William Morris DavisBorn 12 Feb 1850; died 5 Feb 1934 at age 83. American geomorphologist and geologist who developed, geomorphology as the scientific study of landforms. He is noted for his concept of the “cycle of erosion” (or geomorphic cycle) whereby mountains and other landforms have a pattern of creation, maturation and becoming old. Mountains are formed by uplift and have steep, irregular forms. With time, valleys are carved by streams, which widen, and erosion eventually produces gentler, rolling hills. Though this scheme is not accurate by today's understanding, Davis initiated new ideas to interpret the evolution of landforms. His essay The Rivers of Pennsylvania (1889) first gave a broad statement of his concepts.« |
