Nature and Dynamics of an Active Block Stream, Kunlun Pass, Qinghai Province, People's Republic of China

Active block streams are common on the slopes of mountains on the northern, drier portion of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau. Between 1990 and 1995, the authors studied a block stream northeast of the crest of the Kunlun Pass at latitude 35°50’N, longitude 94°05’ E. It occurs on a 31° slope facing southwest at 4800 m altitude and consists of a 15 cm layer of blocks moving downslope over a sandy loam of lacustrine origin. The blocks are derived from both frost shattering of exposed bedrock and by ejection of blocks from the till capping the hill. No water flows in the block stream and its surface is level with the surrounding slope. Mean annual air temperature is –6°C and mean annual precipitation is about 320 mm. The few plants growing between the blocks exhibit elongated stems and/or roots, indicating movement of the upper layers of blocks relative to the underlying materials. Average mean annual downslope movement of the surface blocks ranges up to 95 cm but varies both across the block stream and also along its long axis. The blocks are gradually extending further downslope. Comparison of movement of lines painted on stones in summer and winter shows that most of the movement occurs in winter. The stones usually rotate randomly as they move, probably by sliding on ice. There is no obvious sorting or rounding of the blocks during movement downslope. The deposits produced differ from talus/scree sediments as they have a dip of less than the maximum angle of rest of dry sediment (c. 33°) and also show no sorting downslope. The movement of material takes place predominantly in winter, rather than in summer and the deposits occur in areas of negligible snow cover. Ground temperatures suggest exceptionally rapid temperature changes under the blocks, indicating air exchange in the voids. Mean ground temperatures in the loams beneath the blocks are about 7°C colder than in the adjacent soils. Winter snow covers are noticeably absent, and summer precipitation is often in the form of snow, which soon melts. Permafrost is present beneath the block stream but is absent in the sandy loam soils. The ground is also moister beneath the blocks. It appears that the surface blocks tend to slide downslope on the icy surface of the underlying blocks, perhaps aided by water from melting snow. This and the lack of sorting by clast size clearly differentiates them from talus slopes or avalanche deposits.     

Block and Debris Deposits in the High Drakensberg, Lesotho, Southern Africa: Implications for High Altitude Slope Processes

Past evaluation of high altitude slope development in Lesotho, southern Africa, is largely based on hypothetical or macro-scale geomorphic approaches. Consequently, the information pertaining to high altitude southern African Quaternary slope environments has remained rather rudimentary. The present study describes the morphology and discusses the likely palaeogeomorphic processes of blockstreams and debris deposits on the Popple Peak and Njesuthi-Mafadi south-facing-slopes in the Drakensberg. The geomorphic evidence provides much needed information to help improve the understanding of south-facing slope processes during past colder periods. A model for high altitude Drakensberg south facing slopes is presented and used to challenge and expand on recent models and ideas on southern African valley asymmetry. It is found that solifluction and debris flows/avalanches were operative on south-facing slopes during past cold periods and thereby contributed to past slope development at some high altitude sites in Lesotho. However, the geomorphological observations do not support the valley asymmetry hypothesis and it is suggested that greater caution be exercised in valley-form interpretations, particularly where geomorphological ground-truthing has been absent.     

