The geomorphic signature of marine and continental deposits

Abstract

Landscape geomorphological evolution depends on the spatial and chronological distribution of climate and tectonic forcing, which in turn control the sedimentary supply to lowlands. In shaping landforms under different morphoclimatic and morphotectonic conditions, the interplay between these processes results in the production of sediments and their transport and accumulation within different, continental to marine, depositional environments (e.g. river valleys, lakes, deltas, coastal belts). The Special Issue presented here is a compilation of multidisciplinary studies that investigate how Quaternary marine and continental stratigraphy can be used in reconstructing past geomorphic processes. The papers span diverse morphoclimatic and morphotectonic settings, from South America to the central Mediterranean and northeast European Russia and integrate geomorphological and morphostratigraphic analyses with geochronology, sedimentology and high‐resolution geophysics. These studies offer insights into quaternary landscape dynamics and sediment fluxes forced by climate and tectonic drivers, highlighting how their local expression is highly variable and context dependent. Unravelling landscape evolution is crucial for deciphering the spatial and temporal distribution of past geomorphological processes, which in turn may contribute to predicting future environmental changes, hazard assessment and managing coastal and continental resources.