Climatic Zonation of Sandstone Terrain

Abstract

Lithological and structural constraints on denudation like those considered in the previous chapters have been, by and large, relegated to a secondary role in the shaping of landforms. Their importance is admitted in explaining localized variations in morphology, but generally denied for variations at the regional or subcontinental scale. Rather it is climate that is given pride of place as the determinant of large-scale variations in style of denudation and morphology. This viewpoint has been elaborated in great detail in the handbooks on climatic geomorphology, especially that by Budel (1977); more restrained statements have been presented by Tricart and Cailleux (1972) and by Louis and Fischer (1979). In recent years the role of climate in controlling the denudation of rock surfaces has also been increasingly emphasized in English-language textbooks (e.g. Chorley et al.1984).