The geomorphic landscape: The Attributes of geoforms

Abstract

Attributes are characteristics used for the description, identification, and classification of the geoforms. They are descriptive and functional indicators that make the multicategorial system of the geoforms operational. Four kinds of attribute are used: (1) morphographic attributes to describe the geometry of geoforms; (2) morphometric attributes to measure the dimensions of geoforms; (3) morphogenic attributes to determine the origin and evolution of geoforms; and (4) morphochronologic attributes to frame the time span in which geoforms originated. The morphometric and morphographic attributes apply mainly to the external (epigeal) component of the geoforms, are essentially descriptive, and can be extracted from remote-sensed documents or derived from digital elevation models. The morphogenic and morphochronologic attributes apply mostly to the internal (hypogeal) component of the geoforms, are characterized by field observations and measurements, and need to be substantiated by laboratory determinations.