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The basement regions constitute more than two-thirds of outcropping bedrock material across our planet's continents. During the past 30 years French geomorphologists have contributed greatly to the characterization of some of the laws and patterns of landform evolution in shields and crystaliine areas with changing bioclimatic environments. This volume reflects the search for a better understanding of landscapes and landforms in igneous and metamorphic terrains at different latitudes. Furthermore, it covers a wide field of investigation gathered on four continents and addresses the issue at a wide range of spatial and timescales. It is an ideal volume not only for post-graduate geomorphology students but also for geoscience scholars concerned with igneous petrology, quaternary geology, physical geography, soil science and land use planning.
List of contents
I The Fabric of Basement Terrains and its Controls on the Development of Landforms.- 1 Planation Surfaces in Basement Terrains.- 2 Morphostructural Units, Multi-Storeyed Scenery and the Origin of Escarpments in Basement Terrains.- 3 Structural Landforms in Basement Terrains.- II The Weathering of Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks: Processes and Products.- 4 Rock Resistance and its Influence on Landforms in Basement Terrains.- 5 Chemical Weathering, Regolith and Climate in Metamorphic and Igneous Terrains.- 6 Cryogenic Processes and Ice-Related Restructuring of the Regolith in Metamorphic and Igneous Terrains.- III Zonal Patterns of Landscape Development in Basement Terrains.- 7 Landscape Development in Tropical Shield Environments.- 8 Landscape Development in Arctic, Sub-Arctic and Circum-Arctic Shield Environments.- 9 Landscape Development in Metamorphic and Igneous Terrains of the Mid-Latitudes (with Special Reference to Western Europe).- 10 Structural Predesign and Scaling Factors in Geomorphology: Lessons from the Study of Basement Terrains.- References.
