| International Association of Geomorphologists |
Reports on the pre- and post-conference field trips of the 2000 IAG Thematic Conference in Nanjing in August 2000
Yunnan field trip, August 19-24, 2000
Under the expert leadership of Prof. Tang Chuan (Yunnan) and the wisdom of two of China´s most experienced geomorphologists (Prof. Wang Ying Nanjing and Prof. Cui Zhijiu Beijing) four Chinese and two Canadians travelled 2000 kilometres of Yunnan´s landscapes over five days. Sites visited included the Lunan Stone Forest, the 800 m fault- controlled limestone cliffs of Western Hills Forest Park, the city of Kunming, the highly dissected Yunnan Plateau, a sequence of structured basins within the Eurasian craton, the tourist city of Dali, a cruise on Erhai Lake, a cable car ride to 4506 m at Yulong Snow Mountain to in spect a hanging glacier, the World Heritage city of Lijiang, the Tiger Leaping Gorge of Yangtze River (4000 m3s-1 forced through a 100 m wide cross-section in a 1200 m high gorge), landslides generated by a Richter magnitude 7 earthquake centred on Daju in 1996, soil conservation measures and revegetation strategy on highly gullied terra rossa, landslides and debris flow hazards on the highway and visits with three minority groups: Naxi, the Bai and the Yi.
This remote region of southwest China is distinctive in its tectonic history (straddling the suture zone of the Indian and Eurasian plates), its long term geomorphological evolution (the Yunnan plateau is the second of China´s three major surfaces), its rapid contemporary geomorphic processes (piping, gullying, landslides, debris flows and fluvial down- cutting) and its rich cultural diversity. Whereas the last 20 years have seen a concentration on economic development in eastern and central China, the next 20 years will see a comparable focus on the south and north western regions. Hence the importance of understanding of the geomorphological framework of Yunnan.
Olav Slaymaker
Guilin-Guiyang Karst landform field trip, August 19-24, 2000
This five day trip was expertly guided by staff from the Guilin Institute of Karst Geology taking seven participants from four countries through magnificent karst country to the Huangguoshu waterfall.
Our first day took us to several Guilin vantage points. From Yoashan Mountain one gets easterly views across the karst basin and south to unbelievable fairy tale karst clusters. The 900 m mountain is underlain by sandstone and takes its name from the nearby Tang Dynasty Temple. Elephant Trunk Hill, situated at the confluence of the Lijiang and Taohua Rivers, has become the city symbol looking much like an elephant drinking at the waterside. West Hill Park is situated in a closed depression containing epikarst forms which are well developed in the area, sometimes 10 m deep consisting of karrens, karst fissures and ditches.
On our 50 km trip along the Lijiang River the mists cleared as if to order and we travelled through spectacular tower karsts. Just as one thought it could not be bettered there proved more around the next bend. The return journey took us by Rentou Peak Red Bed Outcrop which is an isolated red breccia hill demonstrating the area was covered by Late Cretaceous Red Bed which was gradually removed during the Tertiary when tower karsts started to form.
The 120 km drive to Fengyu Cave afforded views of Moon Hill - a 50 m moon-like tunnel through the hill top. Fengyu cave is 5.3 km long with a 25 000 m2 cavern containing curiously shaped stalagmites, one of which has grown 2 m in 20 ka. Another, 9.8 m high and 15 cm in diameter, dramatically demonstrates the stability of the region. The subterranean 3.3 km river section afforded views of brilliantly lit formations. Before leaving Guilin we visited Panlong Cave, a site currently under investigation. Data from this site has aided the reconstruction of the palaeoenvironment over 36 ka and demonstrates the Younger Dryas with a temperature low of 9oC.
Moving to Guiyang we visited the spectacular 74 m Huangguoshu Karst Waterfall formed by tectonic movement as well as karst and hydrodynamic processes. Situated on the Damang River the fall is the largest in the area having a 42 m tufa cave hidden behind it.
Upon our odyssey we formed new friendships and working relationships with both our fellow participants and our extremely able guides to whom we are deeply indebted for their tireless efforts on our behalf.
