Author: Diane Rowland, Center for Environmental Sciences and Education, Northern Arizona University
Geomorphology is the study of the forms of the Earth's surface and of the processes that mold them. More recent geologic features - sand dunes, rivers, soils, lake basins, and alluvial fans, to name a few - are in most cases still undergoing formational processes. The response of these features to recent changes in climate and land use makes geomorphology an important tool for understanding our changing global climate and the effects of our increasingly intensive use of the landscape.
There are three main aspects to geomorphic study.
The Colorado Plateau abounds in unusual geomorphic features including the tight meander bends of the San Juan River Goosenecks, the spectacular sand dunes on the Navajo Reservation, and the beautiful erosional topography of the Grand Canyon.
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