GEOGRAPHY OF LANDFORMS COURSE DESCRIPTION GEOG 574. Fall Maingi Solomon

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1 GEOG 574 GEOGRAPHY OF LANDFORMS Fall 2015 Maingi Solomon COURSE DESCRIPTION This course will explore the geography of earth s major landforms and the geographical factors that influence their development, distribution, and morphology. The current distribution of land surface features will be examined with respect to the changing geography of tectonic, climatic and human activity. Topics include mountain building, river systems, desert migration and expansion, glacial and periglacial environments, shoreline evolution, and how these processes interact to form surface features that are unique to their geographic environment. Possible future changes in the distribution of earth s surface features in response to climate change will also be discussed. The course will begin with an introduction to the discipline of geomorphology, the tools used to study earth s land surface and the components of the geomorphic system. We will then begin our survey of earth s major landforms, focusing first on endogenic mountain building by the tectonic forces of crustal compression and expansion as well as volcanic activity. Then we will survey select exogenic landforms created in response to the movement of air, water, and ice. Although there are a variety of landforms that form in response to exogenic processes, we will focus on landforms associated with aeolian (wind), fluvial (river), glacial/periglacial (ice), and coastal processes. We will end the semester with a discussion of the long-term evolution of landforms and how natural processes, together with human activity, have shaped, and will continue to shape earth s surface. Concepts will be reinforced quantitatively through homework and in-class exercises. I hope you enjoy this course and take with you a better understanding of the natural environment that surrounds you. Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments you may have about this course. GEOG574: Geography of Landforms Page - 1

2 BASICS TIME & PLACE MWF 9:10 am to 10:00 am 201 Horton Hall INSTRUCTOR INFO Maingi Solomon 331 Huddleston Hall (603) OFFICE HOURS Tuesday 10:00 12:00 pm Thursday 2:00 3:00 pm Friday 10:00 11:00 am MYCOURSES TEXTBOOK MATERIALS ACCESSIBILITY All course documents and announcements are posted on: mycourses.unh.edu (CANVAS). Please check your and the Mycourses page regularly. Huggett, R.J. (2011), Fundamentals of Geomorphology, 3 rd Edition, Routledge: London, UK, 516 pp. (Recommended) ISBN-13: (pbk) Calculator Ruler with English and metric units Colored pencils, No. 2 pencil with eraser Graph and tracing paper The University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all University programs and facilities. If you think you have a disability requiring accommodations, you must register with Disability Services for Students (DSS) at (603) or disability.office@unh.edu. If you have received Accommodation Letters for this course from DSS, please provide me with that information privately so that we can review those accommodations. See the DSS Website for details: UNIVERSITY POLICIES All students should know and understand university policies and procedures regarding academic performance, including attendance and academic dishonesty. If you are unfamiliar with these policies, please refer to the University of New Hampshire Student Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities for details: COMMENTS The following procedures, policies, and schedules may change during the course semester. Any changes will be announced in class and posted on blackboard. Announcements may also be distributed via . It is your responsibility to check your university account and blackboard regularly. GEOG574: Geography of Landforms Page - 2

3 GRADING PROCEDURES GENERAL EXAMS ASSIGNMENTS All coursework submitted for evaluation must represent each student s own, original work. Therefore, all assignments and exams are to be completed on your own in accordance with the standards of conduct outlined in Section 09: Academic Honesty of the UNH Students Rights, Rules and Responsibility ( You will have three exams in this course, each worth 20% of your final grade. Given the comprehensive nature of the material covered in this course, exams will be comprehensive but oriented toward the section of the course most recently presented. Exams will only include material covered in lecture and on assignments and include multiple-choice, matching and short answer questions. You will be assigned ten homework assignments based on material covered in lecture. The homework assignments together are worth 40% of your final grade. I encourage you to reference all provided course materials while competing each assignment; however, collaboration on assignments of any kind is prohibited (Section 09.2: Out-of-Class Work). Homework is due at the beginning of, or before, class on the due date indicated on the assignment. FINAL GRADES Final grades will be determined based on your performance on exams and laboratory assignments. Final grades will be assigned using the following grade distribution: A 93 % B 83 % C 73 % D 63 % A- 90 % B- 80 % C- 70 % D- 60 % B+ 87 % C+ 77 % D+ 67 % F <60 % Consideration of improvement, effort, and attendance may be taken into account when determining your final grade. Final grades may also be curved depending upon class performance. GEOG574: Geography of Landforms Page - 3

