ABSTRACT
The geomorphology of slopes, particularly the study of slope evolution, has been somewhat neglected by German geomorphologists, some of whom linked slope studies with the hypotheses of Walther Penck which were almost universally rejected by most German geomorphologists. Rather than present a theoretical discussion or present detailed slope measurements, which would be difficult to justify for the diversity of landforms found in Sri Lanka, this chapter presents tentative conclusions based on field observations. Sri Lanka has, like many other upland areas of the tropics, many smooth, strongly convex, bare rock slopes. Caves are often found at the foot of these whaleback, inselberg forms. At Sigiriya Rock, where overhung recesses at least 2000 years old house the famous paintings dating from AD 485 and since untouched by further weathering, the back wall of the recess or niche has been untouched for a long time. The longevity of rock slopes in the tropics seems to contradict their steepness.
