rock warming and drying under simulated intertidal conditions part ii weathering and biological influences on evaporative cooling and near surface micro climatic conditions as an example of biogeomorphic ecosystem engineering the way in which rocks and engineering materials heat up and dry out in the intertidal zone is of relevance to both weathering and ecology these behaviours can be measured in the laboratory under controlled conditions designed to replicate those occurring in the field previous studies have demonstrated differences in thermal behaviours between rock types and through time as a result of soiling in terrestrial environments but the influence of weathering and colonization on rock behaviours in the intertidal zone has not been previously assessed we measured the warming and drying of blocks of rock limestone and granite and marine concrete during low tide events simulated in the laboratory before and after a period of exposure eight months on rock platforms in cornwall uk as well as differences between the material types temperatures of control unexposed and field exposed blocks differed in the order of 1 to 2 c drying behaviours were also different after field exposure differences during the first few hours of exposure to air and heat were attributed to discolouration and albedo effects over longer periods of time changes in the availability of near surface pore water as a result of micro scale bioerosion of limestone and the development of bio chemical crusts on marine concrete observed using scanning electron microscopy sem are suggested as mechanisms enhancing and reducing respectively the efficiency of evaporative cooling the retention of moisture by epilithic biofilms may also influence thermal and drying behaviours of granite these observations represent one of the first examples of cross scalar biogeomorphic linkages in the intertidal zone the significance of the results for the subsequent efficiency of weathering and near surface micro climatic conditions experienced by colonizing organisms is discussed the involvement of microorganisms in the creation of more or less ecologically stressful conditions through the alteration of substratum geomorphic properties and behaviours is suggested as an example of biogeomorphic ecosystem engineering copyright 2011 john wiley sons ltd

bioprotection explored the story of a little known earth surface process abstract bioprotection is identified as an earth surface process however it has been little studied little acknowledged and yet may have major implications for the operation and management of geomorphic systems key early observations are traced back to darwin s voyage of the beagle geikie in the natural environment and watson for the built environment recent field observations and experimental work examining bioprotection are reviewed with a specific focus on lichens and the landscape as are its complex interactions with other processes a conceptual model of bioprotection is presented for the case of an epilithic lichen on a limestone surface

effects of direct and indirect heating on the validity of rock weathering simulation studies and durability tests rock surface and subsurface temperature responses in samples exposed to direct heating insolation under natural hot desert conditions reveal considerable variability between lithologies related to differences in thermal properties especially albedo and thermal conductivity however when the same samples are heated indirectly by air in an oven based environmental cabinet lithological differences in temperature response disappear and all samples attain temperatures similar to the air temperature within the cabinet rates and patterns of rock decay produced in such environmental cabinets may not therefore reflect those encountered under natural conditions where breakdown is related to micro environmental conditions at the rock air interface and where rock temperature is one of the most important controlling factors in addition to implications for assessment of weathering effectiveness use of only indirect forms of heating affects the determination of comparative rock durability because all rock types are cycled through the same temperature regimes because temperature exerts such a major control on rock breakdown through its control on physical and chemical weathering processes all significant factors influencing it must be included in the design of weathering simulations and durability tests

salt weathering simulations under hot desert conditions agents of enlightenment or perpetuators of preconceptions because of access difficulties and inhospitable environmental conditions our understanding of rock weathering in hot deserts has been strongly influenced by laboratory simulations however a risk exists that results may come to owe more to experimental design than to actual environmental conditions experienced at the atmosphere rock surface interface this was especially true in early salt weathering simulations that seemingly sought to reinforce the orthodoxy of a physically dominated weathering environment driven by extremely high absolute temperatures and large diurnal temperature ranges however improvements in environmental sensors over the last 20 years have established the complexity of desert climates and the importance of microclimatic controls and allowed considerable refinement of experimental design this overview evaluates the implications of recent simulation studies and presents new information on possible fatigue effects of differential thermal expansion of salts and the salt weathering of test blocks under compressive loading in doing so it demonstrates how physical rock properties change during experimentation the importance of short term surface temperature fluctuations distinctions between the weathering of unconfined debris and larger rock surfaces the importance of moisture and salt applications that replicate their availability in deserts the importance of rock thermal properties in controlling their weathering response in environments dominated by radiative heating and cooling and the overall complexity of weathering regimes

