Landform studies from Australia and New Guinea

Abstract

Written by seventeen earth-scientists about regions which they have made their own through detailed field studies, these essays reflect the increased interest in the scientific study of landforms in Australia in the last fifteen years, with special concern for general principles. The studies are regionally based and have widely varying systematic themes. They blend qualitative field observation and inference with the modern stress on process, quantitative analysis, and correlative deposits. The landscapes described are continentwide, and include the first comprehensive history of Lake Eyre, Australia{u2019}s largest salt lake, set within striking desert environs. These essays discuss the effects of time on the lunar volcanic landscapes of Victoria and the older volcanic areas in New South Wales; the diverse landscapes with a common climatic history; coastal lagoons and coral reefs; for New Guinea, three dynamic settings - its Highlands, tropical rainforests, and the great shifting river-courses of its plains. This book fills the need for an up-to-date regional or systematic geomorphology with an Australian slant; but its range of systematic themes, the diversity of approach, and the richness of the Australian landforms discussed will command an international audience. Show more