
Network: Distributary (alluvial fan) and
Anabranching (near Henry’s Fork)
Henry’s Fork:
Network: Anabranching and Agricultural
Menan
Buttes
Eastern Uplands:
Network: Dendritic
Northwest of Menan Buttes:
Network: none
(Map from H. Affinati, GEL341, 2014)
Geomorphology of the Eastern Snake River Plain
 Geomorphic Analysis
 St. Anthony Dune Field
→ Effects of wind direction and sediment supply
→ Relict dunes and climate change
Geomorphology of the Eastern Snake River Plain
112o W
 Geomorphic Synthesis
 Geological context for Cenozoic
eruptions
 Eruptive energy of maar-diatreme
volcanoes
44o N
St. Anthony
Dune Field
 Tectonic, isostatic and climate controls
on channel and drainage network
patterns
 Effects of climate change on fluvial
and eolian systems
Menan
Buttes
The Eastern Snake River Plain. NASA Earth Observatory image created by
Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data provided courtesy of
the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Holli Riebeek with information from
Idaho State University geologist, Paul Link.
Summary
Geomorphology Labs for Environmental Science and Geology
 Considerations and Points of Emphasis
 Analytical Skills: Provide relevant knowledge and skills to diverse student audience.
→ Traditional topographic map and aerial image interpretation
→ Introduction to GIS technology
→ Knowledge of Regional Geology (Ecoregions) of the United States
→ Effective communication
 Geomorphic Synthesis: Bring the pieces together
→ Temporal and spatial scales in geomorphology
→ Geomorphic Systems Approach
→ Response of Geomorphic Systems to changes in climate, tectonic or gravitational
forcings
Laboratory Outline and Key Topics and Concepts
I. Introduction
a.
b.
c.
d.
The Appalachian Foreland Basin
Teays River
Controls on limestone dissolution
Karst landforms
II. Geomorphic Analysis
a. Surface and subterranean drainage systems
III. Geomorphic Synthesis
a. Vadose and phreatic groundwater flow pathways
b. Drainage changes in the Green River basin
c. Anthropogenic influences on karst ecosystems
Map from: P. Montouri, GEL 341, 2014)
Vertical exaggeration = 8x
Topographic profile data from: P. Montouri, GEL 341, 2014)
Sawtooth and Giant Mtns. From Allen Mtn. Photo: D. Franzi, 2009