Fractionation of grain size in terrestrial sediment routing systems

Sediment is fractionated by size during its cascade from source to sink in sediment routing systems. It is anticipated, therefore, that the grain size distribution of sediment will undergo down‐system changes as a result of fluvial sorting processes and selective deposition. We assess this hypothesis by comparing grain size statistical properties of samples from within the erosional source region with those that have undergone different amounts of transport. A truncated Pareto distribution describes well the coarser half of the clast size distribution of regolith, coarse channel bed sediment and proximal debris flows (particularly their levees), as well as the coarser half of the clast size distribution of gravels that have undergone considerable amounts of transport in rivers. The Pareto shape parameter a evolves in response to mobilization, sediment transport and, importantly, the selective extraction of particles from the surface flow to build underlying stratigraphy. A goodness of fit statistic, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov vertical difference, illustrates the closeness of the observed clast size distributions to the Pareto, Weibull and log‐normal models as a function of distance from the depositional apex. The goodness of fit of the particle size distribution of regolith varies with bedrock geology. Bedload sediment at catchment outlets is fitted well by the log‐normal and truncated Pareto models, whereas the exponential Weibull model provides a less good fit. In the Eocene Escanilla palaeo‐sediment routing system of the south‐central Pyrenees, the log‐normal and truncated Pareto models provide excellent fits for distances of up to 80 km from the depositional apex, whereas the Weibull fit progressively worsens with increasing transport distance. A similar trend is found in the Miocene–Pliocene gravels of the Nebraskan Great Plains over a distance of >300 km. Despite the large fractionation in mean grain size and gravel percentage from source region to depositional sink, particle size distributions therefore appear to maintain log‐normality over a wide range of transport distance. Use of statistical models enables down‐system fractionation of sediment released from source regions to be better understood and predicted and is a potentially valuable tool in source‐to‐sink approaches to basin analysis.     

Trends of grain sizes on gravel bars in the Rio Chagres, Panama

We examined the trends of grain sizes along the upper 414 km² of the mountainous Rio Chagres drainage basin in Panama. Gravel bars were sampled along 40 km of the Rio Chagres and five major tributary streams using a transect pebble count of median diameter, lithology, and clast rounding. Although previous investigators have found that downstream fining can be obscured by inputs of colluvial sediment and other local controls in mountain drainages, we decided to examine the trends of grain sizes along a tropical mountain river where rapid weathering and high capability of transport might be capable of overriding the input effects of colluvium. Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that downstream fining would be present as a result of selective sorting, and that weak felsic particles would decrease in size preferentially to strong mafic particles because of abrasion. Statistical analyses reveal a weak downstream decrease of sediment size on gravel bars along the study reach of the Rio Chagres, with a Sternberg diminution coefficient (α) for felsic and mafic grains of − 0.013 and − 0.017, respectively. Felsic clasts have thicker weathering rinds and become rounded downstream faster than mafic particles, but tumbling-mill tests of abrasion show no significant differences in rate of mass loss in relation to lithology, and downstream decreases in grain size are similar between lithologies. Dividing the study reach into six sub-reaches bounded by major tributary junctions, we further tested the hypothesis that downstream trends in fining might be obscured at the basin scale by sediment input from tributaries, but that trends in grain sizes might be more visible at the reach scale between tributaries. We did not find any consistent trends in grain size between tributaries. Stream width appears to assert a local control on grain size; coarse particles are associated with narrow channel reaches, whereas smaller particles are associated with wide channel reaches.     

Desert pavement characteristics on wadi terrace and alluvial fan surfaces: Wadi Al-Bih, U.A.E. and Oman

