Table 3. A comparison of Air-form Pattern and Terrain Factor Effect (Summer) (Northern Continental Climate) 
30,000 ft altitude 
1 inch = lmile 
Terrain factor 
Air-form 
Pattern (1) 
Botanical (2) 
Extrabiotic (3) 
Effect (4) 
Cover 
Peat 
Mineral foundation 
Ice 
Organic 
Water 
Marbloid 
Low shrub-moss- 
lichen 
Cohesive, closed 
structure 
Changeable over 
area 
Active, short + 
long term 
Irregular contour 
Perched table general; 
local erosion 
Irregular dispersed peat plateaus with 
eroded edges; good bearing potential; 
elevated ice masses knolled; rhythmic 
microtopography; dissected river source; 
polygons common 
Terrazzoid 
Low shrub-moss- 
lichen in 
non-woody moss 
background 
Cohesive, closed 
structure 
interrupted with 
non-cohesive 
closed structure 
Changeable 
areas in clay-silt 
background 
Active, short 
term perennial ; 
active only in 
background 
Abrupt changes 
in depth 
Perched tables local; 
flooding moderate; 
shifting ponds 
Shallow peat plateaus widely dispersed; 
mixed intermittent strong and weak bearing 
potential; slightly elevated ice masses well 
separated in surrounding perforate 1 lower 
ice sheet; imponding common; ice 
polygons usually in plateaus 
Reticuloid 
Non-woody-moss 
to tall woody 
shrub over 
non-woody occa 
sionally with trees 
Cohesive open 
structure 
Unchanging 
Active, short 
term perennial 
In bars sloped 
one side, 
abrupt other side 
Table coincides with 
surface approx, 
flooding moderate 
Net work of saturated peat moderately 
strong bearing potential; ice recedes fast; 
imponding frequent shallow; poor drainage; 
bars wider and deeper in southern areas 
of organic terrain, e.g. S. Quebec 
Stipploid 
Tall or short trees 
separated ; some 
times groups of 
tallshrubs beneath 
treesorseparate; 
low shrubs may 
often occur be 
neath; trees are not 
in patches and 
with moss 
Cohesive very 
open structure or 
if tall shrubs 
occur closed struc 
ture intermittent 
with negligible 
cohesion 
Changeable over 
area and in 
depth; coarse 
where trees tall 
but in shallow 
layer; finer when 
tall shrubs occur 
Active, short 
term 
Mounds where 
shrubs low, 
traps where tall 
Low in free water, Usually shallow, marked surface obstruction 
high in capillary where from trees and “dead-falls”. Easiest to 
mounds; flooding drain. Tall shrub areas usually connected 
where traps high in when free of trees. Short tree areas poorly 
adsorbed water when drained and marking large reservoir of 
drained hidden free water 
Dermatoid 
Non woody 
(light tone); low 
shrub (dark tone); 
moss in both 
cases but in latter 
well exposed and 
coarse 
Where moss fine, 
cohesive open 
where terrain con 
fined, poor ad 
hesion and closed 
structure other 
wise; where moss 
coarse, cohesive, 
open 
Changeable over 
area ; forms 
depression ; 
coarser for dark 
tones 
Active, 
perforated in 
light tones; 
active, short and 
long term with 
ice knolls in 
darker tones 
Slower 
accumulation 
where moss fine 
and tones light 
High water table 
where terrain confined 
and moss fine; low 
water table with 
imponding where 
terrain not confined; 
high water table 
otherwise 
Peat deep, good bearing potential except 
for light tones where peat is shallow, weak, 
and when terrain confined usually floating; 
ice retained longer where moss coarse 
(dark tone), freezes first in autumn; ice 
knolls in mounds (dark tone), drainage is 
to light tones which mark flow direction if 
not on lake margin 
SYMPOSIUM PHOTO INTERPRETATION, DELFT 1962