RAINFALL AND TEMPERATURE ATTRIBUTES ON THE LESOTHO–DRAKENSBERG ESCARPMENT EDGE, SOUTHERN AFRICA

Located near the southeastern limit of Africa, the Lesotho‐Drakensberg and associated escarpment is the highest range of African mountains south of the massifs in Tanzania. At the escarpment summit and on the adjacent high peaks, the climate is generally interpreted as marginal periglacial yet few data, specifically rainfall and temperature, exist on record at these altitudes. Climatic data from two temporary field stations on the escarpment edge, one of which is the highest rainfall station yet on record in southern Africa, provide contemporary surface‐climate conditions. Mean annual rainfall recorded between 2001 and 2005 averages 767.8 mm at Sani Pass summit (three complete years), and 753.2 mm on Sentinel Peak (two complete years); these values are less than those recorded for the same period in the mountain foothills. Even though rainfall is slightly below long‐term rainfall averages for the area due to a marginally dry spell, the data show that earlier estimates of between 1000 mm and 2000 mm rainfall per annum on the escarpment are too high. A measured mean air temperature of 5.8°C at Sani Pass, however, falls within the range estimated for the escarpment summit. Frost cycles in air and at the soil surface are frequent in winter, but absent in soil for summer, and no long‐duration surface‐soil freeze was measured. Temperatures thus confirm the marginal periglacial nature as postulated for previously, but precipitation data indicate a dryer environment than anticipated. Palaeoenvironmental scenarios, notably arguments for former glaciation based on extrapolations from somewhat exaggerated contemporary precipitation values, thus require re‐consideration.     

Thermal Regime of Rock and its Relation to Snow Cover in Steep Alpine Rock Walls: Gemsstock,Central Swiss Alps

Snow cover influences the thermal regime and stability of frozen rock walls. In this study, we investigate and model the impact of the spatially variable snow cover on the thermal regime of steep permafrost rock walls. This is necessary for a more detailed understanding of the thermal and mechanical processes causing changes in rock temperature and in the ice and water contents of frozen rock, which possibly lead to rock wall instability. To assess the temporal and spatial evolution and influence of the snow, detailed measurements have been carried out at two selected points in steep north‐ and south‐facing rock walls since 2012. In parallel, the one‐dimensional energy balance model SNOWPACK is used to simulate the effects of snow cover on the thermal regime of the rock walls. For this, a multi‐method approach with high temporal resolution is applied, combining meteorological, borehole rock temperature and terrain parameter measurements. To validate the results obtained for the ground thermal regime and the seasonally varying snowpack, the model output is compared with near‐surface rock temperature measurements and remote snow cover observations. No decrease of snow depth at slope angles up to 70° was observed in rough terrain due to micro‐topographic structures. Strong contrasts in rock temperatures between north‐ and south‐facing slopes are due to differences in solar radiation, slope angle and the timing and depth of the snow cover. SNOWPACK proved to be useful for modelling snow cover–rock interactions in smooth, homogenous rock slopes.     

Effects of environmental change on scree slope development throughout the postglacial period in the Chic-Choc Mountains in the northern Gaspé Peninsula, Québec

The combined study of present-day processes and stratigraphic data, has permitted the reconstruction of the dynamics of scree slopes of the northern Gaspé Peninsula throughout the postglacial period. In this region, liberated progressively from beneath an ice cover between 13,500 and 10,000 years BP, the scree slopes have to be seen as an integral part of a regional geosystem. Evolution of these slopes has been rapid, influenced by local paraglacial conditions (glacio-isostatic rebound, glacio-eustatic fluctuations, and re-equilibration of glacially over-steepened rockwalls) which operated against a backdrop of Late Glacial and Holocene climatic fluctuations. During the Younger Dryas and part of the Early Holocene period, as the foot slopes emerged from beneath the Goldthwait Sea, the basal part of several scree slopes advanced onto marine terraces as lobate rock glaciers, under the influence of a periglacial climate, characterised by permafrost. Many scree slopes continued to transfer debris downslope after regional establishment of a closed forest cover at ca. 7250 years BP. Forest colonisation in the early pre-emergent phase of the postglacial period was retarded, due to constant replenishment of the debris removed from the foot slopes by marine processes. In the later post-emergent phase, development of a complete forest cover has only been possible on slopes where the summit rockwall segment has been completely eliminated, a condition not yet fulfilled for many geomorphologically active scree slopes of the region. In fact, both of these paraglacial influences have been diachronous on a regional scale. Advance upslope of the forest front on the scree slopes appears to have been slow, difficult and subject to periodic regressions of possible climatic origin, as indicated by numerous buried soils in colluvial stratigraphic sequences, and for the past 150 years by dendro-ecological studies. Stratigraphic exposures, along with direct observation of slope events, have revealed the operation of a large variety of debris transfer processes, including niveo-aeolian sedimentation and frost-coated clast flows, the latter representing an important process first recognised on the scree slopes of Gaspésie.     