In arid mountain areas, the dating and correlation of alluvial depositional surfaces is often uncertain. Especially in regions where the geomorphology is not well known, surface modification by the development of soil and desert pavement may allow the correlation of geomorphic surfaces and estimation of at least their relative ages. Pleistocene wadi terraces and associated alluvial fans occur in Wadi Al-Bih, U.A.E. and Oman, for which correlations and age relationships are not known. Three age-related groups of fans and terraces have been identified and mapped on the basis of their morphostratigraphic relationships. Deposition of the oldest terrace sediments and associated fans followed a long period of sustained incision after Miocene uplift of the region. The younger two groups of terraces and fans are inset within the older group. To identify the gross effects of pavement development, comparisons have been made between terrace surface and subsurface particle-size distributions. The older terraces have finer surface sediments and a greater contrast between finer surface and subsurface sediments than the younger terraces. This reflects the degree of pavement development. Particle size on the fan surfaces is comparable with that on the equivalent terrace surfaces. Criteria for the classification of pavements were developed based on clast fracturing and angularity, size, sorting, packing, and surface texture, from which a simple index of pavement development has been derived. Other properties, rock varnish and weathering characteristics, were also recorded; but these proved to be less discriminatory than pavement characteristics. The pavement data have been augmented by observations on soils. Detailed studies of pavements on terraces (8 sites, 12 samples covering the three age groups) and fans (5 sites, 10 samples covering the three age groups) allow differentiation between age-groups. The three terraces show three different age-related pavement types, expressed by differences in the pavement development index. Weakly-developed pavements (little fracturing, sub-rounded clasts, some modification of the depositional fabric, incipient soil development, stage I CaCO₃ accumulation) occur on the youngest terrace and fan surfaces. Moderately-developed pavements (clast fracturing, sub-angular clasts, moderate sorting and packing, deeper soil development, stage II CaCO₃ accumulation) occur on the middle terrace and fan surfaces. Well-developed pavements (complete clast fracturing into small angular fragments, mature sorting and packing of the pavement surface, deep soil development with strong horizonation, stage III CaCO₃ accumulation) occur on the highest terrace and oldest fan surfaces. There are minor differences between the youngest pavements on terraces and fans, which reflect initial sedimentological differences. These differences become less as the pavements develop. On the basis of comparative studies, the oldest terrace is estimated to date from sometime prior to ca. 100 ka BP, the second terrace and the most extensive fan surface from the Late Pleistocene, and the youngest terrace and fan phase from the Latest Pleistocene or Early Holocene.     

Downstream trends in sediment size and composition of channel-bed, bar, and bank deposits related to hydrologic and lithologic controls in the Llano River watershed, central Texas, USA

The downstream fining of fluvial sediments is a fundamental tenet of drainage systems and, for decades, has been the subject of considerable research. Most of this research has focused on variability in channel-bed material. Other sedimentological components such as channel bars and banks, however, represent distinctively different processes occurring at various flow magnitudes and durations and thus provide an opportunity to examine a more comprehensive set of controls on the larger fluvial system. This study analyses downstream patterns of sediment size and composition for channel-bed material, bars, and banks in the Llano River watershed (11,568 km²) in central Texas, USA.Fluvial deposits in the study area were characterized through field, laboratory, and statistical analyses and standard sedimentary indices (d₁₆, d₅₀, d₈₄, sorting) were computed. Two hundred thirty-eight sediment samples were collected at 15 sites along the main-stem channel with sampling occurring at the low-flow channel (thalweg), lateral bars, banks, and overbank locations. Channel-bar deposits are characterized by a downstream reduction in particle size, but low-flow-channel deposits have a substantially weaker trend, a discrepancy possibly attributed to uniformity and continuity of hydraulic sorting mechanisms during moderate and high flows. Channel-bar deposits reveal an abrupt downstream reduction in gravel size in the upper watershed, which is attributed to an increase in drainage area. Further, an abrupt gravel-to-sand transition occurs immediately downstream of a distinct lithologic change from mostly carbonate rocks to igneous and metamorphic rocks. The downstream decrease in channel-bar particle size occurs despite an increasingly constricted alluvial valley, commonly associated with greater unit stream power and relatively coarse sediment. Contrasting with channel-bed material, particle size of channel banks increases downstream, which is attributed to the addition of sand-sized sediment from igneous and metamorphic rocks. The consideration of distinctive sedimentological components of a dynamic fluvial system represents a more comprehensive and nuanced study of the topic of downstream sediment trends than prior studies, which is important to a range of engineering, biological, and planning issues at the watershed scale.     

