 |
|
From space, the surface of planet Earth looks
colorful, but smooth. From a small human perspective, however,
the surface soars with dramatic mountains, cliffs,
alpine peaks, fault scarps, river valleys, and volcanic cones,
and beneath the sea lie deep canyons and mountain
ranges that run thousands of kilometers.
Studying how Earth's solid surface becomes sculpted into high
relief provides one of the most interesting stories in planetary
science. Many, many geologic processes occur on our home planet
that are seen nowhere else in the solar system, from the lumbering
drift of Earth's lithified outer shell that builds mountains,
to the ceaseless erosion that slowly wears them away.
This chapter introduces the fundamental processes active on
our planet that shape Earth's largest surface features. |
