This course builds a foundation for understanding how Earth’s landforms evolve over human to geological timescales.  A significant part of the course will focus on the dynamics of hillslopes (which cover most of Earth’s terrestrial surface) and rivers (which, although representing a minuscule proportion of the landscape, are particularly important geomorphic features as well as essential to Earth’s biosphere, including humans).  We will also examine glaciers (somewhat exotic, but important, and very intriguing) and coastlines (representing one of Earth’s most dynamic geomorphic systems).  In addition, we will explore how geomorphic systems are fundamentally influenced by — and, in turn, influence — the dynamics of Earth’s crust (tectonics) as well as Earth’s atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

This course is aimed at undergraduate students, and entry-level graduate students, majoring in Earth and Environmental Sciences. Students in related fields possessing an interest in, and flare for, interdisciplinary studies are welcome to participate. The course is designed to challenge students to use the basic physics, chemistry and calculus they have previously studied to explore the behavior of Earth-surface systems.

Credits:  3

Prerequisites:  Course prerequisites include: (i) GEOL 101/111 (Dynamic Earth) or equivalent; and (ii) comfort with basic physics, chemistry and calculus.

Class time:  TBA

Instructors:  David Furbish, Simon Mudd

Text:  No texts are required. The course will involve assigned reading from various sources, including the initial draft of a (much awaited!) geomorphology text by Robert Anderson and Suzanne Anderson, both at the University of Colorado.

Grading:  Course grades will be based on scores earned for MATLAB problem sets and two field project reports — which of course requires full participation in two lovely field trips to the "Land Between the Lakes" area in northwest Tennessee. Oh... and you will take away a skill that will serve you well: basic programming in MATLAB — which is rapidly becoming an important tool for teaching and research in the Earth and environmental sciences.