Rapid grain size coarsening at sandstone/conglomerate transition: similar expression in Himalayan modern rivers and Pliocene molasse deposits

Radical grain size changes between two main units of a sedimentary megacycle in a foreland basin are commonly interpreted to result from changes in tectonic activity or climate in the adjacent mountain range. In central Nepal, the Cenozoic Siwalik molasse deposits exposed in the frontal Himalayan folds are characterized by such a radical grain size transition. Locally gravel deposits completely replace sands in vertical succession over approximately a hundred metres, the median grain size (D₅₀) displaying a sharp increase by a factor of ca. 100. Such a rapid gravel‐sand transition (GST) is also observed in present‐day river channels about 8–20 km downstream from the outlet of the Siwalik Range. The passage from gravel‐bed channel reaches (proximal alluvial fans) to sand‐bed channel reaches (distal alluvial fans) occurs within a few kilometres on the Gangetic Plain in central Nepal, and the D₅₀ ratio between the two types of channels equals ca. 100. We propose that the dramatic and remarkably similar increase in grain size observed in the Neogene Siwalik series and along modern rivers in the Gangetic foreland basin, results from a similar hydraulic process, i.e. a grain sorting process during the selective deposition of the sediment load. The sudden appearance of gravels in the upper Siwalik series would be related to the crossing of this sorting transition during progressive southward migration of the gravel front, in response to continuous Himalayan orogen construction. And as a consequence, the GST would be diachronous by nature. This study demonstrates that an abrupt change in grain size does not necessarily relate to a change in tectonic or climatic forcing, but can simply arise from internal adjustment of the piedmont rivers to the deposition and run out of coarse bedload. It illustrates, in addition, the genesis of quartz‐rich conglomerates in the Himalayan foreland through gravel selective deposition associated with differential weathering, abrasion processes and sediment recycling during thrust wedge advance and shortening of the foreland basin.     

南极MIL 090070月球陨石的岩石矿物学特征

MIL 090070陨石是2009年美国南极陨石搜寻项目(ANSMET)在南极横断山脉米勒山区(Miller Range)发现的一块月球陨石,属于斜长岩质月表角砾岩。它具有典型的碎屑结构,主要由岩屑、晶屑、玻屑和细粒基质组成。岩屑以复合斜长岩质岩屑和斜长岩岩屑为主,其次为辉长岩质斜长岩岩屑、辉长岩岩屑、辉长苏长岩岩屑、辉长岩质橄长岩岩屑和橄榄辉长岩岩屑等。晶屑有普通辉石、易变辉石、斜长石、尖晶石、石英和钛铁矿等矿物。玻屑主要为斜长石质的玻屑,呈细长或弯曲条状,多具裂纹。MIL 090070陨石的矿物组成主要为斜长石（86 vol%,An92—99）、橄榄石（6 vol%,Fo53—89）、辉石（7 vol%,En25—83Fs7—43Wo2—45）,以及少量的尖晶石、钛铁矿和石英等;其中,辉石有单斜辉石和斜方辉石二种。MIL 090070陨石中橄榄石和辉石的Fe-Mn值分布明显不同于地球、火星、金星和小行星的样品,基本落在月球岩石范围。MIL 090070陨石在多期次冲击和胶结作用下,岩屑的矿物成分和粒度不断变化,岩屑类型更多样,更复杂。基于MIL 090070陨石的岩石矿物学特征、碎屑类型及结构的特征等研究,可以进一步丰富我们对月球物质的形成及月岩—月壤演化过程的认识。     

Sediment variability and transport in the littoral area of the abandoned Yellow River Delta,northern Jiangsu

The delta evolution and erosion process of the abandoned Yellow River Delta (AYRD) have been extensively studied. However, the variation of sediment at a large littoral scale along the north coast of Jiangsu is less understood. In this study, the data of surface sediment samples obtained in the littoral area of the Yellow River Delta in 2006 and 2012 is used to study the sediment variability and sediment transport trends by using the geostatistics analysis tool and the grain size trend analysis model. In order to ensure the applicability of the model, the geostatistics method is used to determine the characteristic distance (D _c) with the average range value (Ao) of grain size parameter. Filtering method (removing data that not at a sampling station) is used to improve accuracy of data selection. The results show that sedimentary spatial correlation in Lianyun Port area and southern part of the abandoned Yellow River Delta (AS) is better than that in the northern part of the abandoned Yellow River Delta (AN). Sediment in the area is found to be anisotropy at the northeast-southeast direction. The grain size trend analysis reveals that the sediment trend is towards bayhead and southerly in the Haizhou Bay, southeasterly along the shoreline in the south Lianyun Port, northwesterly in AN and easterly-southeasterly in AS respectively. The investigation of possible relationships between D _c, Ao, sediment transport and delta evolution shows a close link between D _c and Ao of one sediment combination. It is also found that sediment transport trends could reasonably represent the delta evolution to a certain degree.     

