Geological processes exhibit a multitude of hierarchies: techtonics, sedementation, erosion. So it is no surprise that mountains have fractal and multifractal characteristics. Careful tuning of random models to match observed numerical characteristics of real mountains has led to natural-looking pictures of artificial mountains. As mentioned in Forgeries of Nature, we note three ages of fractal landscapes.
| Heroic Landscapes |
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| Classical Landscapes |
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| Romantic Landscapes |
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Despite increasing realism, these simulations have not become much larger files. Fractal and multifractal approaches appear to capture something of the essence of complicated physical processes. The success of these simulations is strong evidence of this claim.