About Us

Indian Institute of Geomorphologists (IGI) is the national platform exclusively dedicated to the research and development in the field of geomorphology in India. The idea of forming the Indian Institute of Geomorphologists (IGI) was seeded at the International Conference of Geomorphology and Environment held at the University of Allahabad in 1987.

Now affiliated to the International Association of Geomorphologists, the primary objectives of the IGI are: • to bring all Indian earth scientists dealing with geomorphology and allied disciplines on a common platform; • to hold annual conferences in different parts of the country; • to publish a research journal; • to encourage young scholars in doing research in geomorphology; and • to give emphasis on researches related to human society and its welfare viz. environmental geomorphology, urban geomorphology, environmental hazards and their management on different spatial and temporal scales.

JOURNAL OF INDIAN GEOMORPHOLOGY is the UGC-CARE listed annual publication of Indian Institute of Geomorphologists (Subject Group: Earth and Planetary Sciences).

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What is Geomorphology

Geomorphology is the area of study leading to an understanding of and appreciation for landforms and landscapes of all scales, including those on continents and islands, those beneath the oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers and other water bodies, as well as those on the terrestrial planets and moons of the solar system. Geomorphologists frequently profess to innate aesthetic appreciation for the complex diversity of Earth-surface forms, and, in this regard, a fitting definition of geomorphology is simply ‘the science of scenery’. Originally evolved as a sub-discipline of Geography, Geomorphology has now emerged as an important part of Earth Sciences that significantly contributes to the understanding and management of a large number of environmental issues. Geographers, land use specialists, geologists, hydrologists, engineers, oceanographers, environmental scientists, ecologists and archaeologists are increasingly using geomorphological concepts and techniques to address them.

RELEVANCE IN INDIA: With its mountains, plateaus, deserts, floodplains, wetlands and deltas, India possesses great geomorphological diversity. India is also the second most populated country of the world. In order to supply food and shelter to its inhabitants, pressure on its land is increasing continuously. This, coupled with human-induced global climate change, is accelerating and altering the existing geomorphic processes, and is leading to increase in the frequency and magnitude of geomorphic hazards — flood, drought, desertification, salinisation, siltation, coastal and riverbank erosion, landslide, shrinking glaciers, rising sea level, depleting groundwater, etc. Geomorphologists have a special role to play in addressing, managing, and where possible, reversing these trends. Some of the major and emerging subject areas of Geomorphology are as follows.

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1. Tectonic Geomorphology
The core of Tectonic Geomorphology lies in the interaction between the earth’s internal (tectonic) processes that form the geological structures like folds and faults, and the surface processes like weathering and erosion. This gives us a better understanding..
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2. Process Geomorphology
Wind, flowing water, and moving ice — all bring about changes in Earth’s surface, as do the plants, animals, and humans. Powered by the Sun, each of these ‘agents’ of geomorphic change has its unique set of processes through which it transforms landscapes and leaves its signature. The process–landform..
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3. Palaeogeomorphology
In order to fully understand the dynamics of any geomorphic system, it is important to have some knowledge of how that landscape developed through time. Archaeological, palaeoclimatological and palaeoecological datasets are often utilised to supplement geomorphological investigation..
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4 Planetary Geomorphology
High resolution data from planetary surfaces of solar system collected by satellites, landers and rovers are providing us with wide range of data to allow the identification of active and relict geomorphic features. Some of the landforms appear similar to those on earth, which have encouraged scientists..
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5. Biogeomorphology and Environmental Geomorphology
Biogeomorphology, as an interdisciplinary field, acts as the perfect coupling between the geomorphic and ecological components through feedbacks of differing strength and importance. Environmental management, on the other hand..
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6. Geoinformatics and Modelling
Geoinformatics is an integration of science and technology that deals with acquisition and manipulation of geographic data, transferring it into meaningful information using various analytical and visualization techniques, for making better decisions. With innovations in the field of remote sensing..
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7. Urban Geomorphology
The changes caused by urbanisation results in feedback mechanisms that produce a variety of distortions and maladjustments in the land-water ecosystem, whereby man changes the environment in creating a new anthropogenic ‘cityscape’. Geomorphologists contribute..
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8. Geomorphology in Sustainable Resource Management and Planning
The role of geomorphological service in the sustainable management of natural resources has been less clearly elaborated as a focus area for geomorphology but has immense importance, especially in a multi-disciplinary mode of research..
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9. Geomorphosites and Geotourism
Geologic or geomorphologic elements of nature can qualify as geomorphosites, if they are worthy of being conserved as a natural heritage. Many of these sites are already modified, damaged or partially destroyed by human impacts. The new interest of the scientific community for these..
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10. Anthropogenic Geomorphology
Considering the profound and large-scale changes the humankind has made on the landforms and land-forming processes world over since the Twentieth Century, a new sub- discipline of geomorphology, termed ’Anthropogenic Geomorphology’, has been proposed..
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11. Geomorphology of Extreme Events
The magnitude-frequency concept in geomorphology helps to explain the non-linear dynamics of geomorphic systems. Occurrence of high-magnitude events like extreme rainfall, tsunamis, catastrophic landslides, etc., are rare but significant events, which the scientific community..
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