Synclinal-horst basins: examples from the southern Rio Grande rift and southern transition zone of southwestern New Mexico, USA

In areas of broadly distributed extensional strain, the back‐tilted edges of a wider than normal horst block may create a synclinal‐horst basin. Three Neogene synclinal‐horst basins are described from the southern Rio Grande rift and southern Transition Zone of southwestern New Mexico, USA. The late Miocene–Quaternary Uvas Valley basin developed between two fault blocks that dip 6–8° toward one another. Containing a maximum of 200 m of sediment, the Uvas Valley basin has a nearly symmetrical distribution of sediment thickness and appears to have been hydrologically closed throughout its history. The Miocene Gila Wilderness synclinal‐horst basin is bordered on three sides by gently tilted (10°, 15°, 20°) fault blocks. Despite evidence of an axial drainage that may have exited the northern edge of the basin, 200–300 m of sediment accumulated in the basin, probably as a result of high sediment yields from the large, high‐relief catchments. The Jornada del Muerto synclinal‐horst basin is positioned between the east‐tilted Caballo and west‐tilted San Andres fault blocks. Despite uplift and probable tilting of the adjacent fault blocks in the latest Oligocene and Miocene time, sediment was transported off the horst and deposited in an adjacent basin to the south. Sediment only began to accumulate in the Jornada del Muerto basin in Pliocene and Quaternary time, when an east‐dipping normal fault along the axis of the syncline created a small half graben. Overall, synclinal‐horst basins are rare, because horsts wide enough to develop broad synclines are uncommon in extensional terrains. Synclinal‐horst basins may be most common along the margins of extensional terrains, where thicker, colder crust results in wider fault spacing.     

Morphology and internal structure of a dormant landslide in a hilly area: The Collinabos landslide (Belgium)

This study attempts to reconstruct the history of the Collinabos landslide, a landslide with a fresh morphology that is representative for more than 150 dormant, deep-seated (> 3 m) landslides in the Flemish Ardennes (Belgium). A geomorphological map was created based on LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)-derived maps and detailed field surveys. The map showed that the landslide consisted of three zones with significant differences in surface topography. The northern landslide zone 1 is characterised by at least five reverse slopes, whereas zones 2 and 3, the southern landslide zones, have only two reverse slopes and a convex foot. Electric resistivity profiles measured in zones 1 and 2 revealed that the differences in surface topography were not related to differences in internal structure as both parts of the landslide were initiated as a rotational earth slide with a surface of rupture at 15 m deep, where the displaced material broke apart in two blocks. However, two shear surfaces of reactivations within landslide debris were only distinguished in the accumulation area of zone 1. The observed differences in surface morphology can be caused by a temporary conversion of a forest into cropland in zone 2. It is suggested that reverse slopes of smaller reactivations within landslide debris were obliterated during the agricultural activities. AMS radiocarbon dating of organic material found in ponds located in reverse slopes generally resulted in relatively recent dates (i.e. 1400–1950 Cal AD) suggesting that several of the small local reactivations occurred in that period. One dating at 8700–8440 Cal BP of organic matter collected in a reverse slope in zone 1 suggests that an initiation under periglacial conditions cannot be excluded for the Collinabos landslide. By combining different technologies, this study provides valuable information for a better understanding of dormant landslides.     