The role of morphology on the displacement of particles in a step–pool river system

Although studies of sediment transport in steep and coarse-grained channels have been more numerous in recent years, the dynamics of sediment transport in step–pool river systems remain poorly understood. This paper investigates displacements of individual clasts through Spruce Creek (Québec, Canada), a classic step–pool channel, and the effects of the channel morphology on the path length of the clasts. Passive integrated transponder tags (PIT) were used to track the displacement of 196 individual particles over a range of discharges including the bankfull stage. Clasts were tracked after five sequences of flood events. The results showed that the distance distributions match a two-parameter Gamma model. Equal mobility transport occurs for the particle size investigated during each sequence of flood events. Mean travel distance of the clasts can be estimated from excess stream power, and the mobility of the clasts is more than an order of magnitude less than the model reported in riffle–pool channels. The dominant morphological length scale of the bed also controls the path length of the clasts. These results confirm some preliminary observations on sediment transport in step–pool channels.     

南极月球陨石EET96008矿物学和岩石学特征

EET 96008是一块发现于南极Elephant地区的玄武岩质角砾岩月球陨石。本文对该陨石的矿物岩石学特征进行了详细的观察和描述。EET 96008具有典型的碎屑结构,其角砾浑圆度低,角砾大小一般为0.1-2mm,它主要由角砾（50.2vol%）和基质（49.8vol%）组成,该陨石角砾类型多样：（1）晶屑：主要为辉石、橄榄石、长石以及石英;（2）岩屑：主要为变粒岩岩屑、基性岩岩屑、苏长岩质斜长岩岩屑;（3）玻屑：主要为斜长岩质。基质和角砾在颗粒上是连续过渡的,基质主要是由粒度小于0.1mm的矿物碎屑和玻屑组成。该陨石辉石类型多样,成分变化大Fs18.0-58.0Wo3.9-45.2En3.5-79.1,出溶现象普遍,出溶条纹达到1μm宽;橄榄石中Fa值主要分为两个区域,Fa50-70以及Fa80-95,铁含量较高,平均Fa71.8;长石成分以钙长石为主（An84.9-97.9）,部分斜长石已熔长石化。该陨石与QUE 94281同为月球玄武岩质角砾岩,在结构及矿物组成上具有类似性,但是在岩屑类型及橄榄石矿物成分上存在着明显不同,为非成对陨石,且源区可能不同。EET 96008具有三个典型的冲击暗化区域,有大量的玻璃质以及冲击熔融囊的产生,冲击程度达到S5以上。该陨石在冲击作用下,富铁辉石分解产生钙铁辉石-铁橄榄石-石英,该现象为了解月球表面冲击历史提供了重要的科学依据。     

基于距离与规模的中国城市体系规模结构

城市规模结构是城市体系研究的重要内容。经济基础理论相关的研究忽视了城市体系中某一城市规模往往受到其他城市规模、距离的影响。本文以第五次人口普查的"市人口"作为城市人口规模标度指标,以铁路运行距离为两城市间距离的标度指标,证明了距离要素对解释中国城市体系结节结构的有效性。讨论了全国城市体系、北方城市、南方城市体系中城市i的规模P_i与最近距离城市n的规模P_n、城市体系首位城市s的规模P_s、区域中心城市c的规模P_c,及与相应城市间距离D_in、D_is、D_ic的定量关系,以及D_in及其位序的定量关系。研究发现:(1)全国城市体系中,P_i可以用P_n、D_in、D_ic来说明,其中,P_n、D_in为正向影响,D_ic为负向影响,P_n影响最大,D_in次之,D_ic再次之。(2)北方城市体系中,P_n、D_in、P_c均对P_i有正向影响,D_in影响力最大,P_n次之,P_c再次之。(3)南方城市体系中P_i的解释因素及各因素的重要性与全国城市体系相同。南方城市体系与北方城市体系中P_i的解释因素的差异性源自南方城市体系中D_ic、P_c/P_i较小。(4)D_in与其位序R间存在与城市位序-规模律相同的内在定量关系。     

