One application of mega-geomorphology in education

One advantage of a synoptic view displaying landform assemblages provided by imagery is that one can often identify geomorphic processes which have shaped the region and which may affect the habitability of the area over a human life time. Considering the continued growth of the world population and the resultant pressure and the exploitation of land, usually without any consideration given to geologic processes, it is imperative that we attempt to educate as large a segment of the population as we can about geologic processes and how they influence land use. Space platform imagery which exhibits regional landscapes can be used: (1) to show students the impact of geologic processes over relatively short periods of time (e.g., the Mount St. Helens lateral blast); (2) to display the effects of poor planning because of a lack of knowledge of the local geologic processes (e.g., the 1973 image of the Mississippi River flood around St. Louis, MO); and (3) to show the association of certain types of landforms with building materials and other resources (e.g., drumlins and gravel deposits).