Slope basins, headless canyons, and submarine palaeoseismology of the Cascadia accretionary complex

A combination of geomorphological, seismic reflection and geotechnical data constrains this study of sediment erosion and deposition at the toe of the Cascadia accretionary prism. We conducted a series of ALVIN dives in a region south of Astoria Canyon to examine the interrelationship of fluid flow and slope failure in a series of headless submarine canyons. Elevated head gradients at the inflection point of canyons have been inferred to assist in localized failures that feed sediment into a closed slope basin. Measured head gradients are an order of magnitude too low to cause seepage-induced slope failure alone; we therefore propose transient slope failure mechanisms. Intercanyon slopes are uniformly unscarred and smooth, although consolidation tests indicate that up to several metres of material may have been removed. A sheet-like failure would remove sediment uniformly, preserving the observed smooth intercanyon slope. Earthquake-induced liquefaction is a likely trigger for this type of sheet failure as the slope is too steep and short for sediment flow to organize itself into channels. Bathymetric and seismic reflection data suggest sediment in a trench slope basin between the second and third ridges from the prism's deformation is derived locally. A comparison of the amounts of material removed from the slopes and that in the basin shows that the amount of material removed from the slopes may slightly exceed the amount of material in the basin, implying that a small amount of sediment has escaped the basin, perhaps when the second ridge was too low to form a sufficient dam, or through a gap in the second ridge to the south. Regardless, almost 80% of the material shed off the slopes around the basin is deposited locally, whereas the remaining 20% is redeposited on the incoming section and will be re-accreted.
     

Geomorphological research of large-scale slope instability at Machu Picchu, Peru

A multidisciplinary approach has been adopted to study the slope movements and landscape evolution at the archaeological site of Machu Picchu and its immediate surroundings. The basic event in the paleogeomorphological evolution of the area was the large-scale slope movement, which destroyed the originally higher ridge between Mt. Machupicchu and Mt. Huaynapicchu. Within remnants of that primary deformation, several younger generations of slope movements occurred. The laboratory analyses of granitoids revealed highly-strained zones on the slopes of Mt. Machupicchu, which strongly affect the largest slope deformation. The borders of the largest slope deformation are structurally predisposed by the existence of fault zones. The majority of various types of slope movements on the so-called Front Slope (E facing) and Back Slope (W facing) are influenced by the alignment between topography and joints. Along with slope movements, fluvial erosion and tectonic disturbance of the rocks have been affecting the evolution of the landscape. A monitoring network for dilatometric and extensometric measurements was used to detect the present-day activity of rock displacements within the archaeological site. In addition to standard mapping of surface hydrogeological phenomena, eleven express slug tests were conducted to verify the infiltration potential of precipitation. The results of these surveys indicate that recent large-scale slope movement as suggested by some previous studies is doubtful, and the detected movements can be explained by individual movements of rock blocks or several other mechanisms including sinking of archaeological structures, subsurface erosion and annual changes in the water content of the soils.     

Large quaternary landslides in the central appalachian valley and ridge province near Petersburg, West Virginia

Geological mapping and photointerpretation of side-looking airborne radar images and color-infrared aerial photographs reveal two large Quaternary landslides in the Valley and Ridge province of the central Appalachians near Petersburg, W. Va. The Elkhorn Mountain rock avalanche occurs on the thrust-faulted northwestern flank of the Elkhorn Mountain anticlinorium. A minimum of 7 × 10⁶ m³ of quartzite colluvium was transported more than 3 km from a 91 m high escarpment of Silurian Tuscarora Quartzite. The extensively vegetated deposit may owe, in part, its transport and weathering to periglacial conditions during the Pleistocene. In contrast, the Gap Mountain rock block slide is a single allochthonous block that is 1.2 km long, 0.6 km wide, and at least 60 m thick. The 43 × 10⁶ m³ block is composed of limestone of the Helderberg Group and the Oriskany Sanstone of Early Devonian age. Planar detachment probably occurred along a dissolution bedding plane near the Shriver Chert and the Oriskany Sandstone contact. Failure probably was initiated by downcutting of the South Branch Potomac River during the Pleistocene. Landslides of this magnitude suggest accelerated erosion during periglacial climates in the Pleistocene. The recognition of these large slope failures may provide evidence of paleoclimatic conditions and, thereby, increase our understanding of the geomorphologic development of the Valley and Ridge province.     