Composition and provenance of the Lilljeborgfjellet Conglomerate Haakon VII Land, Spitsbergen

The Siktefjcllet Group of late Silurian or early Devonian age. consisting of the Lilljeborgfjellet Conglomerate and the overlying Siktefjcllet Sandstone, is generally accepted as the oldest part of the Old Red Sandstone in Spitsbergen. Most of the clasts of the conglomerate are only slightly rounded and consist of lithologies typical for the underlying basement. A minor component of quartz porphyry clasts is present; these are well-rounded, indicating a longer transport. The provenance of the quartz porphyry clasts is discussed in relation to the known outcrops of quartz porphyry in Svalbard, one occurring in the neighbourhood of the conglomerate, the other ones far away. The quartz porphyry in close proximity is younger than the Lilljeborgfjellet Conglomerate and therefore not a possible source rock. A close petrographic and geochemical comparison with the quartz porphyries at three localities in Nordaustlandet (150-200 km in easterly direction and of probable Grenvillian age) is presented showing many similarities, but enough differences to question their interrelationship. The porphyries of the Hornsund area (300 km in southerly direction and also of probable Grenvillian age) are found to be chemically and pctrographically distinctly different from the Lilljeborgfjellet clast porphyry. Metarhyolite reported from the Planclfjclla and Har-kerbreen Groups in Ny Fricsland are not comparable with the clast porphyry. As no unquestionable source rock among the quartz porphyries is known in outcrop, the possibility of a hidden or completely eroded parent rock is considered.     

Channel Form, Bed Material and Sediment Sources of the Sprongdøla, Southern Norway: Evidence for a Distinct Periglacio-Fluvial System

A geomorphological and sedimentological case study is made of the Sprongdøla, a medium-sized river flowing in a predominantly bedrock channel in the mountains of southern Norway. Particular attention is given to bed material characteristics and potential sediment sources. Downstream patterns in clast size and shape, including sphericity and roundness, are poorly developed in the Sprongdøla. There is an apparent absence of down-stream fining and a large proportion of bedload in the lower channel remains in very angular and angular roundness categories. Covariance analysis of clast shape and roundness allows this to be attributed to the widespread input of coarse, angular rock particles derived from snow-avalanche activity on the valley sides and especially from frost-shattering of bedrock in the channel, which produces characteristically slabby clasts. The latter process is important in channel widening and in steepening the channel walls. Strictly fluvial processes, avalanche activity and frost-shattering are controlled in different ways by related annual environmental cycles. Their interaction in the context of the periglacial river channel produces a unique process-sediment-landform association that distinguishes alpine periglacio-fluvial systems from those associated with glacio-fluvial rivers and fluvial landscapes in the temperate zone.     

Critical specific stream power in gravel-bed rivers

Experiments with marked pebbles were carried out on different sized rivers of the Belgian Ardenne (catchment areas varying from less than 1 km² to 2700 km²). Specific stream power required to cause bedload movement was evaluated and critical values were obtained. Three types of relationship between critical specific stream power (ω₀) and grain size (D) were established. The values for ω₀ in the largest river (the Ourthe) were the lowest and were close to the values obtained for mountainous rivers carrying large boulders. In medium sized rivers (catchment area between 40 and 500 km²), the critical unit stream power was higher. It is likely that it is due to the bedform's greater resistance. This resistance would use up some of the energy that can cause movement and transport of bedload. The amount of resistance of the bedform can be expressed as bedform shear stress (τ″), determined by the relationship between grain shear stress (τ′—that determines movement and transport of the bedload) and the total shear stress (τ). This ratio varies between 0.4 and 0.5 in the medium sized rivers, compared to 0.7 in the Ourthe. In headwater streams (less than 20 km²), there is greater loss of energy due to bedform resistance (τ′/τ<0.3). Critical specific stream power is higher in this third type of river than in the other two.     

