Technogenic landforms: conceptual framework and application to geomorphologic mapping of artificial ground and landscape as transformed by human geological action

The shaping of the Earth’s surface by human geological action has produced original landform types, namely technogenic landforms. In this paper we will revise the conceptual framework concerning the geomorphic agency of humankind and introduce a new proposal for classifying these new landforms, which join the existing criteria for the identification of technogenic processes, the analysis of technogenic layers and the characterisation of the resulting newly formed technogenic ground. The proposal itself is enhanced by a taxonomic classification which considers the technogenic landforms as constituent parts of the land shape compartments that, by their way, form extensive technogenic landscapes. The classification was applied to the geomorphologic mapping of two urban areas in Presidente Prudente City (Sao Paulo State, Brazil) in which technogenic ground occurs.