Submarine sediment routing over a blocky mass‐transport deposit in the Espírito Santo Basin,SE Brazil

The control of slide blocks on slope depositional systems is investigated in a high‐quality 3D seismic volume from the Espírito Santo Basin, SE Brazil. Seismic interpretation and statistical methods were used to understand the effect of differential compaction on strata proximal to the headwall of a blocky mass‐transport deposit (MTD), where blocks are large and undisturbed (remnant), and in the distal part of this same deposit. The distal part contains smaller rafted blocks that moved and deformed with the MTD. Upon their emplacement, the positive topographic relief of blocks created a rugged seafloor, confining sediment pathways and creating accommodation space for slope sediment. In parallel, competent blocks resisted compaction more than the surrounding debrite matrix during early burial. This resulted in differential compaction between competent blocks and soft flanking strata, in a process that was able to maintain a rugged seafloor for >5 Ma after burial. Around the largest blocks, a cluster of striations associated with a submarine channel bypassed these obstructions on the slope and, as a result, reflects important deflection by blocks and compaction‐related folds that were obstructing turbidite flows. Log‐log graphs were made to compare the width and height of different stratigraphic elements; blocks, depocentres and channels. There is a strong correlation between the sizes of each element, but with each subsequent stage (block–depocentre–channel) displaying marked reductions in height. Blocky MTDs found on passive margins across the globe are likely to experience similar effects during early burial to those documented in this work.     

Revisiting William Morris Davis and Walther Penck to Propose a General Model of Slope ‘Evolution’ in Deserts

Based on research from slopes on rhyolite domes of known age formed over a million‐year continuum in eastern California, a classic geomorphic debate is reconsidered and a general model of desert slope development proposed. This study examines steep (～25° to ～35°) boulder‐dominated slopes that include well, varnished, vertically oriented colluvial deposits. Such deposits are common throughout the arid southwestern United States. Basic field and isotopic dating methods are combined with two surface‐dating techniques, cosmogenic chlorine‐36 and rock varnish microlaminae, to produce a detailed slope development history with broad implications for geomorphic theory that includes the unresolved geomorphic debate between Walther Penck and William Morris Davis. Slopes in this study are dominated by the on‐going desert slope processes of debris flows and in‐situ grain disintegration as evidenced by active debris flow features, terminal Pleistocene ages of microlaminae, and chlorine‐36 ages progressively younger than potassium‐argon ages for slope genesis. Results also indicate that slopes retreat in a parallel fashion as postulated by Penck. Furthermore, the deposits do not exhibit significant changes in grain size, shape, or angularity from genesis to ～0.6 Ma but change markedly after that time possibly indicating a geomorphic threshold between ～0.6 and ～1 Ma, or episodic erosional events throughout the mid to late Pleistocene.     

Shelf-margin clinoforms and prediction of deepwater sands

Early Eocene successions from Spitsbergen and offshore Ireland, showing well‐developed shelf‐margin clinoforms and a variety of deepwater sands, are used to develop models to predict the presence or absence of turbidite sands in clinoform strata without significant slope disturbance/ponding by salt or mud diapers. The studied clinoforms formed in front of narrow to moderate width (10–60 km) shelves and have slopes, 2–4°, that are typical of accreting shelf margins. The clinoforms are evaluated in terms of both shelf‐transiting sediment‐delivery systems and the resultant partitioning of the sand and mud budget along their different segments. Although this sediment‐budget partitioning is controlled by sediment type and flux, shelf width and gradient, process regime on the shelf and relative sea‐level behaviour, the most tell‐tale or predictive signs in the stratigraphic record appear to be (1) sediment‐delivery system type, (2) degree of shelf‐edge channelling and (3) character of shelf‐edge trajectory through time. The clinoform data sets from the Porcupine Basin (wells and 3‐D seismic) and from the Central Basin on Spitsbergen (outcrops) suggest that river‐dominated deltas are the most efficient delivery systems for dispersing sand into deep water beyond the shelf‐slope break. In addition, low‐angle or flat, channelled shelf‐edge trajectories associate with co‐eval deepwater slope and basin‐floor sands, whereas rising trajectories tend to associate with muddy slopes and basin floors. Characteristic features of the shelf‐edge, slope and basin‐floor segments of clinoforms for these trajectory types are documented. Seismic lines along the slope to basin‐floor transects tend to show apparent up‐dip sandstone pinchouts, but most of these are likely to be simply sidelap features. Dip lines aligned along the axes of sandy fairways show that stratigraphic traps are unlikely, unless slope channels become mud‐filled or are structurally partitioned. Another feature that is prominent in the data sets examined is the lack of slope onlap. During the relative rise of sea level back up to the shelf, the clinoform slopes are generally mud‐prone and they are characteristically aggradational.     

