[HGM02-06] Four major geomorphological debates in Japan
Keywords:History of geomorphology , Scientific debate, Japan
Debates contribute to the development of science including geomorphology. This presentation introduces four major geomorphological debates in the history of Japanese geomorphology. Three of them are long-term scientific debates on the effects of glaciers versus mass movements and running water, the effects of periglacial processes versus mass movements and running water, and the effects of tectonics versus climates. These debates are still ongoing. Another debate is on research principles, i.e., descriptive/historical geomorphology versus process geomorphology. This debate was heated in the past, but had almost ceased by now. The influence of international geomorphology on the four debates is also described.