What is the geographic process in nature

Geography is one of the most fascinating and necessary sciences for mankind. If there were no era of great geographical discoveries, we would still not know what a vast and diverse world we live in. In a word, key knowledge in this discipline is necessary for almost every person.

Do you know what a geographical process is? This is one of the key concepts, on the understanding of which depends the quality and quantity of knowledge not only of geography itself, but of many related sciences.

Basic concepts

The very word "process" implies a successive change of some phenomena or even entire formations. The geographic process (examples we will give below) is the formation of new formations both on the surface of the planet and in its interior. Responsible for these changes are the most diverse agents of morphogenesis. Most scientists characterize such phenomena with the word "dynamic", since they believe (and it is not unreasonable) that only such morphological forces can lead to serious changes.

This point of view is fully confirmed by the fact that many geographical processes are (to some extent) relief-transforming, since they directly act on the landscape that existed before, actively transforming it.

Many may not understand from a scientific explanation of what a geographic process is. Examples are quite diverse, but one can immediately recall the motion of tectonic plates. This is just the dynamic (see above) phenomenon, which leads to serious morphological changes not only in the landscape of a particular region, but in the whole planet. The drift of the continents, therefore, also ideally fits the definition considered above.

Importance of the concept

It is not at all surprising that the study of these phenomena is considered the foundation of geography and geology. As the theoretical model of V.M. Davis, the term "process" occupies an important place between structural and stagial changes, and the researches of this scientist are still considered to be one of the deepest and most important. In this article, we will try not only to give the phenomenon a detailed definition, answering the question of what a geographic process is, but also give an example of its typification.

Key Features

The basic characteristic of geographic processes is that they, while actively participating in the morphogenesis of the earth's surface, also contribute to the movement of substances near it, which serves as an indicator of their importance in lithogenesis. Accordingly, when analyzing their common role, one can come to conclusions about the necessary directions of typing.

In fairness, it should be said that there are many different classifications that approximate the essence of geographic processes, but they are based only on two or three principles, which is not enough for serious research. We do not claim to represent an exhaustive way of typing. Rather, the article is devoted to the consideration of the role of geographical processes in nature and the possibility of their classification in principle.

Importance for nature

The geographical process of speciation implies the influence of geographic factors on the emergence of entirely new species of living organisms: changes in relief fundamentally affect the migration of animals on their diet. It is not surprising that under the influence of such factors new subspecies often appear.

The geological process of continental drift has led (and still leads) to a change in climatic conditions, the appearance and disappearance of hundreds of thousands of new species, many of which we will never know. It was these natural factors that contributed to the formation of oil, gas and fossil coal deposits.

Any processes in animate nature, no matter how globally significant they may look, can have a significant impact on the geographic landscape.

A little about the factors of cosmic nature

It is generally believed that only the phenomena whose agents originated on the planet itself (rivers, winds, etc.) lead to serious changes in the relief of the earth's surface. People completely forget about the initial stages of the Earth's development, when the main factors were the processes of cosmic nature. Of course, over time, when the normal atmosphere has developed, their importance has slightly decreased, but one can not forget about them.

We are talking, for example, about the fall of meteorites. Scientists suggest that once a similar phenomenon led to the complete extinction of dinosaurs, which at that time reigned supreme on the planet, as well as to significant climate change. On the surface of the Earth and to this day, traces of the fall of celestial bodies are noticeable, and in some areas there are giant craters from meteorites that fell many millions of years ago. It is not so much the processes of ecological and geographical speciation as the phenomenon of the complete destruction of many species of living beings.

It is not necessary to consider that those times have passed: if something like this happens again in our time, the relief of the earth's surface will also seriously change, and one should not forget about climate transformations.

Thus, any geographic process (photo, see in the article) is rather unstable: the change in the main agents, under whose dynamic modification occurs, can happen at any time.

What are they like?

More often than not, scientists prefer not to complicate the issue under study, so the simplest classification of such phenomena is widespread: a lowering of the surface, maintaining it in the same state, or elevating the relief.

If this typology is imposed on a time scale, then it becomes clear that all processes lead either to the dismemberment of the surface (faults) or to its gradual leveling. Thus, any geographical process (the definition of this term we gave at the very beginning of the article) can be attributed only to one of the two main groups. Of course, this approach is not justified in every case, but under certain conditions this point of view is fully justified.

