Weathering

Whalley, W. Brian; McGreevy, J.P.

doi:10.1177/030913338500900404

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…Consequently, there was a significant migration of engineering knowledge into geomorphology and its reorganization in ways appropriate for the description of landscape and the analysis of slope stability, of surface erosion, of fluvial sediment transport and river stability, of coastal sedimentary phenomena and coastal stability, and of the geomorphological effects of wind and ice. This history is to a significant degree summarized in the pages of Progress in Physical Geography, in papers on subjects as diverse as weathering (Whalley and McGreevy, 1985), slope processes (Rapp, 1986), soil erosion (Loughran, 1989), river hydraulics (Ferguson, 1986) and morphology (Lewin, 1978), karst (Waltham, 1981), coastal and beach processes (Jolliffe, 1978;Clayton, 1980), wind effects (Pye, 1984;Sarre, 1987) and glaciation (Hart, 1995).…”

Section: Where Have We Come From?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The trajectory of geomorphology

Church

2010

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

121

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Modern geomorphology was founded in the nineteenth century as an exercise of historical interpretation of landscapes. After the mid-twentieth century it dominantly became a quest to understand the processes by which landscapes are modified. This focused attention on the measurement of sediment fluxes on synoptic timescales and on a reductionist, Newtonian programme of construction of low-order theories about those fluxes, largely imported from engineering science. The period also saw the emergence of an applied geomorphology. Toward the end of the twentieth century the subject was dramatically transformed by improved technologies for remote sensing and surveying of Earth's surface, the advent of personal computation and of large-scale computation, and important developments of absolute dating techniques. These technical innovations in turn promoted recognition of geomorphology as a 'system science' and facilitated the reintegration of tectonics into geomorphology, opening the way for a renewed consideration of the history of the landscape. Finally, increasing recognition of the dominance of human agency in contemporary modification of Earth's terrestrial surface has become a significant theme. Important influences on the continuing development of the subject will include the search for physically sound laws for material fluxes; reconciling geomorphological information and process representations across spatial and temporal scales, in both observation and theory; comprehending complexity in geomorphological processes and landform histories; incorporating the geomorphological role of living organisms, particularly micro-organisms; understanding the role of climate in geomorphology, both in the contemporary changing climate and in the long term; and fully admitting the now dominant role of humans as geomorphic agents. Geomorphology is simultaneously developing in diverse directions: on one hand, it is becoming a more rigorous geophysical science -a significant part of a larger earth science discipline; on another, it is becoming more concerned with human social and economic values, with environmental change, conservation ethics, with the human impact on environment, and with issues of social justice and equity.

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Section: Where Have We Come From?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The trajectory of geomorphology

Church

2010

Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment

121

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“…In both field and laboratory situations, there is a need to observe weathering of “massive rock”. Although it is often assumed that in such environments frost-shattering is the key weathering mechanism, researchers with an interest in glacier-margin weathering and erosion would do well to consider the wide range of physical and chemical weathering possibilities (McGreevy, 1981; Whalley and McGreevy, 1985). For example, many of the limestones adjacent to Boundary Glacier are susceptible to solution in rain and melt water.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The identification of zones of freeze and thaw at glacier and snow-patch margins is an important research accomplishment. However, the direct relationships between freezing and thawing temperatures, the presence of moisture, rock type, and frost-shattering of bedrock remain poorly understood (McGreevy, 1981; McGreevy and Whalley, 1982; Thorn, 1982; Whalley and others, 1984; Whalley and McGreevy, 1985). Indeed, Thorn (1982) suggested that frost-shattering is a much more restricted process than is generally stated in the geomorphic literature and that other forms of physical and physico-chemical weathering could bear closer examination.…”

Section: Research Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence for Headwall Weathering Zones, Boundary Glacier, Canadian Rocky Mountains

Gardner

1987

J. Glaciol.

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Temperature records from several randklu/t sites at the margins and headwall of Boundary Glacier (Iat. 52°12'N., long. 117°12'W.) in the Canadian Rocky Mountains are presented. These records indicate that during the ablation season a diurnal freeze-thaw air and rocksurface temperature regime occurs in a 2 m wide zone centred on the randklu/t lip. Deeper in the randklu/t , stable sub-zero conditions prevail whereas above the randklu/t an above-freezing temperature regime prevails. The freeze-thaw temperature regime, observed freezing of melt water and rain water on randklu/t rock surfaces, and copious in-situ loose weathering products on the head wall and marginal free faces suggest an active frost-shattering environment. Downslope migration of the randklu/t lip during the ablation season results in a migration of the freeze-thaw zone and thus a seasonal extension of the rock surface area exposed to the favorable weathering environment. Longer-term glacier fluctuations, with attendant thinning and thickening of the ice body, could result in large areas of marginal and headwall rock surfaces being exposed to the randklu/t weathering environment over long periods of time. The data and observations from Boundary Glacier support an idea, suggested by Battle (1960), that open and shallow randklu/ts, rather than closed and deep bergschrunds, are a focus of weathering at glacier margins and thus a potential factor in cirque development.

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