Heat refraction and heat production in and around granite plutons in north-east England

Summary. Existing surface heat flow determinations in north-east England indicate a difference in thermal structure between the Alston block of the North Pennines and the coastal regions. New heat flow determinations in the Askrigg block and on the coast support the original indications of higher heat flow in the positive blocks, which are underlain by 400 Myr old granites, than in their marginal sedimentary troughs along the present coastline. Although the two blocks are geophysically and geologically similar, surface heat flow in the Alston block is 30mW m^-2 higher than it is in the Askrigg block 50km to its south. Heat flow refraction around high conductivity plutons with high heat production may significantly affect the interpretation of heat flow measurements made on a regional scale but in the present case its effect, if any, is to emphasize the heat flow difference between the two otherwise similar blocks. The chemical differences between the Wensleydale and the Weardale granites – cupolas of the granites underlying the Askrigg and Alston may be representative of the granites as a whole and the blocks respectively – difference in surface heat flows may result from a contrast in radiogenic heat production between the two granites extending to mid-crustal depths.     

广东石门台国家级自然保护区及毗邻区域 “假林线”时空变化特征

基于3S技术,利用2011和2015年2期不同时相高分辨率QuickBird影像和DEM数据,研究了广东石门台国家级自然保护区及毗邻区域“假林线”的时空变化特征。结果表明：1）该区域“假林线”分布的海拔介于317~1 569 m,其中80%集中分布在700~1 200 m的范围内。2）与2011年相比,2015年“假林线”在不同坡度和坡向上分布的平均海拔总体呈上升趋势,但变化不显著（P＞0.1）。3）“假林线”主要分布在5°~35°的坡度,极少出现在＜2°的平地或＞55°的垂直坡上。不同坡向“假林线”海拔分布存在很大差异（P＜0.001）,呈现出北坡高于南坡,东坡略高于西坡的特点。各坡向上“假林线”海拔分布的最大值出现在西北坡,最小值出现在南坡。     

祁连山森林草原带坡面尺度土壤有机碳分布

以祁连山森林草原带3个山头为研究对象,在坡面尺度上分析了坡向和坡位对不同深度(0~10、10~20、20~40、40~60 cm)土壤有机碳浓度和密度的影响。结果表明:坡肩、背坡及坡脚各层有机碳浓度变化趋势为北坡>西坡>西南坡>南坡,不同沟谷土壤有机碳浓度差异不显著。有机碳浓度的坡位分布因坡向而异,在南坡、西南坡及西坡,沟谷各层有机碳浓度均显著高于其他坡位(P<0.05),坡脚高于坡肩与背坡;在北坡,坡肩、背坡及坡脚有机碳浓度无显著差异,沟谷20~40、40~60 cm土层有机碳浓度显著低于坡肩(P<0.05)。不同层次土壤有机碳密度的变化特征与有机碳浓度相似,0~60 cm有机碳密度最大值出现在北坡(33.64±0.91 kg·m^-2)及沟谷(34.30±2.55 kg·m^-2),约为南坡的3.20倍,西南坡的2.87倍、西坡的1.90倍。     

