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  • © 2019

Landscapes and Landforms of the Maltese Islands

  • Covers all the most important landscapes of Maltese geomorphology
  • Provides easily accessible and up-to-date information on Maltese geomorphology, which can’t be found in any other book, making it a useful tool for students, researchers and non-experts alike
  • Will appeal to a general audience, thanks to its clear and straightforward language style and wealth of illustrations (e.g. color maps, aerial photos, photos)

Part of the book series: World Geomorphological Landscapes (WGLC)

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Table of contents (29 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxv
  2. Introduction to Landscapes and Landforms of the Maltese Islands

    • Ritienne Gauci, John A. Schembri
    Pages 1-5
  3. Selected Geomorphological Landscapes

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 67-67
    2. Landscapes, Landforms and Monuments in Neolithic Malta

      • Reuben Grima, Simon Farrugia
      Pages 79-90
    3. Malta’s Submerged Landscapes and Landforms

      • Mariacristina Prampolini, Federica Foglini, Aaron Micallef, Mauro Soldati, Marco Taviani
      Pages 117-128
    4. Dwejra and Maqluba: Emblematic Sinkholes in the Maltese Islands

      • Ivan Calleja, Chiara Tonelli
      Pages 129-139
    5. The Spectacular Landslide-Controlled Landscape of the Northwestern Coast of Malta

      • Mauro Soldati, Stefano Devoto, Mariacristina Prampolini, Alessandro Pasuto
      Pages 167-178
    6. A Coastal Enclave Worth Conserving: Xatt L-Aħmar (the ‘Red Coast’, Gozo)

      • Alan Deidun, Arnold Sciberras, Adrian Ciantar
      Pages 203-212

About this book

This edited volume brings together a collection of works that comprehensively address both the myriad geomorphological landscapes of the Maltese Islands and how their evolution has been shaped over various time-scales by different sets of processes. Additionally, the work highlights how the small geographical setting of the Maltese Islands helped to closely connect these landscapes with Maltese society and as a result, they have evolved from stand-alone examples of geomorphology to important backdrops of Maltese cultural identity. Most of the contributing authors are academics – both local and foreign – with a research focus on the geomorphology of the Maltese Islands. However, the editors have also (and purposefully) chosen other contributors from governmental institutions and research agencies, who complement the geomorphological research with their proactive work in selected case studies on Maltese landscapes.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

    Ritienne Gauci, John A. Schembri

About the editors

Ritienne Gauci is a Lecturer in Physical Geography at the Department of Geography of the University of Malta. Her research interests are mainly in coastal geomorphic processes and resultant landforms, rocky coasts, geoheritage and melitensia cartography. She holds a B.A. (Hons) and M.A. in Geography from the University of Malta and a Ph.D. from the Department of Geography of the University of Portsmouth, UK. Ritienne is currently the national scientific representative for the International Association of Geomorphology (IAG), member of the British Society of Geomorphology (BSG) and the Royal Geographic Society (RGS-IBG). She is also on the committee board of the Malta Map Society and acts as consultant editor for the Malta Map Society Journal. She has authored and co-authored a number of papers, also in collaboration with European universities such as the University of Portsmouth, University of Liverpool Hope, University of Trieste and University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.


John A Schembri is a Professor at the Department of Geography of the University of Malta. He read Contemporary Mediterranean Studies and History as an undergraduate at the University of Malta. This was followed by post-graduate studies at Durham University from where he obtained a M.A. in the Geography of the Middle East and the Mediterranean and later a Ph.D. through the Department of Geography at Durham. In 2016 he was conferred D. Educ. (Honoris Causa) by Liverpool Hope University, UK, for his contribution to Geography. John lectures in Geography at the University of Malta and his publications range from coastal land use, historical geography to cartography. John is a Chartered Geographer and a Fellow of The Royal Geographical Society (with IGB). He contributes regularly to lectures at the International Ocean Institute.



Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Landscapes and Landforms of the Maltese Islands

  • Editors: Ritienne Gauci, John A. Schembri

  • Series Title: World Geomorphological Landscapes

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15456-1

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental Science, Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-15454-7Published: 21 August 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-15456-1Published: 04 August 2019

  • Series ISSN: 2213-2090

  • Series E-ISSN: 2213-2104

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXV, 385

  • Number of Illustrations: 20 b/w illustrations, 210 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Geomorphology

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access