Customer Reviews

Process Geomorphology

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ritter's book "Process Geomorphology" is one of the better books available to elementary students in Geomorphology. The book is divided into logical categories and contains a plethora of useful diagrams, maps and graphs. This book is especially useful for those who have had only a little background in Physical Geology or Earth History and want to explore earth processes such as weathering, erosion, fluvial and eolian processes at depth. It is worthy of a read and is worth the price. 4 Stars!

This is a solid introductory geomorphology book. As a scientist from another field (physics) I needed a basic reference to understand notation and the basic foundations of geomorphology, specifically dealing with sediment transport, and this was a good match. It's not a textbook I'd buy if I didn't need it, but it's a very helpful source.

This is a very well illustrated book, but it has one serious flaw if it is being used by geologists. It doesn't give much/any attention to the structural control of features on the landscape. (i.e., how folds and faults in bedrock control fluvial erosion, etc.). This is standard in many geomorphology texts. Unfortunately, the other good Geomorphology books are out of date from the 1990s.

Meteorite impact craters have gained much more attention lately as well, and they also deserve at least a few pages of attention. Otherwise, I'd give it 4 or 5 stars.

I am currently teaching a university level geomorphology course using this text and find myself constantly wishing I had chosen another. I have five primary complaints about the book.

1) Some of the tools required to make a book like this one truly useful are simply missing or inadequate. Geomorphology is a terminology-laden science, and the lack of a glossary is a very significant shortcoming of the book. A good glossary - one including page references to detailed explanations/descriptions in the text would greatly increase the value of the book. The index is also deficient. In preparation for the course I began by creating several exercises that I definitely wanted to use, and in more than one case couldn't find an index reference to an important concept or term. However, in scanning the appropriate chapter the item is not only included but given considerable treatment. One example may help to make the point. The Hjulstrom diagram is the most accessible tool for students to relate current velocity to transported particle size despite the date of Hjulstrom's original work (1939). Hjulstrom is not included in the index though his 1939 paper is included in the list of references, and the diagram is included in the text.

2) Overall the book (fourth edition) has the appearance of a rough draft comprised of diagrams and pieces of text hurriedly cobbled together with emphasis on completeness rather than continuity, leaving need for a careful editing. As a result the text does not flow and explanations are sometimes so sketchy that someone not already familiar with the material will probably find it to be essentially unreadable. In part this results from what I assume is the absence of an editor and in part from an attempt to include more in a single text than can reasonably be included. The result, however, is likely to be unsatisfactory for the reader attempting to understand the complexities of the subject and frustrating to the instructor who has to spend class time explaining material that should be easily understandable from the text.

3) Another reviewer has mentioned the short shrift given to the geology that underlies - and in many instances controls - the morphology. Although the emphasis of the book is on the processes of geomorphology, this omission is rather severe when using the text with a class of geology students. I find it particularly difficult to understand this omission with two of the three authors being geologists. I'm supplementing the text in this area with copies of Dake and Brown "Interpretation of Topographic and Geologic Maps" (1925, reprinted 1953) that are readily available as discards from libraries where it is not understood that there is no more recent substitute.

4) Many concepts are explained so briefly that I find it difficult to believe they will be understood by the students for whom the book is written. An example of this is the description of stream numbering systems. This topic covers the work of Horton which brought the basic concepts to the awareness of geomorphologists in 1945 and refinements by Strahler and Shreve. It is entirely appropriate to describe all three of these systems as they all appear in the literature and the student should be forewarned of the multiplicity of numbering systems as well as the shortcomings of early efforts. However, in Figure 5.17 which attempts to illustrate the three, it is impossible to distinguish for example between order 1 and 2 streams of Horton because the same line pattern is used for both. Simply redrafting these figures using different symbols would make the distinction clear, something accomplished by neither Figure 5.17 nor the accompanying text.

5) Many of the photographs are difficult to interpret. Having begun my exploration of this topic in the days of few photos and many skillfully constructed line drawings I would reduce the number of photos and produce a line drawing to accompany and explain each. Just as cartoonists convey complex images with only a few lines, the same abstraction of the essence of the image would add significantly to many of the photos, making the message more accessible.

I have complained about the book, but there are some especially strong points the should be pointed out.

1) This text has by far the most extensive bibliography I have ever seen in a textbook at this level. The ability to follow a topic directly from text to primary source would be most important in a graduate course rather than an introductory one for which this book is intended, but I find it to be a particular strength of the book.

2) Having first studied geomorphology half a century ago I find the inclusion of many examples from planets other than the earth to be useful. For example in discussion of headward extension of tributary valleys the authors use examples both Martian and terrestrial to illustrate the concept of groundwater sapping. Showing similarities such as this helps to emphasize the concept rather than the specific locality or example. In this particular instance I would like to have seen an explanation that the springs MUST BE localized at the head of the tributary because the aquifer has already been drained downslope from the head; raising the question of whether the spring is the chicken or perhaps only the egg.

All in all I find the deficiencies to outweigh the positive attributes as an undergraduate text or for self-study.

This book is very detailed, even explaining the common sense concepts. The writer asks questions that I would not be interested in asking or knowing the answers to,then gives the answer. For someone who would like to specialize in the study of geomorphology, this book may be more interesting. For me, is was very boring to read, and too detailed to absorp the general concepts.

Received the book in just a few days after ordering, the packaging kept the book in good shape as well. The descriptions are easy to follow and the figures are easy to understand. Definitely a geomorphologists right hand tool.

Arrived in condition specified online and arrived before date it was supposed to be here. I am very happy with the quality and timeliness of the order.

This book is a companion resource to my GeoMorphology class I am taking at Florida Atlantic University.
I find this book easy to read and comprehend and a good source to re-enforce material I learn in lecture.
This will be yet another book I can add to my library of Computer & Geology material I use in my careers.

It came in fast and it excellent condition. It was out of print but I was not let down by this service

This was a great buy. The book was brand new and in perfect condition. It was also about $60.00 cheaper than at the Akron U bookstore. thanks for saving me a ton of money