ABSTRACT
The Mediterranean landscape as we see it today is denominated by features that are related to erosion in its various forms. In the majority of areas, water erosion and mass movements are the dominant processes because of the high relief which recent tectonics have imparted to most of the region. Elsewhere, the erosion from uplands may be redeposited forming distinctive coastal plains – this process will be discussed in more detail in subsequent chapters. Finally, large areas to the south of the basin and in some coastal zones are dominated by aeolian erosion and deposition. Thus, the interplay of climate, lithology and weathering, and vegetation defines the location and extent of the different types of erosion in the Mediterranean Basin. These controls are discussed in this chapter.
