Faculty

Colin E. Thorn

Colin Thorn
  • Associate Professor of Geography
  • Ph.D. 1974, University of Colorado
  • Research Interests: periglacial geomorphology,
    theory and philosophy of geomorphology.
  • Office: 232 Davenport Hall
  • Phone: 333-3342
  • E-mail:cthorn@uiuc.edu

Research Agenda

My research interests focus upon periglacial and conceptual geomorphology. Depending upon the individual author, conceptual issues are commonly called 'methodology', 'theoretical geomorphology', or 'the philosophy of geomorphology'. At the present time I am attempting to integrate the two veins of research by writing a manuscript examining the theoretical aspects of periglacial geomorphology. I hope that it will contribute directly to research in periglacial geomorphology, as well as providing a general example of how a minimum amount of philosophical introspection can strengthen any subdiscipline of geomorphology.

From 1993-2004 I, together with Robert G. Darmody (a pedologist in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, UIUC) and John C. Dixon (Geosciences, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville), have been engaged in a comprehensive evaluation of chemical processes within Kärkevagge, a glaciated valley in northwestern Sweden. This work was stimulated by Anders Rapp who in 1960 published a quantitative assessment of slope processes presently operating within the valley. While identifying chemical processes as dominant, Rapp was unable to evaluate them in detail. It is this task which the present group has undertaken and reported on in the dozen or more papers found in the publication list below.

Thanks to generous help of John A. Matthews (University of Wales, Swansea), we have also been engaged in a smaller scale project on chemical weathering on the glacial foreland of Storbreen, a cirque glacier in the Jotunheimen Mountains of central Norway. Here our work has exploited the excellent moraine dating sequence produced by Matthews. This has enabled us to investigate chemical weathering on and within moraines deposited since about 1750. Several papers are listed below.

Most recently Bob Darmody and I have collaborated with Matti Seppälä (University of Helsinki) to examine chemical weathering on tors in northern Finland. This work is not yet published, but cosmogenic dating suggests that the tors have survived several burials under cold-based ice sheets.

My interest in conceptual topics was original begun on my own, but has been most fruitfully developed in collaboration with Bruce L. Rhoads (Geography, UIUC). The joint research has produced individual papers and book chapters, as well as a conference and accompanying book entitled The Scientific Nature of Geomorphology.

Courses

Publications

The publication list is divided into books (Bx), book chapters (Cxx), and research papers (Pxxx). Where a pdf file is available a B/C/P annotation highlighted in red appears at the end of the citation. Click on the annotation and you will be taken to the matching pdf file. These links are presently being established.

Book:

Thorn, C.E. 1988. An Introduction to Theoretical Geomorphology. Unwin Hyman, Boston. 247 pp. B2

Edited Books:

Rhoads, B.L. and Thorn, C.E. 1996. The Scientific Nature of Geomorphology. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester. 481 pp. B3

Thorn, C.E. 1982. Space and Time in Geomorphology. The Binghamton Symposia in Geomorphology: International Series, no. 12. Allen and Unwin, London. 379 pp. B1

Book Chapters:

Thorn, C.E. 2003. Cryoplanation and Nivation entries in the International Association of Geomorphologists Encyclopedia. Routledge, London. 204-205 and 718-720. C08

Thorn, C.E. 2003. The critical role of qualitative thought in physical geography and geomorphological research. In Key Methods in Geography, N.J. Clifford and G. Valentine (eds.). Sage Publications, London. 249-261. C07

Rhoads, B.L. and Thorn, C.E. 1996. Observation in Geomorphology. In The Scientific Nature of Geomorphology, B.L. Rhoads and C.E. Thorn (eds.). Proceedings of the 27th Annual Symposium in Geomorphology. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, U.K. 21-56. C06