Morphotectonics

[3] Morphotectonists seek to understand the deep Earth mechanisms behind the creation of tectonic landforms by processes such as crust uplift, subsidence, faulting, or folding.

[4] Morphotectonics relies on cross-disciplinary research, drawing from fields such as geology, seismology, physical geography, climatology, geochronology, and geodesy.

[3] The study of how landforms are created by inner Earth processes was a topic heavily focused on in the mid-20th century, frequently appearing in geomorphology and geology textbooks.

However, the term morphotectonics was not coined until 1961 by Edwin Hills, who defined the field as involving "a study of the external form and outlines of major topographic units...as well as their internal structure".

Traditional morphotectonic methods directly associated landform structure with geologic origin, with little regard to actual geophysical data.

The Vasquez Rock formations, located in the Sierra Pelona Mountains , were formed by tectonic activity along an offshoot of the San Andreas Fault .
Example of a fault scarp from the Gobi Desert of Mongolia .