Lesson 1Geomorphological Hazards: Floodplain Flooding, Slope Instability, Gully Erosion, and Mass Movement TypesDis section go explore geomorphological hazards like floods, landslides, gully erosion, and mass movements. Students go connect triggering factors, terrain controls, and land use to hazard mapping, risk assessment, and mitigation strategies for Sierra Leone areas.
Floodplain zoning and flooding mappingSlope instability factors and signsGully starting and headcut movementTypes of landslides and mass movementsRainfall thresholds and triggering eventsHazard mapping and mitigation planningLesson 2Relief and Slope Analysis: Hillshading, Slope Gradient, Aspect, and Implications for Erosion and LandslidesDis section go cover digital elevation models, hillshading, slope, and aspect analysis to understand relief. Learners go connect terrain metrics to erosion, landslide susceptibility, drainage development, and infrastructure planning in different geomorphic settings in Sierra Leone.
Sources and quality of elevation dataHillshade visualization and landform readingSlope gradient classes and mappingAspect patterns and microclimate effectsTopographic controls on erosion ratesSlope thresholds for landslide hazardsLesson 3River Basin Morphology and Drainage Patterns: Dendritic, Trellis, Radial, Antecedent SystemsDis section go examine drainage basin form, hierarchy, and planform patterns like dendritic, trellis, and radial systems. Students go relate drainage geometry to lithology, structure, relief, and long-term landscape evolution in Sierra Leone rivers.
Watershed boundaries and stream orderDendritic, trellis, radial, and parallel patternsStructural and lithologic controls on drainageLongitudinal profiles and knickpointsBasin shape, relief, and hydrologic responseDrainage evolution and river captureLesson 4Geological Mapping and Bedrock Units: Lithologies, Stratigraphy, Structural Controls on TopographyDis section go introduce geological mapping of bedrock units, focusing on lithology, stratigraphy, and structural features. Learners go interpret how folds, faults, and rock strength influence topography, drainage, and resource or hazard distribution in Sierra Leone.
Reading geological maps and legendsLithologic units and rock strength contrastsStratigraphic sequences and key contactsFaults, folds, and fracture networksStructural control on ridges and valleysLinking bedrock to resources and hazardsLesson 5Fluvial Processes: Channel Dynamics, Sediment Transport, Deposition, River Meandering and AvulsionDis section go cover fluvial processes shaping channels, including flow regimes, sediment transport, and bar formation. Learners go analyze meandering, braiding, avulsion, and floodplain building, linking process to channel pattern and management in Sierra Leone.
Flow regimes and channel hydraulicsBedload, suspended load, and wash loadChannel patterns: straight, meandering, braidedPoint bars, levees, and overbank depositsMeander migration and cutoff formationAvulsion, anabranching, and channel managementLesson 6Climate Controls on Hydrology: Precipitation Regimes, Seasonality, Evapotranspiration, and Drought IndicesDis section go explain how atmospheric circulation, moisture sources, and surface conditions control precipitation, runoff, evapotranspiration, and drought. Learners go relate climate indices to hydrologic regimes and water availability in diverse Sierra Leone regions.
Global circulation and moisture transportPrecipitation seasonality and intensity patternsPotential and actual evapotranspirationSoil moisture balance and runoff responseDrought indices and hydrologic droughtClimate variability and change impactsLesson 7Practical Datasets and Sources: National Geological Surveys, Global DEMs (SRTM, ASTER), Geological Map Repositories, and Climate Datasets (CRU, CHIRPS)Dis section go present key open datasets for physical geography and geology, including DEMs, geological maps, and climate products. Learners go evaluate resolution, accuracy, and metadata, and practice combining sources for regional landscape analysis in Sierra Leone.
Global and regional DEM productsNational geological survey map portalsOnline geological map repositoriesGridded climate datasets and indicesData resolution, accuracy, and metadataIntegrating multi-source datasets in GISLesson 8Remote Sensing Basics for Physical Features: Using Satellite Imagery to Identify Landforms, River Channels, and Vegetation CoverDis section go introduce satellite sensors, resolutions, and spectral bands used to map physical features. Students go learn to interpret imagery for landforms, drainage, vegetation, and surface moisture, and to recognize common processing artifacts and limitations in Sierra Leone.
Optical vs radar sensors and resolutionsSpectral signatures of water, soil, and rockIdentifying major landforms from imageryMapping river channels and floodplainsVegetation indices and canopy conditionCommon image corrections and artifactsLesson 9Surficial Deposits and Soils: Alluvium, Colluvium, Weathered Bedrock, Soil Classification and FertilityDis section go examine surficial deposits and soils, including alluvium, colluvium, and weathered bedrock. Students go relate parent material, texture, and structure to soil classification, fertility, drainage, and land use suitability across Sierra Leone landscapes.
Alluvial, colluvial, and residual materialsWeathering profiles and regolith formationSoil horizons, texture, and structureMajor soil classification systemsSoil fertility, nutrients, and limitationsSoil erosion risk and conservation needs
