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Textural properties of regoliths on vegetated steep slopes in upland regions, Scotland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2011

J. L. Innes
J. L. Innes
Affiliation:
Forestry Commission, Forest Research Station, Alice Holt Lodge, Wrecclesham, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4LH, U.K.
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Abstract

The textural properties of many sediments provide a good indication of their provenance, but surprisingly little information is available on the transitional stages between the breakdown of a rock and the incorporation of the material into a fluvial sediment. These transitional stages are important as certain fractions (particularly the finer ones) may be selectively removed. Regoliths developed on steep slopes represent an early stage in the debris cascade and they are here examined in detail to assess the role of parent lithology on the textural properties of the regolith. There are substantial variations between lithologies, although the majority of regoliths are dominated by coarser fractions and are poorly sorted. Most particle size distributions show some degree of fit to both log-normal probability distributions and Rosin distributions. Differences from these can be ascribed to the processes operating on steep slopes, particularly the influx of sand- and silt-sized material by colluvial processes and the removal of clay-sized material by leaching. The regoliths form a distinct facies type which may be recognisable in the geological record.

Keywords

colluvial processesgranulometrypedogenesisRosin distributionweathering
Type
Research Article
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 77 , Issue 3 , 1986 , pp. 241 - 250
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1986

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