Downstream hydraulic geometry of rivers in Victoria, Australia

Downstream variation of hydraulic geometry in rivers, characterized by fine textured banks and low width to depth ratios (7–25), is investigated in Victoria, Australia, with the aim of developing predictive models of channel geometry for large-scale spatial modeling applications. A one-dimensional hydraulic model is used to determine the mean bank-full geometry and discharge (Q_bf) for 93 sites which are investigated in relation to discharge of fixed average recurrence interval (ARI). The median bank-full ARI is estimated at 0.8 years with 75% of sites between 0.5 and 2.5 years. Exponents in the downstream hydraulic geometry relations for width, depth and velocity are respectively 0.43, 0.40 and 0.18 (Q = Q_bf) and 0.44, 0.38 and 0.03 (Q = Q₂, i.e., 2-year ARI), falling near the mode of global values. Q₂ and slope explain 66% of variance in Q_bf, while Q₂ explains 73% and 69% of the variance in width and depth relations, respectively: Q₂ provides a reliable substitute for Q_bf in spatial modeling applications. Spatial variation in hydraulic geometry relations within and between river basins remains largely unexplained. The W/D ratio characteristically decreases with increasing distance along the lower reaches of most rivers and this has contributed to the lower than expected value for the width exponent.     

Sedimentological and Geomorphological Impacts of The Jökulhlaup (Glacial Outburst Flood) In January 2002 At Kverkfjöll, Northern Iceland

Jökulhlaups (glacial outburst floods) are common hazards in many glaciated environments. However, research on the controls on the sedimentological and geomorphological impact of jökulhlaups is rare. Developing a more comprehensive understanding of flood impacts may be useful for hazard identification, prediction and mitigation. This study determines the controls on the sedimentological and geomorphological impact of a jökulhlaup in January 2002 at Kverkfjöll, northern Iceland. This jökulhlaup, caused by geothermal activity, reached a peak discharge of 490 m³s^?1 as recorded at a permanent gauging station 40 km downstream from the glacier snout. However, reconstructed peak discharges in the proximal part of the jökulhlaup channel near the glacier snout indicate a peak discharge of 2590 m³s^?1. The jökulhlaup hydrograph was characterized by a rapid rising stage and a more gradual falling stage. As a result, sedimentary and geomorphological impacts included poorly sorted, structureless, matrix‐supported deposits; massive sand units; clast‐supported units; ice‐proximal cobbles, rip‐up clasts and kettle‐holes; and steep‐sided kettle‐holes. These features are proposed to be characteristic of rapid rising stage deposition. Additionally, large‐scale gravel bars and bedload sheets prograded and migrated during the rapid rising stage. The development of these bedforms was facilitated by high bedload transport rates, due to high discharge acceleration rates during the rapid rising stage. During the more prolonged falling stage, there was sufficient time for sediment incision and erosion to occur, exhuming cobbles, ice blocks and rip‐up clasts, and creating well‐defined terrace surfaces. This study provides a clearer understanding of hydrological and sedimentological processes and mechanisms operating during jökulhlaups, and helps to identify flood hazards more accurately, which is fundamental for hazard management and minimizing risk.     

Equal-mobility bed load transport in a small, step-pool channel in the Ouachita Mountains

Equal-mobility transport (EMT) of bed load is more evident than size-selective transport during near-bankfull flow events in a small, step-pool channel in the Ouachita Mountains of central Arkansas. Bed load transport modes were studied by simulating five separate runoff events with peak discharges between 0.25 and 1.34 m³/s (1.0- to 1.6-year recurrence intervals) in a natural channel using controlled releases from a storage tank. EMT occurrence was investigated using four different bed load relationships suggested by previous research. With each of these approaches, the relationship of a given bed load characteristic (D_max, distribution percentile, displacement distance and skewness) to some independent factor (τ_c*, τ and grain size) was assessed to determine which transport mode was evident. Regression models derived using combinations of these four relationships with different datasets provide seven separate tests. Five of the seven tests indicate that EMT occurred or was predominant. Several reasons may explain the apparent contradictory results, but the confounding effects of changes in the structural arrangements of bed material prior to or during the events seem particularly important.     

