Geomorphology

1968 Edition

Profile of equilibrium

  • Rhodes W. Fairbridge
Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31060-6_301
How to cite

The concept of an ideal profile of Equilibrium, stream in the THALWEG OR TALWEG thalweg (q.v.) of a river goes back to Laws of Surell Surell's Laws (q.v.), but its development rests largely on the theories and philosophy of Davis, William Morris; Davisian theories pr Vol. VIII William Morris Davis, who lived from 1850-1934. A man like Davis with his basic training as an engineer and early activity in astronomy quite naturally was conditioned to rational deduction. Unfortunately, nature does not always fit the brilliant simplification. Indeed, Davis was loathe to document purely empirical observations. An ideal must exist.

Bourdier (1959) in a review of the Davisian ideal quoted Herschel, John pr Vol. VIII Herschel (1832), the astronomer, to the effect that one man lives too short a life to observe the complete growth of an oak tree, but the existence of oak trees of different ages in one and the same forest permit one to reconstruct this growth. In the same way, the astronomer and the...

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References

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© Reinhold Book Corporation 1968

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  • Rhodes W. Fairbridge

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