deltaic coals of ferron sandstone member of mancos shale predictive model for cretaceous coal bearing strata of western interior the upper cretaceous ferron sandstone member of the mancos shale the coal bearing unit of the emery coalfield in central utah shows accumulation of clastic sediments in a lobate river dominated deltaic system that existed along the western shoreline of the interior cretaceous seaway during late turonian time five cycles of deltaic sedimentation each containing one major coal bed or coal zone are represented a clear genetic relationship exists between the geometries of the major coal beds of the emery field and the geometries of the delta front sandstone units with which they are associated the thicker part of each coal bed extends from the vicinity of the landward pinch out of the associated delta front sandstone landward to a distance of about 10 km this genetic relation forms the basis of a predictive model that can be used in designing more cost effective exploration programs in coal bearing strata of cretaceous age in the western interior

parasequence sets parasequences facies distributions and depositional history of the upper cretaceous ferron deltaic clastic wedge central utah abstract

natural hazards in british columbia an interdisciplinary and inter institutional challenge although british columbia experiences many natural hazards there is as yet no unified policy to promote natural hazard management in the province the problem is not in the quantity and quality of geoscience assessment of natural hazards but instead it is suggested in the isolation of that work from broader risk perspectives and in the lack of clarity of division of responsibilities between various levels of government the example of recent changes in perception of the terrain stability problem illustrates how natural hazard problems are driven by social and political priorities rather than by geoscience priorities

growth faults at the prodelta to delta front transition cretaceous ferron sandstone utah cliff exposures of synsedimentary growth faults at the base of the cretaceous ferron sandstone in central utah represent outcrop analogs to subsurface growth faults delta front sands prograded over and deformed less dense prodelta muds of the underlying tununk shale detailed fault patterns and associated facies changes demonstrate a complex fault history and style for growth fault development rather than a simple progressive development of faults in a basinward position the most proximal and most distal fault sets were the earliest active faults growth faulting was initiated by deposition of cross bedded distributary channel and mouth bar sandstones that reach 9 m thick in the hangingwalls of the faults curvature of the beds in the hangingwall of the faults nucleates smaller conjugate fault sets cross bed sets in the hangingwalls of faults decrease from meter to decimeter scale away from the faults suggesting decreasing flow velocity or decreased preservation of cross sets as a result of decreasing accommodation in distal hangingwalls shifts in depositional loci including upstream and downstream accretion of mouth bar sands contribute to the complex faults history and internal heterogeneity and development of potentially isolated sandy reservoir compartments

bioprotection and disturbance seaweed microclimatic stability and conditions for mechanical weathering in the intertidal zone as well as their destructive roles plants animals and microorganisms contribute to geomorphology and ecology via direct and indirect bioprotection which can reduce weathering and erosion for example indirect bioprotection can operate via biotic influences on microclimate whereby physical decay processes associated with fluctuations in temperature and moisture salt crystallization thermal fatigue and wetting drying are limited in the intertidal zone the spatial and temporal distribution of macroalgae seaweeds is patchy related to physical and ecological conditions for colonization and growth and the nature and frequency of natural and anthropogenic disturbance we examined the influence of seaweed canopies fucus spp on near surface microclimate and by implication on conditions for mechanical rock decay and under canopy ecology monitoring on hard artificial coastal structures in south west england uk built from limestone and concrete showed that both the range and maxima of daily summertime temperatures were significantly lower by an average of 56 and 25 respectively in areas colonized by seaweed compared to experimentally cleared areas short term microclimatic variability minutes hours was also significantly reduced by an average of 78 for temperature and 71 for humidity under algal canopies during low tide events using seaweed as an example we develop a conceptual model of the relationship between biological cover and microclimate in the intertidal zone disturbance events that remove or drastically reduce seaweed cover mediate shifts between relatively stable and unstable states with respect to mechanical decay and ecological stress associated with heat and desiccation in urban coastal environments where disturbance may be frequent facilitating the establishment and recovery of canopy forming species on rocks and engineered structures could enhance the durability of construction materials as well as support conservation planning and policy targets for biodiversity enhancement