双坡面临空岩质边坡滑动破坏模式下的稳定性分析

多数岩质边坡稳定性分析已基本解决了常走向单坡面临空的边坡平面滑动问题。然而,在路堑边坡工程和自然边坡中有很多边坡坡面并不是平面,它包含多个坡面。多坡面边坡包含两个或多个不同走向的坡面。多坡面边坡几何特征不同于单坡面边坡,所以滑动条件也不一样。在赤平投影图上,多坡面的滑动包络线是组成边坡的每个坡面单独投影包络线的组合。为了探讨方便,只讨论了双坡面临空岩质边坡的滑动破坏模式,并将其分为双坡面临空下的平面破坏和楔形体破坏。在赤平投影图上,双坡面滑动区域定义为双坡面边坡滑动包络图中两侧坡面的真倾线之间的面积。如果有一两个节理面真倾向线落在滑动区内,滑动破坏才可能发生。     

三峡库区坡地地貌过程的速率

在重庆奉节至湖北巴东一带三峡库区,存在两类坡地,分别是深层风化坡地与崩积—残坡积坡地。这两类坡地上,堆积物的稳定性差,表现为剥蚀、堆积的速率大。堆积物的累积速率可粗略地依据热释光年龄来估计。据此我们推测深层风化坡地的浅层滑坡周期大约是1.5ka,对应的堆积速率大约是33cm/ka。崩积—残坡积坡地上主要的陡崖崩塌发生周期是40ka⁶0ka,坡地中部的累积速率大约是4cm/ka。在崩积—残坡积坡地上常见生长的树木因堆积物蠕滑而变形,树木变形程度反映了蠕滑速率,据此估算的蠕滑速率是非常可观的,这既是坡地中部的剥蚀速率,可能也在一定程度上反映了坡地下部堆积物的物质供应速率。这些认识可能对滑坡与水土流失的治理有参考价值。     

Periglacial geomorphology of the Appalachian highlands and interior highlands south of the glacial border — A review

Many features reported in the Appalachian region have been assigned a paleoperiglacial origin based on field relationships and their similarities with analogs active in present day actuoperiglacial environments. These forms include, but are not limited to, sorted and nonsorted varieties of patterned ground, grèzes litées, block fields, block slopes, and block streams, cryoplanation terraces, and hillslope and river terrace landscapes. Although very small-scale features (generally less than 1 m in plan or section dimension) and some larger forms on steep hillslopes are known to be at least sporadically active today, the large-scale features discussed here are interpreted as either inactive or truly fossil periglacial phenomena. Thus they hav implications for paleoclimatic reconstruction and significance as indicators of relative landscape stability since the time(s) of their development. This paper briefly reviews the historical dimension of early researchs' work, present selected examples of recent results, and gives authors' conclusions.     

黄土高原沟壑区干旱阳坡的地域分异特征

针对黄土高原沟壑区干旱阳坡这种典型的困难立地进行因地制宜的植被恢复建设。本文选取甘肃西峰、山西吉县、陕西安塞、宁夏固原为研究区,采用25 m分辨率的DEM为数据源,基于GIS提取相关地形信息研究其干旱阳坡的地域分异特征。结果表明：①不同类型沟壑区干旱阳坡面积比例占45%～54%,表现为高塬沟壑区＞过渡地带＞丘陵沟壑区。②不同类型沟壑区干旱阳坡面积比例随坡度的变化规律不同,高塬沟壑区呈左偏态分布,其他样区均基本呈近似正态分布,且丘五区和过渡地带呈双峰现象。③不同类型沟壑区梁峁坡面积比例关系为：高塬沟壑区>过渡地带>丘陵沟壑区;沟坡面积比例为：丘陵沟壑区>过渡地带>高塬沟壑区;川台地面积比例为：丘五区＞过渡地带＞丘二区＞高塬沟壑。④不同类型沟壑区各立地类型组所占的面积比例各不相同,除高塬沟壑区外基本呈阳向缓坡组＞阳向陡险坡组＞坡顶或沟底。研究成果可为黄土高原地区开展抗旱造林与植被重建提供理论依据。