Global Geomorphology (Paperback)

by Michael Summerfield (Author)
Key Phrases: late heavy bombardment, climatic geomorphology, glacial geomorphology, New York, Physical Geography, Edward Arnold (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The plate tectonics revolution in the earth sciences has provided a valuable new framework for understanding long-term landform development.

This innovative text provides a comprehensive introduction to the subject of global geomorphology, with the emphasis placed on large-scale processes and phenomena. Integrating global tectonics into the study of landforms and incorporating planetary geomorphology as a major component the author discusses the impact of climatic change and the role of catastrophic events on landform genesis and includes a comprehensive study of surface geomorphic processes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall (February 11, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0582301564
• ISBN-13: 978-0582301566
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #543,955 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introductory text, April 16, 1999

By	H. Rogers (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A wide ranging, well written summary of geomorphic knowledge. This is one of the better introductions to the interesting field of geomorphology and I whole-heartedly recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Educational, August 23, 2003

By	events3 - See all my reviews

This was my textbook for a STUDY OF LANDFORMS, a course I needed for my undergraduate Minor (Geography) several years ago. I was immediately impressed by the thorough coverage provided by Summerfield.

The work starts with the basics: s-waves and p-waves and a brief introduction to seismology, a look at the apparent strata of the earth from the core to the atmosphere, and an introduction to endogenic (earth-originated) - e.g. mantle plumes and the "conveyor belt" effect leading to the movement of the lithosphere on the athenosphere - and exogenic (largely solar-related) processes - e.g., wind - which provide the energy for plate tectonics and the building up & erosion of land forms. Following this the work takes a more indepth look at topics such as various forms of uplift (orogenic and epierogenic processes such as block faulting, folding and igneous-related activity) followed by individual chapters on processes relating to coastlines, deserts, glacial, permafrost & etc.

This is an excellent introduction to the earth sciences which treats the subject in a professional manner and largely eschews any indoctrination into or against ecological considerations.

Highly recommended!

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth your reading time, September 12, 2001

By A Customer

I find this book to be extremely dull and lifeless. I love studying geomorphology, but this book is almost enough to turn me away. The graphs, diagrams, and charts are overwhelming. It seems to based more on statistics then observations of how systems really work. The photos are boring and uninspirational. Reading through the text is like slowly dragging my fingernails down a chalkboard. I can barely make it through 5 pages at a time without losing complete interest. The explanations of how systems and processes work makes no sense to me. I find myself having to cross refernce this text with other geology texts from different classes. Also, many of the people that are quoted are from the 1940's and '50's. Ridiculous!! It reads like a computer assembly manual in Japanese. Granted, the text does cover a wide range of geomorphological features, it does not cover them well.