influence of cyclic wetting and drying on swelling behavior of mudstone in south west of iran mudstone experience periodic swell and shrink behavior due to alternate wetting and drying cycles at arid and semi arid regions with distinctive seasonal changes this paper examines the influence of cyclic wetting and drying on swelling strain and swelling pressure to simulate the behavior of such rocks under heavy structures such as building foundations and behind the stiff support systems such as concrete linings mudstone samples from bakhtiari formation of masjed soleiman region in south west of iran were chosen to perform the laboratory tests the swelling strain under different dead pressures and also swelling pressure under oedometeric condition were measured over time the maximum swelling strain and pressure increased with each cycle but it had a bound increasing the number of wetting and drying cycles reduces the time required to reach ultimate swelling of mudstone this is a very important conclusion which helps to determine ultimate swelling behavior in a faster way as opposed to performing standard swelling tests for very long periods the laboratory s results are also in good correspondence with field measurements

reconceptualising the role of organisms in the erosion of rock coasts a new model attempts to understand the morphodynamics of rock coasts focus on the nature and rate of erosion and how this influences the evolution of coastal profiles over century to millennial timescales biological contributions to this process are often ignored or treated in a rather simplistic way as merely producing microscale decreases in rock strength using a combination of field observations and literature review we address two key issues hampering a more rounded assessment of biological impacts erosion of coastal rocks firstly we reconceptualise the biological contributions to erosion of rock coasts into direct and facilitative types and secondly we discuss the need for more appropriate reporting of rates of bioerosion for direct bioerosion this means clearly documenting the percentage of platform surfaces affected by bioerosive agents and quantifying the volume of material eroded and the amount of fine sediment produced for facilitative bioerosion we must quantify the roles of biota in changing the material properties of rocks creating or altering surface morphologies and or weakening joint boundaries in this way facilitative bioerosion is one of several processes mediating geomorphic alteration of rock surfaces contributing to the production of landforms and or reducing the resisting force of rock subsequently we build on these ideas to produce a new conceptual model which more accurately portrays the multiple and cross scalar ways that biological processes notably bioerosion influence the resistance of coastal rocks to erosive forces such a model provides a stronger basis for numerical modelling and understanding the morphodynamics of rock coasts in the future and allows a quantitative assessment of the role of biota

slope instability in nicaragua triggered by hurricane mitch distribution of shallow mass movements the heavy rains associated with hurricane mitch triggered off a number of slope instability processes in several central american countries different instability processes have been acknowledged for the various mountainous regions of nicaragua an enormous movement of the casita volcano slopes resulted in numerous deaths and some deep movements have been reactivated on the other hand numerous shallow mass movements and debris flows have given rise to great material loss throughout a large part of nicaraguan mountains

a non destructive tool for detecting changes in the hardness of engineering materials application of the equotip durometer in the coastal zone non destructive tools capable of measuring the condition and geomechanical properties of construction materials through time are of considerable value in engineering here the ability of the equotip durometer proceq type d to detect changes in the hardness of concrete and rock exposed to marine conditions was tested results indicated a progressive loss of hardness for limestone while concrete hardness increased granite showed no significant change our results relate to alteration of the materials primarily via chemical and biological weathering the equotip is sensitive enough to detect subtle changes in the condition of construction materials over relatively short periods of time

surface swelling of coastal bedrock on inter tidal shore platforms kaikoura peninsula south island new zealand this paper reports the occurrence of swelling of coastal bedrock measured with a traversing micro erosion meter tmem on inter tidal mudstone and limestone shore platforms while numerous micro erosion meter mem studies have been made only a small number have reported surface swelling during this study 24 055 measurements were made with a tmem of those 4047 indicated swelling or 17 of the total number of measurements vertical swelling of up to 8 9 mm was measured and values of 3 and 4 mm were common swelling displayed a complex pattern with minor swelling being superimposed on longer period episodes duration of swelling events in excess of 697 days were recorded while other events were commonly in the order of 3 to 4 months there is a distinct seasonal variation with greater and more frequent swelling occurring during summer months compared with winter explanation for swelling includes the growth of salt crystals in rock lattices and expansion from wetting and drying warm summer temperatures provide the best conditions for both processes swelling appears to be an important precursor to erosion of material from shore platform surfaces the conclusion drawn is that subaerial weathering makes an important contribution to the lowering of the shore platforms on the kaikoura peninsula

