Earth Surface Processes, Landforms and Sediment Deposits

About this book

Earth surface processes, landforms and sediment deposits are intimately related. They involve a chain of events from generation of sediment in the source area to erosion and transport through the drainage network, and subsequent deposition. These processes, and the deposits and landforms that they generate, have a fundamental bearing on engineering, environmental and public safety issues, on recovery of economic resources, and our general understanding of Earth history.

This unique textbook brings together the traditional disciplines of sedimentology and geomorphology to explain Earth surface processes, landforms and sediment deposits in a comprehensive and integrated way. It is the ideal resource for a two-semester course in sedimentology, stratigraphy, geomorphology, and Earth surface processes at the advanced undergraduate- and beginning graduate-level. The book is also accompanied by a website hosting material on field and laboratory methods for measuring, describing and analyzing Earth surface processes, landforms and sediments.

Contents

Part I. Introduction: 1. Definitions, rationale and scope of the book; 2. Overview of the Earth; Part II. Production of Sediment at the Earth's Surface: 3. Weathering of rocks, production of terrigenous sediment, and soils; 4. Biogenic and chemogenic sediment production; Part III. Fundamentals of Fluid Flow, Sediment Transport, Erosion and Deposition: 5. Unidirectional turbulent water flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition; 6. Air flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition; 7. Multidirectional water flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition; 8. Movement of sediment by gravity; 9. Generation and movement of volcaniclastic sediment; 10. Ice flow, sediment transport, erosion and deposition; 11. Biogenic and chemogenic depositional structures; 12. Post-depositional deformation of soft sediment; 13. Rivers, alluvial plains and fans; 14. Lakes; 15. Coasts and shallow seas; 16. Arid environments; 17. Glacial and periglacial environments; Part IV. Environments of Erosion and Deposition: 18. Deep seas and oceans; Part V. Sediment into Rock: Diagenesis: 19. Diagenesis; Part VI. Long-term, Large-Scale Processes: Mountains and Sedimentary Basins: 20. Tectonic, climatic and eustatic controls on long-term, large-scale erosion and deposition; References; Index.

Customer Reviews

Biography

JOHN BRIDGE was awarded a Ph.D. from St. Andrews University, Scotland, in 1973. He now holds the position of Professor of Geological Sciences at the State University of New York at Binghamton where his research interests focus on fluvial sedimentology, turbulent water flow and sediment transport. Professor Bridge has served on the editorial boards of several sedimentology journals and he is also the author/editor of two other books.

ROBERT DEMICCO was awarded a Ph.D. from the Johns Hopkins University in 1973. He is now Professor of Geology at State University of New York at Binghamton where his research interests focus on carbonate sedimentology and applications of fuzzy logic to geology. Professor Demicco is the author/editor of two books on these topics.