In geomorphology, any process which is rare, and acts briefly with great force and suddenness. See, for example, Clayton and Knox (2008) Geomorph. 93, 3–4 on the catastrophic drainage of Lake Wisconsin, and Guthrie and Evans (2007) Geomorph. 88, 3–4. Catastrophism is a view that sees major changes in the physical environment as the result of catastrophic events. Although this view fell out of favour, recently it has become accepted as valuable: for example, there have been many explanations of past mass extinctions invoking catastrophic events, and many geomorphological features can be explained by recourse to catastrophic ideas. See, for example, Bintliff (2002) World Archaeol. 33 on catastrophism in the study of Mediterranean alluvial history.