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1.1 TOPIC OVERVIEW AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This section presents an overview of the primary landforms
and geological structures of the Mekong basin, and briefly discusses the
geological processes that have created these landscapes over the last
50 million years. Their setting within the larger geographic context of
Southeast Asia is described first and this is followed by a more detailed
account of the topography and geology in the upper, middle and lower portions
of the basin. Although the topographic landscapes and the geological processes
that created them are interesting in themselves, the objective of this
section is to establish the relationships between the geology, topography
and the Mekong River as a physical and ecological system. This river system
is divided into the upper, middle and lower sections with each of these
having its own particular physical and ecological characteristics that
must be understood in order to understand the environment, ecology, traditional
use, potential for development and management of the Mekong River and
basin.
After completing this Section, the RAK user should be
able to:
Describe the major landforms that make-up the
landscapes of the Mekong River basin;
Describe the most important geological processes that created
the landforms of the Mekong River basin, giving an indication of the
time-frame over which they evolved;
Describe how the basic landforms determine the drainage and other
hydrological characteristics of the Mekong River system and its relation
to other major rivers that have their origin in the same region;
Explain in general terms, the relationships between the geological
structure and topographic features of the Mekong River and other physical
and ecological processes;
Describe the upper, middle and lower sections of the Mekong River
basin, giving an explanation of the physical features and geological
origin of each;
Explain how the geological structure and topographic features
are now being incorporated into major development plans for the entire
Mekong River system.
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