ABSTRACT
The structure and processes of landform supply the basic underlying layer or substrate upon which all terrestrial life and human activities rely. Landform interacts directly with climate to maintain a continuously dynamic state. However, the rates of change are so slow that for most ecological processes, or considerations for human use, it supplies a stable framework and sets limits or boundary conditions. Areas of ancient shield rocks, where erosion is extremely slow, possess extremely stable geologies. There are places in which dramatic landform processes occur reasonably frequently, notably in regions with active volcanoes.