David M. Price
Three Gorges of the Changjiang river (Yangtze river) field trip, August 19-24, 2000
Under the guidance of Prof. Yang Dayuan and Dr Zou Xin Qing of Nanjing University, the participants boarded a river boat at Chongqing in the evening of August 19 for a 680 km trip down the Yangtze River. On August 20, after about 300 km of navigation, we spent the night on the boat at Fengjie, a village located just upstream from the entrance to the Outang Gorge (8 km long). The next morning, we took a side trip up the Daning River, a tributary to the Yangtze and known for its spectacular ”Lesser” Three Gorges. That afternoon we passed through the Wuxian (44.5 km long) and Xiling (65 km long) Gorges, then reached Three Gorges Dam in Shandouping. During the trip, we observed geomorphological features such as asymmetrical valleys, landslides, and bedrock islands and shoals inside the main channel. Our leaders explained that the river terraces along the Yantgze show that a slow regional uplift since middle Pleistocene has been occurring at an almost uniform rate in the area between Chongqing and Wushan. In contrast, the region between Wushan and Yichang has experienced a continuous doming or tilted uplift. In the morning of August 22, Dr. Xue Guofu, the Chief Geologist of the Three Gorges Project, gave us a tour of the dam site, established at a two-kilometer wide reach of the river that is underlain by granitic bedrock. The project has been separated into three stages ingeniously using the natural site geomorphology, two channels separated by a bedrock island. In the first stage, the narrower channel was widened and deepened to facilitate continued navigation and flood control. At the beginning of the second stage, the main channel was closed with upstream and downstream cofferdams. This major section of the hydro-electric project is currently under construction. In the third stage, new cofferdams will close the narrow channel, permitting the completion of the project. Three Gorges Dam, with a crest elevation of 185 m, will raise the existing water level to 175 m a.s.l., backing up water as far as Chongqing (about 600 km upstream).
A.Pissart, M. Pohl and T. Suzuki
Field trip to Huangshan Mountains, Hangzhou and Shanghai, August 30 September 4, 2000
The field trip, led by Professors Daikui Zhu and Xiaodong Zhu of Nanjing University, followed the route of Xu Xiake, a famous Chinese traveller and geographer, to Huangshan in early 1600. Despite of the rainy weather everyone reached the Bright Top, the highest peak in the Western Scenic Area on August 30, 2000. Tectonic movements in the glacial period created numerous peaks of fantastic shapes, which have earned the reputation of "Once you saw Huangshan, you have seen all the mountains". On the way downhill we visited the Three Thousand Feet Waterfall. Due to a passing rainstorm, the cascade waterfalls were particu larly impressive and noisy. Then the group stopped at Hangzhou Bay to study the biggest Tidal Bore of the world, which was greatly magnified by the prevailing low atmospheric conditions. Local news reported that more than 30 people were injured by the unexpectedly strong tidal flow. (The approaching Tidal Bore was filmed by the author of this report for copies of this film please contact Prof. Kwan Ming Chan, e-mail: kmchan@csulb.edu). At West Lake, the ”Shining Pearl of the Paradise on Earth”, the whole group took a row-boat trip to observe the lake bottom dredging and cleaning work currently in progress. The mud recovered from the bottom of the lake is particularly fertile and is recycled for agricultural purposes. On September 3, the trip ended at Shanghai to glimpse at the city planning and development at Pu Dong from the top of the famous Orient TV Tower. Prof. Baozhang Chen of Xuzhou Normal University volunteered as a city guide to explain the changes occurring since the early 80s. Every participant of the post conference tour enjoyed the magnificent scenery and the interesting geomorphology of the area visited.
Kwan Ming Chan
IAG Working Group on Large Rivers
Report on the IAG-CRISP Conference on Large Rivers and Application of Remote Sensing in Fluvial Geomorphology, Singapore, 10-12 October 2000, and on the field trip on the Mekong River, Lao PDR, 13- 22 October 2000
The third conference and the associated field trip of the IAG Working Group on Large Rivers was organised by the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP), National University of Singapore. Using SPOT images of the Mekong River, the staff of CRISP led by Kwoh Leong Keong illustrated the application of remote sensing in geomorphological and land use studies with the help of huge posters (some with 3-dimensional vision) and oral presentations. We acknowledge the generous help and advice received from Lim Hock (CRISP and Temasek Laboratories), P.P. Wong (National University of Singapore) and Goh Kim Chuan (Nanyang Technological University).
