The scientific study of land forms is known as geomorphology; this concerns itself not only with the analysis of the shape of land forms, but also with the erosional and depositional processes at work on them and their evolution through time. The word Geomorphology is derived from Greek term meaning a 'discourse on earth forms'. It could be defined as the description and interpretation of land forms. Some of the major physiographic features of the Earth, such as mountain chains, continental plains and ocean basins, are a result of internal Earth forces. Hence, certain aspects of geology, the study of rocks, are relevant to physical geography. Rock type and structure are also important as variables, which influence the effectiveness of wind, rain and weathering processes on land forms.
A second major concern of the physical geographer is the atmospheric environment. Meteorology study of weather processes, together with climatology the analysis of climate The distinction between these two atmospheric sciences is largely arbitrary: the climate of any particular place can only be understood through a knowledge of atmospheric processes.
A third component of physical geography is the study of plant and animal distributions, normally called biogeography. The physical geographer needs to be conversant with the basic principles of botany and zoology, and particularly of ecology, of which studies the relationships between plants and animals and their environment.
The more important of these include pedology, the study of soils, which form an important environmental link between land forms, climate, and plants and animals; hydrology the study of water on the Earth's land areas; and oceanography which covers the study of waves tides and currents, as well as the biological characteristics of oceans.
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