So, the gradual erosion of mountains (wind, water) in any case will lead to their transformation into a plain. An ideal example is the Ural Mountains, which, as a result of a complex geographic process that lasted for thousands of years, actually ceased to be so.

Negative Options

As is often the case, not the most fundamental, but the most destructive and negative in relation to a person, appear to be on the surface. Let's look at the most typical examples. You probably already guessed that we will discuss some geographical natural phenomena that have a particularly tangible impact on our lives.

• Erosion . This is the process of degradation of soils and rocks, when their constituent parts are washed out by water and gradually destroyed by wind. The most intensive processes of this kind can be observed in the mountains and in the hilly terrain due to inefficient plowing of the land.

• Landslides - failure of large masses of rocks under the influence of both gravitational forces and precipitation. Similar physical and geographical processes are typical for the mountainous terrain.

• They sat down . Extremely dangerous phenomenon. This is a rapid convergence of the mixture from the soil, rock fragments, snow, water and ice. The mudflow can inflict a whole city off the surface of the earth in just a few minutes. As you can guess, they are observed mainly in the mountains.

• Karst . This phenomenon implies the occurrence of large cavities in the bowels of the earth's crust. This is due to the characteristics of geological rocks, which are predisposed to rapid leaching. For example, karst cavities are formed in limestone in a relatively short period of time.

• Gradual waterlogging of the territory , due to the high level of groundwater, composition and characteristics of soils. This phenomenon is typical for many areas of our country.

Thus, geographical natural phenomena occur much more often than is commonly believed.

More about karst processes

It is generally accepted (and in some scientific publications one can come across a similar point of view) that karst processes do not have such a significant effect on the geographic and geological features of the terrain. This is far from the case.

Take, for example, the Yucatan peninsula. The fact is that geologists and geographers often compare it to the huge head of cheese that someone threw into the ocean. This is due to the fact that its entire surface is literally riddled with failures and faults. And they, as you might have guessed, are just karst origin. In this case it is not necessary to deny that these geographical objects and phenomena had the most serious influence on the development of the terrain of the given locality.

In addition, karst on such a scale can contribute to some climatic changes. A large number of karst dips, at the bottom of which there are often lakes, is considered to be a factor predisposing to climate mitigation and humidification. In such an area, rains are more frequent, being one of the main agents of water erosion.

I would like to note that the situation of karst processes in the classification series has not been fully determined. They can be attributed to both underground and ground processes. Most likely, they enter into both groups simultaneously. Thus, this geographical process, the photo of which is demonstrated in the article, is important from the point of view of the constant modification of the landscape of our planet.

Unfavorable climatic processes

Drought, dry winds, storms, large hail and many other climatic processes are far from a complete list of negative phenomena. Let's look at some of them in more detail:

• It's dry . A hot and hot wind that occurs when the air temperature is over 25 degrees Celsius and its relative humidity is less than 25%. Within Russia it practically does not occur, but it is constantly observed in the Central Asian republics of the former USSR.

• Storms are dusty and sandy. Constantly arise in those areas where, due to soil erosion, the roots of plants are no longer able to strengthen the upper layers of the soil. In these conditions, any wind can provoke the beginning of a storm.

• At a wind speed of over 29 meters per second, a hurricane occurs. This geographical process is extremely dangerous, since a powerful wind can provoke the emergence of giant waves on the sea, blows off a huge amount of fertile soil, and even large ocean vessels are heated.

• Rain is considered an unfavorable geographical process, if in 12 hours more than 50 millimeters of precipitation fall out. This is extremely dangerous, since a large amount of water easily provokes the emergence of powerful mudflows, landslides, causes large floods.

• Hail, whose diameter is more than 20 millimeters, also belongs to this category, since it can contribute to climate change in large areas due to the complete destruction of vegetation.

Typing

So how can geographic objects and processes be classified? The typification of these phenomena must be carried out according to a formula that includes at once three elements: terrain features, the processes that occur, and factors directly or indirectly affecting landscape changes. Note that a similar formula is used in soil science. But in the case under consideration, all factors must be bi-directional and simultaneous.