The conference was formally inaugurated by Professor Bernard Tan. The papers presented at this conference were by R.C. Sidle (NUS), Z. Chen (East China Normal), A. Gupta (Leeds), S.C. Liew, Chen Ping and C. Melsheimer (CRISP), Y. Saito (Geological Survey of Japan), S. Kubo (Chuo-Gakuin), R. Kostaschuk (Guelph), D.V. Malmon and M.B. Singer (Santa Barbara), B.L. Finlayson (Melbourne), C. Taylor (Western Australia), X.X. Lu and D. Taylor (NUS), T.S. Teh (NTU), J.C. Stevaux (Maringa), E.M. Latrubesse (Goiás) and E. Franzinelli (Amazonas). Leal Mertes (Santa Barbara) sent a set of large posters on global river floodplains.
Eleven of the conference participants were joined by T. Tamura for the field trip which involved travelling along the Mekong in Lao PDR, from north of Luang Prabang almost to the border with Cambodia. The Mekong had been in flood several days before. A large boat was generally used but modes of transport also included tourist buses, dusty pickups, and ele phants. The 180 km between Pak Lai and Vientiane were covered in four small boats with 1600 cc engines that swerved between rock exposures and went over rapids at about 70 kph. The nature and behaviour of the 8th largest river in the world provoked almost continuous discussion. Discussions in the field also included the possible effect of land clearing on very steep slopes and the proposed plans for dams across the river. The trip provided the opportunity to see the temples at Luang Prabang and Vientiane, and the historical ones at Wat Phu Champasak and Um Muang. The stay in Luang Prabang coincided with the festival of lights which was another memorable experience with the near full size replicas of small boats going down the river, decorated with lighted candles, on a full moon night.
Avijit Gupta
News from Members
The Italian Association of Physical Geography and Geomorphology
After more than 20 years the Gruppo Nazionale di Geografia Fisica e Geomorfologia (National Group of Physical Geography and Geomorphology) was transformed into the Italian Association of Physical Geography and Geomorphology. In the past the Gruppo Nazionale was efficiently promoting and developing scientific research and university teaching of Physical Geography and Geomorphology in our country. It has also been an aggregation pole for all the Italian researchers in this field. In the past, in fact, they were few and quite isolated. The apex of group activities was the organisation in 1997 of the IV International Conference on Geomorphology in Bologna. The Italian Association of Physical Geography and Geomorphology will be located in Naples and will come into force in 2001, after the executive council is elected. Prof. P.R. Federici was co-opted by the founding members to be the temporary President.
Paolo Roberto Federici
International Meetings of Interest to Geomorphologists in 2001 Update
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) in Sediments: Applications and Interpretation - August 20-21, 2001, London, England
Contact: Harry Jol, fax: 715-836-6027, e-mail: jolhm@uwec.edu, http://www.geo.vu.nl/~damr/GPRconf2001/32nd Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium: "Mountain Geomorphology Integrating Earth Systems”, October 19-21, 2001, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
Contact: David R. Butler, fax: 512-245-9140, e-mail: db25@swt.edu
Editor’s Note
The success of the IAG-Newsletter depends upon the contributions that we receive. Please assist by sending commentaries, reviews of regional or national meetings and field trips, summaries of issues pertinent to geomorphology, and announcements of future meetings and workshops. Your contributions should be forwarded to
C. Embleton-Hamann, Institut für Geographie der Universität Wien, Universitätsstraße 7, A - 1010 Wien, Austria. Fax: (+431) 4277 9486; E-mail: christine.embleton-hamann@univie.ac.at
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF GEOMORPHOLOGISTS
PRESIDENT: Prof. Olav Slaymaker
Department of Geography
University of British Columbia
1984 West Mall
Vancouver, V6T 1Z2, CANADA
Fax: +1-604-8226150
E-mail: olav@geog.ubc.caVICE PRESIDENT: Prof. Mario Panizza
Dip. di Scienze della Terra
Universitá degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Largo S. Eufemia, 19
41 100 Modena, ITALY
Fax: +39-059-2055887
E-mail: pit@unimo.itSECRETARY GENERAL: Dr. Piotr Migon
Geographical Institute
University of Wroclaw
Pl. Uniwersytecki 1
50-137 Wroclaw, POLAND
Fax: +48-71-3435184
E-mail: migon@geogr.uni.wroc.plVisit the IAG Web Site at: http://www.geomorph.org
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