High-resolution grain-size characterisation of gravel bars using imagery analysis and geo-statistics

The scarcity of grain-size data from gravel-bed rivers has traditionally hindered hydraulic, sediment transport and river habitat studies. A new remote sensing methodology to estimate grain-size distribution is presented. It combines textural digital images of the riverbed at 1 : 1000 and 1 : 40 scales with grain-size sampling. It was applied to a 12-km reach of the Isábena River (Central Pyrenees NE Spain). First, textural patterns for each grain-size range were obtained, selecting the most closely related texture variables, including the use of semivariograms. Second, multiple linear regression equations were derived from the textural variables to estimate each value of the grain-size distribution. The highest correlation values (r²) were obtained from the central part of the distribution (D₅₀ with a RMS error of 12.7%). Finally, new multiple linear regression equations to estimate the D₅₀ and D₈₄ were obtained from 1 : 1000 images and four textural variables. These were used to derive D₅₀ and D₈₄ maps of the riverbed, re-sampled at a resolution of 1.5 m pixels, with RMS estimation errors of 26% and 32%, respectively. Downstream change in grain-size is also well reproduced by the method. The mean D₅₀ of 72 and 32 mm were estimated in the upper and the lower reaches of the river, respectively. The methodology shows great potential for application, the relation between the spatial resolution of the images and the mean grain-size of the riverbed sediment being the main issue for future development.     

Desert pavement development and landscape stability on the Eastern Libyan Plateau, Egypt

Desert pavement surfaces of the eastern Libyan Plateau in central Egypt represent a stable landscape preserving Middle and Upper Paleolithic artifacts. Detailed measurements of pavement clasts indicate significant variability in clast size, density, lithology and orientation between pavements, but no spatial relationship among any of these pavement variables over the study area. Pavement characteristics are unrelated to local geomorphic features including slope gradient and aspect, suggesting a desert pavement surface that has developed without significant influence from transporting mechanisms such as overland flow and slope failure. Meridional vertical cracks in surface clasts implicate thermal stresses due to diurnal solar variation as a mechanical weathering process, whereas the presence of a clast-free silty layer within all soil profiles indicates that these are accretionary pavement surfaces that have grown upward over time. The desert pavement in this region has likely developed in situ through mechanical breakdown of surface clasts and desert pedogenesis, indicating long-term stability for this region and minimal taphonomic effects on artifacts > 2 cm in diameter deposited on this surface over the last ca. 100 ka.     

Characterising the origin,nature and fate of sediment exported from catchments perturbed by active tectonics

Changes to the tectonic boundary conditions governing erosional dynamics in upland catchments have a significant effect on the nature and magnitude of sediment supply to neighbouring basins. While these links have been explored in detail by numerical models of landscape evolution, there has been relatively little work to quantify the timing, characteristics and locus of sediment release from upland catchments in response to changing tectonic boundary conditions that are well‐constrained independently. We address this challenge by quantifying the volume and granulometric characteristics of sediment exported from modern rivers draining across active normal faults in the Central Apennines in Italy. We demonstrate that catchments undergoing a transient response to tectonics are associated with significant volumetric export of material derived primarily from the zone upstream of the fault, producing bi‐modal grain‐size distributions with elevated D₈₄ values within the transient reach. This is in direct contrast to the headwaters, where the fluvial capacity to transport sediment is low and the grain‐size distribution of material in transit is fine and uni‐modal. The grain‐size response is driven by landslides feeding coarse material directly into the channel, and we show the amplitude of the signal is modulated by the degree of tectonic perturbation, once the threshold for bedrock landsliding is exceeded. Additionally, we evaluate the length‐scale over which this transient grain‐size signal propagates downstream into the basin. We show that the coarse‐fraction sediment released is retained in the proximal hanging‐wall if rates of tectonic subsidence are high and if the axial river system is small or far from the fault‐bounded mountain front. Our results therefore provide some of the first quantitative data to evaluate how transient landscape responses affect the locus, magnitude and calibre of sediment supply to basins.