4 ATTENDANCE Attendance in lecture is not mandatory but is highly recommended. I do not make my class notes available to students, so if you miss a class you are responsible for obtaining any missed material and announcements and submitting assignments. Participation in class discussions is an important way to share information and ideas and reflects your comprehension of course material. Regular class attendance and class participation go hand in hand. TARDINESS Tardiness is incredibly disruptive and rude, so be on time. Also, all announcements will be made at the beginning of class. If you are late you are responsible for any missed material and announcements. Early departure is also disruptive, and may cause you, and your classmates, to miss important material. EXCUSED ABSENCES Each student must receive equal opportunity to demonstrate his/her ability to comprehend course material. Therefore, all students will take exams and submit homework at the same time. A make-up exam may be granted, or a late assignment may be accepted, if the absence is excused. An excused absence may be granted for the following situations: 1.) Absences in which arrangements are made at least one week in advance. 2.) Absences due to family or personal medical emergencies. 3.) Absences due to serious illness or personal medical emergency accompanied by a doctor s note. MISSED WORK In all cases, it is entirely up to you to make arrangements to complete missed assignments and exams. In the case of an excused absence without prior arrangements, you must notify me within 48 hours of the scheduled exam or homework due date. If you fail to receive approval for a make-up exam or late work within this timeframe, or have an unexcused absence, you will receive a 0 for the missed exam and are subject to the penalties for late work described below. LATE WORK Assignments are due at the beginning of, or prior to, the class period on the indicated due date. Coursework submitted after the due date will be accepted for half credit up to a week after the due date. Assignments that are more than one week late will automatically be given a grade of zero. There is no penalty for late work due to an excused absence. GEOG574: Geography of Landforms Page - 4

5 GENERAL RULES OF CONDUCT COMMUNICATION All forms of communication directed toward your instructors and classmates should be conducted in a professional manner. Please include your full name and course number in all s. ELECTRONIC DEVICES The use of digital communication devices is prohibited while in class unless approved by the instructor. This includes personal use of digital communication devices during lecture including, but not limited to: text, instant or messaging, social media, and web browsing. Anyone caught engaging in such activity will be asked to leave immediately and will be given an unexcused absence regarding any missed coursework. A battery-operated calculator is the only electronic device that can be used on exams and assignments unless otherwise instructed. Mobile phones and any type of hand-held digital device with internet capability may not be used as calculators. You may not share calculators with another student on an exam. Either action will be considered an act of academic misconduct following Section 09: Academic Honesty, pages of the University of New Hampshire Student Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities ( GEOG574: Geography of Landforms Page - 5

6 SCHEDULE WEEK TOPIC READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS Aug 31 Sept 2/4 Sep 9/11 Sep 14/16/18 Sep 21/23/25 Sep 28/30 Oct 2 Introduction: Introduction to Geomorphology Development of Surface Forms Scales in Geomorphology Sept 7 No class (Labor Day) Global Geomorphic Systems Process & Form Geomorphic Cycles Geomorphic Data Sources & Display Geographic Coordinate Systems Graphic Display & Maps HW 1: Spatial Coordinates & Map Symbols Tectonic Geomorphology: Endogenic Processes Plate Tectonics Plate Boundary Processes HW 2: Plate Tectonics Plate Boundary Landforms Orogens Volcanic Landforms Collision Structures HW 3: Major Morphological Landforms Plate Interior Landforms Basins Hot Spots & Rifting Ch 1: 1-9, Allen (2008) Ch 2: Ch 4: Ch 2: 38-41, USGS Handouts Due Monday 9/14 Ch 5: Ch 5: Due Monday 9/21 Fischer (2002) Ch 6: Ch. 6: Due Monday 9/28 Ch 5: , 105 Garcia et al. (2008) Oct 5 Exam One: Map Interpretation and Tectonic Landforms (Chs 1, 2, 4-6) Climatic Geomorphology: Oct Landscape Evolution 7/9/12 Relict Landforms Ch 3 Human Agency Ch 4: Oct 14/16/19 Exogenic Processes Denudation & Deposition Weathering Mass Wasting HW 4: Weathering Rates Ch 4: Ch 7: , Meierding (1993) Ch 8: Due - Wednesday 10/21 GEOG574: Geography of Landforms Page - 6