the use of the schmidt hammer and equotip for rock hardness assessment in geomorphology and heritage science a comparative analysis rapid field based measurements of rock hardness are of use in investigating many geomorphological and heritage science problems several different methods are now available for taking such measurements but little work has been done to assess their comparability and strengths and weaknesses we review here the capabilities of two types of schmidt hammer classic n type and silver schmidt bl type alongside two types of equotip standard type d and piccolo for investigating rock hardness in relation to rock weathering on various types of sandstone and limestone as well as basalt and dolerite whilst the two schmidt hammers and the two equotips show comparable results when tested at 15 individual sites interesting differences are found between the equotip and schmidt hammer values which may reveal information about the nature of weathering on different surfaces operator variance is shown to be an issue in particular for the equotip devices which also exhibit higher variability in measurements and necessitate larger sample sizes carborundum pre treatment also has varying effects on the data collected depending on the nature of the surface studied the equotip devices are shown to be particularly useful on smaller blocks and in situations where edge effects may affect schmidt hammer readings we conclude that whilst each device contributes to geomorphological research they do not necessarily produce comparable information indeed using schmidt hammer and equotip in combination and looking at any differences in results may provide invaluable insights into the structure of the near surface zones and the nature of weathering processes copyright 2010 john wiley sons ltd

debris flows some physical characteristics and behaviour field observations on 449 debris flows in the queen charlotte islands british columbia are summarized movement of debris is classified according to seven characteristic types designated for the purposes of the study data on the physical characteristics of the events are presented an analysis of the data is made with reference to event initiation yield and deposition using both mechanistic and morphological criteria for those events which initiate on an open slope the infinite slope model is used to establish a relationship between field drainage class and slope angle for assumed frictional and cohesive soil strength parameters the field drainage classes are directly related to the postulated location of the groundwater surface within the depth of the rupture plane deposition of channelized events is found to be influenced by the ratio of channel width to channel gradient with the onset of deposition expected when the ratio exceeds unity five classes of depositional area are proposed the mag

thermal fatigue and thermal shock in bedrock an attempt to unravel the geomorphic processes and products widespread acceptance in science at large notwithstanding the ability of thermal stresses to produce thermal fatigue tf and or thermal shock ts in bedrock and coarse debris in the field is often doubted commonly called insolation weathering in geomorphology the results of questionable laboratory experiments have led many geomorphologists to consider terrestrial temperatures to be inadequate to generate thermally induced stresses leading to rock failure the exceptions are the action of fire or lightning we comprehensively survey the general scientific literature on tf and ts while rigorously scrutinizing that relating to geomorphology findings indicate theoretical and experimental information is adequate to establish the feasibility of tf and ts in rock stemming from rock temperatures monitored in the field while ts may exhibit fracture patterns that are uniquely diagnostic those of tf lack any such attributes it would appear unlikely that tf can prepare or weaken rock to increase the likelihood of ts the question of whether widespread polygonal versus rectilinear cracking is diagnostic of ts is presently an open one as possible explanations invoke process es and or host material s and consequently to assign palaeoenvironmental significance to such fracture patterns is premature at this time further geomorphological laboratory research into tf and ts is merited as sufficient theoretical underpinning already exists however laboratory experimentation needs to be much more rigorously defined and executed and is faced with significant hurdles if it is to be effectively linked to field observations

rock protecting seaweed experimental evidence of bioprotection in the intertidal zone biogeomorphological processes are an important component of dynamic intertidal systems on rocky shores the direct contribution of microorganisms plants and animals to weathering and erosion is well known there is also increasing evidence that organisms can alter rock breakdown indirectly by moderating temperature and moisture regimes at the rock air interface these influences have been purported to represent mechanisms of bioprotection by buffering microclimatic fluctuations associated with weathering processes such as wetting and drying and salt crystallization however virtually nothing has been done to test whether microclimatic buffering translates to differences in actual rock breakdown rates here we report a preliminary laboratory experiment to assess how an artificial canopy chosen to represent seaweed affects mechanical rock breakdown using a simplified and accelerated thermal regime based on field data from a rocky shore platform in southern england uk we find that breakdown mineral debris release of mudstone covered with a canopy is reduced by as much as 79 relative to bare rock after around 100 thermal cycles reduction in rock surface hardness measured using an equotip device was also greater for bare rock 17 compared to covered rock 10 over this period measurements of salt crystal formation indicate that the mechanism driving these differences was a reduction in the frequency of crystallization events via moisture retention and shading of the rock surface copyright 2015 john wiley sons ltd

