Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 2.2
Contrasting relief regimes
from different mountain systems.
(Source: Barsch & Caine (1984).
Reproduced with permission
Mountain
Research and Development
.)
Type
Altitudinal difference (m)
Relative relief (m km
−
2
)
(over 5 km distance)
High mountain system
>
1000
500
Mountain system
500-1000
200
Mountainous terrain
100-500
100
Hilly terrain
50-100
50
(a)
Continental shields
Table lands
Cuestas, eroded old mountain
systems
Mountain - high mountain
systems
Alluvial plains
Ice shields
> 1000
750-1000
(b)
500-750
250-500
100-250
50-100
0-50
Deserts and permanent ice
Fig. 2.2
(a) Global map of the major relief elements of the earth surface (Dongus 1980; as cited in Barsch & Caine 1984). (Reproduced
with permission,
Mountain Research and Development
.) (b) Global distribution of suspended sediment yield. (From Walling & Webb
1983,
Background to Palaeohydrology
. (Ed.) Gregory, K.J. (1983). © John Wiley & Sons Limited. Reproduced with permission.)
Research themes in mountain geomorphology
have been discussed by Barsch & Caine (1984),
who make the important distinction (Fig. 2.3)
between studies focusing on mountain landforms
and those that study land-forming processes in
mountain environments. In terms of research into
the environmental sedimentology of mountain
systems it is the morphodynamics of mountains