7 WEEK TOPIC READINGS & ASSIGNMENTS Oct 21/23/26 Oct 28/30 Nov 2 Cryospheric Environments Cold Environments Glacial Landforms Periglacial Landforms HW 5: Glacial & Periglacial Landforms Aeolian Landscapes Dry Environments Erosional Landforms Depositional Landforms HW 6: Desert Landforms Revision Ch 10, Egholm et al. (2009) Ch 11, Gooseff et al. (2009), Zhuang, et al. (2009) Due Wednesday 10/28 Ch 12: Due Wednesday 11/4 Nov 4 Nov 6 Exam Two: Climatic Geomorphology (Chs 3, 4, 7, 8, 11 & 12) Fluvial Geomorphology: Fluvial Processes Ch 9: Nov Stream Networks 9/11/13 Channel Flow HW 7: Stream Channels Due Monday 11/16 Nov 16/18/20 Nov 23/25 Fluvial Landforms Erosional Landforms Depositional Landforms HW 8: Fluvial Landforms Coastal Geomorphology: Coastal Environments Littoral Zone Wave Action Ch 9: Kim et al. (2009) NHDES Due Monday 11/23 Ch 13: , Nov 30 Dec 2/4 Nov 27 No Class (Thanksgiving) Coastal Landforms Coastline Classification Sea-Level Rise HW 9: Coastal Environments Revision Ch 13: Ch 13: , Ch 16: , Jevrejeva, et al. (2008) Due Monday 12/7 Dec 7/9 HW 10: Reading Assignment Due Thursday 12/11 Dec 17 Exam Three: Fluvial & Coastal Geomorphology (Chs 9, 13 & 15) (8:00 10:00) READING LIST GEOG574: Geography of Landforms Page - 7

8 Introduction: Allen, P.A. (2008) From landscapes into geological history, Nature, 451: Tectonic Geomorphology: Fischer, K.M. (2002) Waning buoyancy in the crustal roots of old mountains, Nature, 417: Garcia, et al. (2008) Widespread Secondary Volcanism Near Northern Hawaiian Islands, Eos, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, 89(52): Climatic Geomorphology: Meierding, T.C. (1993) Marble Tombstone Weathering and Air Pollution in North America, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 83(4): Gooseff, et al. (2009) Effects of Hillslope Thermokarst in Northern Alaska, Eos, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, 90(4): Zhuang, et al. (2009) Global Methane Emissions from Wetlands, Rice Paddies, and Lakes, Eos, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, 90(5): Egholm, et al. (2009) Glacial effects limiting mountain height, Nature, 460: Fluvial Geomorphology: Kim, et al. (2009) Is It Feasible to Build New Land in the Mississippi River Delta? Eos, Transactions of the American Geophysical Union, 90(42): Walter, R.C. and D.J. Meritts (2008) Natural Streams and the Legacy of Water-Powered Mills, Science, 319: Geomorphology-based Restoration Alternatives: Suncook River, Epsom, New Hampshire Prepared by: Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc for The Town of Epsom, NH and NH Department of Environmental Services. Coastal Geomorphology: Jevrejeva, et al. (2008) Recent global sea level acceleration started over 200 years ago? Geophysical Research Letters, 35: 4 pp. Leatherman, S.P. (1979) Migration of Assateague Island, Maryland, by inlet and overwash processes, Geology, 7: USGS (2001) Geology of the Woods Hole Area, Massachusetts The Story behind the Landscape, USGS Fact Sheet, FS : 2 pp. Mannahatta Project: Sanderson, E.W. (2005) Urban Legend: Discovering Manhattan s Wetlands, National Wetlands Newsletter, 27(1): Sanderson, E.W. and M. Brown (2007) Mannahatta: An Ecological First Look at the Manhattan Landscape Prior to Henry Hudson, Northeastern Naturalist, 14(4): GEOG574: Geography of Landforms Page - 8