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Professor Michael F. ThomasProfessor
Emeritus
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Research Interests
Main research area is
in tropical and applied geomorphology with special reference
to A) tropical weathering and landform development, and B) impact
of Quaternary environmental changes on landscape stability and
stream sedimentation.
Specific projects:
- Origin and age of Quaternary colluvium in Eastern Zambia, central Africa. Collaborative project with University of Zambia and the Nordic Laboratory for Luminescence Dating, Risoe National Laboratory, Roskilde, Denmark (Dr Andrew Murray)
- Age and development of alluvial fans near Cairns, NE Queensland, Australia. Collaborative project with Dr Jonathan Nott, Department of Tropical Environmental Science, James Cook University of N Queensland, Cairns, and Dr David Price, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia
- Holocene hillslope development in the NW
Highlands of Scotland (PhD study, Elspeth Reid)
Impact of surface mining in a tropical environment ó gold mining in Ghana (PhD study, Samuel Kyeremeh)
Recent Publications
Thomas M. F. 1998. Landscape sensitivity in the humid tropics - a geomorphological appraisal. In B K Maloney (Editor) Human Activities and the Tropical Rainforest, Kluwer, Netherlands, pp.17-47,.
Thomas, M. F. 1998. Late Quaternary landscape instability in the humid and sub-humid tropics. In G. Benito, V.R. Baker and K.J. Gregory (Editors) Palaeohydrology and Environmental Change, John Wiley, Chichester, pp. 247-258.
Thomas, M.F. 1999. Evidence for high energy landforming events on the central African plateau: Eastern Province, Zambia. Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie 43, 273-297.
Thomas, M.F., M.B.Thorp & J. McAlister, 1999. Equatorial weathering, landform development and the formation of white sands in Northwestern Kalimantan, Indonesia. Catena 36, 205-232.
Thomas, M.F. 2000. Interpreting the Late Quaternary Alluvial Record in Humid Tropical Environments. Quaternary International 72, 23-36.
Thomas M.F. 2001. Landscape sensitivity in time and space. In M.F.Thomas and I.A. Simpson (Editors) Landscape Sensitivity: Principles and Applications in Northern Cool Temperate Environments. Catena 42 (2-4), 83-99.
Thomas, M.F., Nott, J. and Price, D.M., 2001. Late Quaternary stream sedimentation in the humid tropics: a review with new data from NE Queensland, Australia. Geomorphology 39, 53-68.
Thomas, M.F. 2001. Late Quaternary sediment fluxes from tropical watersheds. EOS Trans AGU, 82(47), Fall Meeting Supplement, Abstract OS41B 02.
Thomas, M.F., and Murray, A.S. 2001: On the age and significance of Quaternary colluvium in eastern Zambia. Palaeoecology of Africa 27, 117-133.
Nott, J., Thomas, M.F., and D.M. Price 2001. Alluvial fans, landslides and late Quaternary climate change in the wet tropics of NE Queensland. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 48, 875-882
Migoń, P., and Thomas, M.F., 2002. Grus weathering mantles – problems of interpretation. Catena 49, 5-24.
Thomas, M.F., and Thorp, M.B. 2003. Palaeohydrological reconstructions for tropical Africa- evidence and problems. In G. Benito and K.J.Gregory (Editors) Palaeohydrology: Understanding Global Change. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, pp. 167-192.
Thomas, M.F. 2003. Quaternary fans and colluvium as indicators of environmental change and landscape sensitivity. Revista do Instituto Geológico (São Paulo) 23, 1-11.
Thomas, M.F., 2003. Late Quaternary sediment fluxes from tropical watersheds. Sedimentary Geology 162, 63-81
Thomas, M.F. 2003. Extreme events in the context of late Quaternary environmental change. Geographia Polonica 76, 139-155.
Thomas, M. F. 2004. Landscape sensitivity to Rapid environmental change – a Quaternary perspective with examples from Tropical Areas. Catena 55, 107-124.
Thomas, M.F., 2005. Landscape sensitivity and timescales of landscape change. In J. Wiens and M. Moss (Editors). Issues and Perspectives in Landscape Ecology, Cambridge U.P., pp. 131-151.
Thomas, M.F. 2005. Savanna. In P.G. Fookes, E. M. Lee, G. Milligan (Editors) Geomorphology for Engineers. Whittles Publishing/CRC Press, Caithness, Scotland, pp. 454-472.
Reid, E. and Thomas, M.F., 2006. A chronostratigraphy of mid- and late-Holocene slope evolution: Creagan a’ Chaorain, Northern Highlands, Scotland. The Holocene 16, 429-444.
Thomas, M.F., 2006. Lessons from the tropics for a global geomorphology. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography 27, 111-127 (Keynote Address to 5th International Conference on Geomorphology, Zaragoza, Spain, 2005).
Thomas, M.F., Nott, J., Murray, A.S., Price, D.M., 2007. Fluvial response to late Quaternary climate change in NE Queensland, Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 251, 119-136.
Thomas, M.F., 2008. Understanding the impacts of late Quaternary climate change in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Geomorphology 101, 146-158
Thomas, M.F., 2008. Geomorphology in the tropics 1895-1965. In T.P. Burt, (Editor). The History of the Study of Landforms or Development of Geomorphology Volume 4: Quaternary and recent processes and forms (1890 – 1965) and the mid-century revolutions. The Geological Society, London, pp. 677-725.