Usually there is a division into endogenous and exogenous processes. But at the present time practically all authoritative scientists agree that such a classification is erroneous: these terms merely point to the localization of processes, but they do not say anything about the reasons for their appearance.

If we take as the basis the depth of the earth's surface, then practically all phenomena of this kind can be attributed to internal ones. The fact is that in practice it is often impossible to distinguish a particular geographical process. What does this mean for geography as a whole? Only that in the field, specialists who are guided by the above classification principle, are forced to rely more on their experience and opinion than on a solid scientific basis.

Therefore, we would like to say that it is much more effective and justified to follow another principle of separation:

• Geographical processes of tectonic origin. The most common, are the main cause of global changes in the relief.

• Volcanic . Similar to the previous species.

• Isostatic .

• Erosion-accumulative processes, which in the scientific literature are often called fluvial.

• Gravitational phenomena . Do not underestimate the gravity of the earth, which greatly contributes to the formation of new forms of surface relief.

• Aeolian .

• The formation of karst cavities , of which we have already spoken above.

• Suffasion .

• Abrasive processes , which are especially pronounced in mountainous areas. Harder rocks consistently weave less stable formations, acting like sandpaper.

• The phenomena of cryogenic rock (and post cryogenic) . Permanent defrosting and freezing also contributes to a significant extent to the change in the landscape. Especially it is expressed in mountainous areas.

• Glacial processes.

• Fluvioglacial phenomena.

• Processes of biogenic nature. With them, everything is somewhat more complicated, since many underestimate the impact of wildlife on the surface of the planet. Meanwhile, it is enough to recall the formation of coal deposits, in order to be convinced of the fallacy of this point of view.

• The phenomena of weathering and soil formation.

• Cosmic phenomena. These include cases of the fall of large meteorites, which in ancient times often formed giant craters.

• Anthropogenic processes.

More about anthropogenic processes

A lot has been said about people's ability to create environmental problems. Disappearance of species, pollution of water and air ... Less often remember that human activity is a powerful geographic process that can seriously change the surrounding landscape. Sometimes even on a planetary scale.

Many know about the Great Wall of China, but not everyone thinks that it has seriously changed the geographic landscape of the area. This structure is not only visible from space (which in itself fully confirms the above thesis). The wall in its time seriously violated the migration routes of many species, for its construction, several small rivers, not to mention the streams, were simply laid aside or covered up. Thus, in many areas for which it passes, the intensity of wind and water erosion was significantly reduced, which could not but affect the geographic features of the terrain.

Approximately the same can be said about the construction and functioning of large cities. They seriously change, and sometimes even make, the migration of animals completely impossible , when they are erected and developed, the river beds completely change, the actions of many agents of geographic processes are suspended or severely restricted.

Some varieties

As can be seen from the cited classification, many processes are divided into subspecies, which is due to differences in the main agents that directly affect the landscape. For example, the rivers flowing along the surface of the water are an agent of fluvial processes.

Depending on the environmental conditions in which an agent operates, the processes can be characterized somewhat more accurately: underwater, ground and underground. But what is the geographic process, if we talk about the time that is necessary for its manifestation? More precisely, how can you classify them in this case?

Typology in terms of chronology

All geographical processes can be divided into groups, based on their chronological characteristics. By the time of manifestation they are modern, ancient and relic. In addition, distinguish between constants (rhythmic phenomena in the geographical envelope) and sporadic (temporary) phenomena. As for the flow rate, fast, instantaneous and slow processes are distinguished.

It is necessary to be very cautious about the last version of the classification: until now, there is still debate on whether it is possible to "squeeze" geographic processes into any time frame. Much more important is their dynamics and ability to involve large groups of diverse factors that are involved in changing the terrain.

Main conclusions

There are many types of classification, and each of them has the right to exist. For example, not so long ago it was proposed to divide the gravitational and antigravity geographic processes in nature. Of course, this approach is not acceptable in all cases. In addition, it should be noted that the physical conditions of our planet do not allow us to seriously talk about the antigravity nature of certain phenomena.

That's what the geographic process is. As you can see, this concept is extremely important for understanding many phenomena that occur on our planet constantly, regardless of other conditions.