ABSTRACT

Landforms are the stage for the drama of life. But unlike a theatrical stage, which provides only passive support for the players, landforms play an active role in biological evolution. They exist at the nexus of atmospheric, hydrospheric, lithospheric, and biospheric interactions. They influence, and are influenced by, air, water, rocks, and living organisms. Landforms provide the basic resources of soil and space, and help regulate the flow and storage of other resources, such as water and nutrients. For these reasons, and because they are quite dynamic, landforms have strong influences on human activity. Conversely, humans have important influences on landforms-both direct influences (by reshaping the earth’s surface) and indirect influences (by changing climate, soils, biota, and the water cycle). In short, an understanding of human-environment relations and human roles in changing the face of the earth requires an understanding of the interaction between humans and landforms. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the stability and instability of landform (or geomorphic) systems in the context of the mutual adjustments of humans and the landscape.