Equilibrium, scale and inheritance in geomorphology

Abstract Of the many “equilibrium” terms that have been proposed, only two are needed: dynamic equilibrium in the original sense of G.K. Gilbert (1877) and steady state. The former refers to the relationship between the process components of a system, the latter to the system as a whole. The tendency towards establishing a dynamic equilibrium is inherent in all natural systems that contain negative feedbacks between processes capable of compensating each other. In geomorphology, equilibrium tendencies of the mass budget are more relevant than those of the energy budget. The validity of the equilibrium concept is discussed at several scales from a slope point to entire slopes, drainage basins and mountain ranges. The effects of eksystemic changes vary depending upon the length of the intervals between such changes in comparison to the length of the required relaxation times. This relationship also applies to the influence of inherited forms, patterns and materials that have become components of present-day systems.

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