GEOMORPHOLOGY AND STUDY OF COASTAL AND RIVER LANDSCAPES
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- Versione italiana
- Academic year
- 2022/2023
- Teacher
- PAOLO CIAVOLA
- Credits
- 8
- Didactic period
- Secondo Semestre
- SSD
- GEO/04
Training objectives
- The course represents the first and only subject of geomorphology within the bachelor degree and it gives to the students the opportunity to approach for the first time the study of landscapes, applying concepts typical of physical geography.
The main aim of the course is to provide the students with the fundamental knowledge of Physical Geography and Geomorphology and to favour the comprehension of the processes that shape landforms. Specifically, the primary scope of the course is to favour the learning of the mechanisms of exogenous processes and how they are able to shape the landscape. Theoretic information will always be introduced side by side to examples. Examples are useful to understand the theory that was, in fact, derived from direct observations of natural processes and/or of their effects on the territory and, therefore, they are important to learn the complexity and interconnection of natural phenomena.
The main achievements will be:
• Basic knowledge of interpretation of geomorphological maps and remotely sensed images to understand landforms;
• Main methods for the macroscopic identification of landforms;
• Knowledge of major natural processes that shaped the landscape in the past and how nowadays they are able to model the territory, on the land surface and in the underground, at the boundary between the land and the sea and, finally, on the ocean floor.
The key skills (i.e. how to apply the obtained knowledge) will be:
• Capability to identify landforms, how they are related to the paleo-environment of formation of rocks and to the present endogenous and exogenous processes;
• Understanding the interconnection between the numerous phenomena that are responsible of the Earth’s formation. Comprehension of the present natural processes that are capable to influence the environment we live in;
• Capability to observe the territory from a point of view that is competent and critical at the same time, to deeply understand natural processes and how much they are in close relation to each other; Prerequisites
- It is recommended that the student during the first semester attends the course of Elements of Geology and Geomorphology as it will provide the basic knowledge of rock classification and study of geological structures.
Course programme
- Introduction to lithology (2 hours of lectures): main types of minerals and rocks; classification of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks.
Introduction to geological structures (2 hours of lectures): folds and faults, seismic phenomena.
Elements of cartography and remote sensing (4 hours of lectures): revision of the main concepts of geodesy and cartography. Definitions of the key remote sensing techniques, examples of practical applications in different environmental contexts and for different purposes. Specific examples of application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS).
Glaciers (2 hours of lectures): definitions, movement of glaciers and their capability of shaping the territory, observation of landscape forms to reconstruct the movements of the glaciers at the time of the glaciations.
Landscape evolution (6 hours of lectures): the landscape and mass movements Definition of landslides and triggering mechanisms, classification of landslides (Varnes), presentation of some examples, methods for slope monitoring and stabilization, description of landslides in the marine environment, both in the deep sea and on the coast.
Fluvial geomorphology (5 hours of lectures): definition and formation of rivers, sediment transport operated by rivers, landscape evolution determined by the rivers and landforms associated with them. Soil erosion.
Coastal geomorphology (6 hours of lectures): definition of low-sandy coasts, the morphodynamic classification and definition of the main parameters associated with the waves and the characteristics of the beach. The tides. Spits and barrier islands, salt marshes. Deltas and estuaries.
The climate (4 hours of lectures): components of the "Earth System" that affect the climate, el Nino and La Nina, the ice ages, human action that control the climate change, ozone depletion, acid rain and the carbon cycle. Sea level rise and estimates of the last IPCC report. The risks associated with climate change.
Geomorphological surveying and the identification of geosites (8 hours of lectures): examples of geomorphological maps of hillslopes, alluvial plains and coastal areas. The identification of a UNESCO geosite. Didactic methods
- The course is organized as follows:
• lectures on all subjects;
• exercises to recognize landscapes on topographic maps and aerial photographs.
Teaching is shared with students from the bachelor degree in Earth Sciences. The first 4 hours of teaching are specific to this course to provide a basic geological knowledge. Learning assessment procedures
- The exam consists of a written test and, if necessary (see below) an oral exam.
The written test is divided into two parts:
1. A part of recognition of landscapes on a map or aerial photograph (point 1 of the "course contents" section). The maximum grade is 30/30. The test is passed if the student achieves the minimum grade of 18/30.
2. The second part consists of five questions, worth 6 points each, on the remaining topics.. The maximum grade is 30/30. The test is passed if the student achieves the minimum grade of 18/30.
Conditions to pass the exam
1. The final grade is the average of the two previous scores.
2. To pass the exam the student must obtain a minimum score of 18 out of 30 in both parts of the written test.
3. In the correction phase, the professor will assign the laude if, and only if, the student gets 30/30 in both parts of the written test and, simultaneously, demonstrates that he/she fully understands the course topics and how they are in relation to each other. Therefore, it will be rewarded with the laude the student who, in addition to demonstrating the acquisition of the basic knowledge, will be able to provide examples and reasoning to make cross-connections between the topics covered during the course, as highlighted in the “learning objectives” section.
4. If the student refuses the grade obtained in the written test, or a part of it, albeit sufficient, he/she will have to take again the written exam on the whole program of the course. Reference texts
- Panizza M. & Piacente S. (2014). Geomorfologia culturale, seconda edizione, Pitagora.
Strahler (2015). Fondamenti di geografia fisica, edizione Italiana a cura di E. Lavagna e G. Lucarno. Zanichelli
