What does the term "topology" mean in geology? What does the term &quot;topology&quot; mean in geological sciences? Is there an agreed upon distinction between the two terms &quot;topography&quot; and &quot;topology&quot;?
When trying to answer this question, I came across the article &quot;On the topology of topography: a review&quot; by Keith Clarke and Boleslo E. Romero, however from reading the abstract of this article it seems like they use the mathematical definition of topology. On the other hand, in this answer, the term &quot;topology&quot; seems to be used as a synonym to topography.
Topology is a study of deformable shapes and connectivity. Topography is a study of more or less non-deformable shapes. A coffee cup that has an intact handle and a donut with a hole in the middle are equivalent shapes topologically, but obviously are not equivalent shapes topographically.