Introduction to the foundations of geomorphology / Введение в основы геоморфологии

Geomorphology, the study of landforms and their formative processes, is a multidisciplinary field most strongly associated with the geographical and geological sciences. It encompasses numerous subfields of specialization that are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Like all disciplines, what geomorphology is like today derives in part from the practitioners, ideas, controversies, and events involved in its development. This paper presents a brief perspective and overview of the history of geomorphology as an introduction to the subsequent chapters in the volume, each of which focuses on a specific period of the discipline's history or on concepts that have figured prominently in its past development or current status. A brief summary of the following 18 papers in this volume provides insight into the range of ideas and methods that are engaged in the theory and practice of geomorphology. The volume as a whole provides historical and thematic context for the subsequent volumes in the Treatise on Geomorphology.