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Weathering phases recorded by gnammas developed since last glaciation at Serra da Estrela, Portugal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

David Domínguez-Villar ,
Laura Razola ,
Rosa M. Carrasco ,
Carrie E. Jennings  and
Javier Pedraza
David Domínguez-Villar*
Affiliation:
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT Birmingham, UK Departamento de Geodinámica, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Laura Razola
Affiliation:
School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT Birmingham, UK
Rosa M. Carrasco
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ingeniería Geológica y Minera, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 45071 Toledo, Spain
Carrie E. Jennings
Affiliation:
Minnesota Geolcogical Survey, 2642 University Ave. St. Paul, MN 55114, USA
Javier Pedraza
Affiliation:
Departamento de Geodinámica, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
*
⁎Corresponding author.

E-mail address:d.dominguezvillar@bham.ac.uk (D. Domínguez-Villar).

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Abstract

The morphometrical analysis of gnammas (weathering pits) in granite landscapes has been used to establish the relative chronology of recent erosive surfaces and to provide the weathering history in a region. To test the validity of gnammas as relative chronometer indicators, and the reliability of the obtained weathering record, two sites have been studied in Serra da Estrela, Portugal. The first site is within the limits of the glacier that existed in these mountains during the last glaciation, whereas the second site is located in an unglaciated sector of the mountains, which preserves a longer record of weathering in the bedrock surface. The number of gnamma weathering phases recorded in the latter site (8) is larger than those from the former (6). Correlation between both measurement stations based on morphometrical criteria is excellent for the younger six weathering phases (1 to 6). Consequently, the parameter used for relative chronology (δ-value) has been verified to be age dependent, although absolute values are modulated by microclimate due to altitude variations. The weathering record was essentially duplicated once the surfaces at both sites were exposed, demonstrating the reliability of gnamma evolution as a post-glacial environmental indicator for the region.

Keywords

GnammaWeathering pitGranite geomorphologyMorphometryRelative chronologyWeatheringPaleoenvironmental proxy
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 72 , Issue 2 , September 2009 , pp. 218 - 228
Copyright
University of Washington

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