Lesson 1Geomorphological Natural Hazards: Floodplain Flooding, Slope Instability, Gully Erosion, and Mass Movement TypesThis part looks at geomorphological hazards like floods, landslides, gully erosion, and mass movements. Students connect causes, terrain factors, and land use to mapping hazards, assessing risks, and planning mitigation in local areas.
Floodplain zoning and flooding mappingSlope instability factors and signsGully starting and headcut movementTypes of landslides and mass movementsRainfall limits and triggering eventsHazard mapping and mitigation planningLesson 2Relief and Slope Analysis: Hillshading, Slope Gradient, Aspect, and Effects on Erosion and LandslidesThis part covers digital elevation models, hillshading, slope, and aspect analysis to understand relief. Learners connect terrain measures to erosion, landslide risks, drainage growth, and infrastructure planning in different landform areas.
Sources and quality of elevation dataHillshade viewing and landform readingSlope gradient classes and mappingAspect patterns and microclimate effectsTopographic controls on erosion ratesSlope limits for landslide hazardsLesson 3River Basin Shape and Drainage Patterns: Dendritic, Trellis, Radial, Antecedent SystemsThis part studies drainage basin shape, order, and patterns like dendritic, trellis, and radial systems. Students relate drainage forms to rock types, structures, relief, and long-term landscape changes.
Watershed boundaries and stream orderDendritic, trellis, radial, and parallel patternsStructural and rock controls on drainageLongitudinal profiles and knickpointsBasin shape, relief, and water responseDrainage evolution and river captureLesson 4Geological Mapping and Bedrock Units: Rock Types, Stratigraphy, Structural Controls on TopographyThis part introduces geological mapping of bedrock units, focusing on rock types, stratigraphy, and structural features. Learners interpret how folds, faults, and rock strength affect topography, drainage, and resource or hazard spread.
Reading geological maps and legendsRock type units and strength differencesStratigraphic 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 AvulsionThis part covers river processes shaping channels, including flow types, sediment movement, and bar formation. Learners analyze meandering, braiding, avulsion, and floodplain building, linking processes to channel patterns and management.
Flow types 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 IndicesThis part explains how air circulation, moisture sources, and surface conditions control rain, runoff, evapotranspiration, and drought. Learners relate climate measures to water systems and availability in various 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)This part presents key open datasets for physical geography and geology, including DEMs, geological maps, and climate products. Learners evaluate resolution, accuracy, and metadata, and practice combining sources for regional landscape analysis.
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 CoverThis part introduces satellite sensors, resolutions, and spectral bands used to map physical features. Students learn to interpret imagery for landforms, drainage, vegetation, and surface moisture, and to recognize common processing artifacts and limitations.
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 FertilityThis part examines surficial deposits and soils, including alluvium, colluvium, and weathered bedrock. Students relate parent material, texture, and structure to soil classification, fertility, drainage, and land use suitability across 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