rock warming and drying under simulated intertidal conditions part i experimental procedures and comparisons with field data the wetting drying and warming cooling behaviours of rock and stone are known to influence the nature and rate of weathering the way materials warm up and dry out also influences their suitability as biological substrata while rock thermal behaviours have been measured under controlled laboratory conditions previous experiments have largely been restricted to terrestrial simulations due to practical constraints where efforts have been made to simulate intertidal conditions expansion and contraction of rocks or rates of breakdown i e sediment production and weight loss have been measured while detailed observations of thermal and drying behaviours have rarely been made a simple semi automated procedure is described that enabled measurement of surface temperatures and desorption evaporative water loss for different material types rock and concrete under simulated semidiurnal tide conditions some preliminary results are presented illustrating the types of data that were obtained and comparisons are made with temperature data collected on a rock platform in the uk to assess the ability of the procedure to adequately represent field conditions copyright 2011 john wiley sons ltd

tidal wetting and drying on shore platforms an experimental study of surface expansion and contraction laboratory experiments have been conducted to measure rock expansion and contraction induced by wetting and drying on intertidal shore platforms in eastern canada almost 800 rock cores and cubes were subjected to between 800 and 1000 tidal cycles the rocks were put into tidal simulators and inundated in de ionized water for 1 6 or 11 h of each 12 h cycle replicating conditions at the high mid and low tidal levels respectively micro erosion meter mem stations were also installed in slabs of argillite sandstone and basalt the slabs were subjected to conditions at the high mid and low tidal levels and a traversing mem was used to measure rock expansion and contraction as the slabs dried in air with variable temperature and humidity during low tide the slabs were also exposed for long periods to air with variable humidity cores and cubes often gained in weight when they absorbed or adsorbed water and retained it for periods ranging from 1 month to 1 year or more although this did not appear to be a prelude to rock breakdown tidal wetting and drying and exposure to humid air caused the argillite and basalt slabs to expand and contract by up to 0 14 and 0 04 mm respectively wetting and drying did not induce expansion or contraction of the sandstone but the sandstone did respond slightly to changes in air humidity the greatest amount of expansion and contraction was at the high tidal level in the argillite and at the mid tidal level in the basalt which is consistent with previously measured rates of downwearing

introduction to the special issue zoogeomorphology and ecosystem engineering abstract the 42nd annual binghamton geomorphology symposium convened on october 21 23 2011 in mobile alabama usa the topic of the meeting was zoogeomorphology and ecosystem engineering speakers represented a variety of perspectives from the disciplines of geomorphology and ecology and 21 posters were also presented covering a wide range of topics in biogeomorphology this special issue presents the 15 invited papers presented at the symposium

the influence of seasonal and local weather conditions on rock surface changes on the shore platform at kaikoura peninsula south island new zealand abstract a traversing micro erosion meter tmem was used to measure micro scale surface changes in a 45 cm2 area of an intertidal mudstone shore platform on kaikoura peninsula new zealand with hourly readings taken over 5 days for two seasons within 4 h either side of low tide for all monitoring events the relative height of a total of 120 co ordinates were obtained resulting in 4200 and 4800 measurements for the summer and winter seasons respectively within seasons samples were grouped according to the presence of rain or no rain significant changes were found in the micro topography with variations in temperature and among rain and no rain sample groups for both seasons in the absence of rain there were positive linear relationships between rock surface temperatures and rock surface elevations and regression analysis explained 42 3 and 46 5 of this variation for the summer y 0 098 0 004x p value 0 007 and winter y 0 007 0 012x p value

thermal properties as controls on rock surface temperature maxima and possible implications for rock weathering four rock types basalt sandstone granite and chalk are examined with respect to the maximum surface temperatures which they experience when subjected to similar conditions of exposure rock temperature measurements are reported for an urban environment and for two experimental situations in which an infrared lamp is used to simulate heating under cold and hot conditions differences in rock temperatures are discussed with reference to thermal rock properties albedo specific heat capacity and thermal conductivity some natural situations are suggested in which thermal rock properties could conceivably play a role in determining the extent to which rocks would be affected by particular weathering processes

