Physical geography

lgeo1231  2019-2020  Louvain-la-Neuve

Physical geography
Note from June 29, 2020
Although we do not yet know how long the social distancing related to the Covid-19 pandemic will last, and regardless of the changes that had to be made in the evaluation of the June 2020 session in relation to what is provided for in this learning unit description, new learnig unit evaluation methods may still be adopted by the teachers; details of these methods have been - or will be - communicated to the students by the teachers, as soon as possible.
5 credits
30.0 h + 30.0 h
Q1
Teacher(s)
van Wesemael Bas;
Language
French
Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.
Main themes
This course introduces the process, materials and landforms of the main geomorphic systems. First, the exogenous process and their relative intensities will be reviewed for different climatic zones. Then the production of soil and unconsolidated materials through weathering will be discussed and finally, the main geomorphic systems will be reviewed such as hillslopes, rivers, glaciers and coasts.
Aims

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

1 This course introduces the concepts of geomorphology i.e. the interaction between processes, materials and land forms. At the end of the course students should be able to: Describe the most important interactions between process, materials and land forms within the main geomorphic systems (hillslopes, rivers, glaciers and coasts) Interpret the morphology and the dominant processes in a given landscape using topographic maps and aerial photographs Represent the spatial variation in soil characteristics of a hillslope and its impacts on the infiltration rates based on the interpretation of data collected in the field.
 

The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
This is an introductory course in geomorphology, one of the main disciplines in physical geography. The lectures describe the interactions between processes, materials and landforms, while the main geomorphic systems will be introduced i.e. hillslopes, rivers, glaciers and coasts. Practical work focuses on interpretation of landscape forms and dominant processes from topographical maps and aerial photographs ass well as field data collection and analysis.
Evaluation methods
Written exam, course work counts for a third of the final grade
Online resources
moodle
Bibliography
  • Joseph Holden (ed) 2008 An Introduction to physical geography and the environment. Second edition. Pearson Prentice Hall ISBN 978 0 13 175304 4. Ressources web du livre: www.pearsoned.co.uk/holden
  • Frank Ahnert 1998. An introduction to geomorphology. Arnold Publishers, London. ISBN 0 340 69259
  • 'Fundamentals of the Physical Environment' D. Briggs et al. Two copies are available in the library (BSE).
Teaching materials
  • matériel sur moodle
Faculty or entity
GEOG


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Aims
Bachelor in Geography : General

Master [120] in History of Art and Archaeology : General

Minor in Scientific Culture

Minor in Geography