tidal wetting and drying on shore platforms an experimental assessment abstract rocks were subjected to wetting and drying cycles with de ionized water under real time conditions using tidal simulators one third of the samples experienced 11 h of exposure and 1 h of inundation over a 12 h tidal cycle representing high tidal conditions one third experienced 6 h of exposure and 6 h of inundation representing mid tidal conditions and one third experienced 1 h of exposure and 11 h of inundation representing low tidal conditions we obtained 324 cores from igneous metamorphic and sedimentary rocks from ontario which were exposed to more than 930 wetting and drying cycles over 16 months we obtained 675 cores and cubes from basalts sandstones and argillites from shore platforms in eastern canada which were exposed to about 700 cycles over 12 months many of the cores and cubes experienced very little to no breakdown particularly those from the igneous and metamorphic rocks of ontario sandstones from a sloping platform in the macrotidal bay of fundy and argillites from a horizontal mesotidal platform in gaspe quebec were the most susceptible rock types with equivalent surface downwearing rates ranging from 0 to 4 mm year 1 the results suggest that downwearing rates decrease with elevation within the intertidal zone probably because rocks require much longer to desorb than to absorb water the experiments demonstrated that wetting and drying can be an important process on shore platforms in some types of rock helping to lower the height and reduce the gradient of sloping macrotidal platforms and to reduce the height of horizontal micro and mesotidal platforms

patterns of surface downwearing on shore platforms in eastern canada downwearing rates were measured on shore platforms at about 200 transverse micro erosion meter tmem stations over periods ranging from 2 to 6 years there were seven study areas in eastern canada the platforms were surveyed and a schmidt rock test hammer was used to measure rock hardness more than 1200 rock samples from three of the study areas were also subjected each day over a 3 year period to two tidal cycles of immersion and exposure which simulated the central intertidal zone a further 840 samples were subjected to longer periods of exposure and immersion over a 1 year period which represented different elevations within the upper and lower intertidal zone respectively these experiments suggested that tidally generated weathering and debris removal is an effective erosional mechanism particularly at the elevation of the lowest high tides in the field mean rates of downwearing for each study area ranged from 0 24 mm yr 1 to more than 1 5 mm yr 1 rates tended to increase with elevation in the field with maxima in the upper intertidal zone this trend in the field cannot be attributed entirely to the tidally induced weathering processes that were simulated in the laboratory and must reflect in part the effect of waves frost ice and other mechanisms it is concluded that there are no strong spatial downwearing patterns on shore platforms and that downwearing rates in the intertidal zone are the result of a number of erosional mechanisms with different elevation efficacy characteristics furthermore even if only one or two mechanisms were dominant in an area any resulting relationship between downwearing rates and elevation would be obscured or eliminated by the effect of variations in the chemical and physical characteristics of the rocks copyright 2010 john wiley sons ltd

interpreting shoreline sands using borehole images a case study of the cretaceous ferron sandstone member in utah to establish borehole image interpretation guidelines in a siliciclastic shoreline environment this study used unique data from the ferron sandstone member in utah where several core holes were drilled next to the outcrop cliff and logged with electrical borehole images the guidelines include three main components 1 differentiating depositional elements based on borehole image textures 2 multiwell stratigraphic correlation and depositional architectures and 3 ambiguity and data limitations the stratigraphic interpretation of the image logs is closely correlated with the cores and the outcrops to evaluate the interpretation methodology the sandstones of upper shoreface middle shoreface and channels are differentiated in each well based on a list of depositional textures and sequence characteristics revealed by the images and open hole logs the coals carbonaceous shales bay fill and transgression lag deposits are identified as important elements in building the stratigraphic framework channels eroding into the shoreface and shoreface pinch out into delta plains are recognized based on the facies classification and stratigraphic framework the shoreface progradation directions are drawn through multiwell sequence correlation paleoflow and seaward facies transition analysis in the muddy canyon area the progradation directions of the shoreface parasequences vary from north to east with dominance to the northeast the complex channel systems with diverse flow directions amalgamated in the delta plains and eroded into the strand plain shoreface sandstones in most of the regression cycles in the northern study area the latest borehole image data revealed the south or southeastward prograding ferron shorelines and the cyclic blue gate member shoreline sequences the integrated study supports the regional v shaped ferron shoreline with oblique delta progradations within the regional eastward transportation into the mancos sea