Glacial crushing of limestone and the production of carbonate-rich silts in a Pleistocene glaciofluvial system : a potential source of loess in Southern Europe

Glacial and paraglacial environments

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

ADAMSON, K.R.

Department of geography, Queen Mary, University of London, London, Royaume-Uni

Dept. Geography, School of the Science and the Environment, Metropolitan Univ., Manchester, Royaume-Uni

WOODWARD, J.C.

Dept. Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development, Univ., Manchester, Royaume-Uni

HUGHES, P.D.

Dept. Geography, School of Environment, Education and Development, Univ., Manchester, Royaume-Uni

KNIGHT, J.

School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Afrique du Sud

HARRISON, S.

College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Univ., Exeter, Royaume-Uni

Description :
The AA. explore the modification of limestone bedrock and fine-grained sediment within the Pleistocene glacial and proglacial environments of the Orjen massif in western Montenegro. They have characterised the fine-grained components of till and outwash using lithological and particle size data : 2 main types of fine-grained outwash sediment have been recognised and each is associated with a distinctive meltwater route. Fine-grained sediments deposited downstream of bedrock gorges (type 1 meltwater route) typically display a bimodal particle size distribution, where the carbonate silt fraction has been depleted and non-carbonate silts become dominant. Fine-grained outwash deposits from directly in front of the former ice margin (type 2 meltwater route) show unimodal particle size distributions which more closely resemble the grain size characteristics of the glacial till. The AA. argue that the fine-grained sediment exported from glaciated limestone catchments during the cold stages of the Pleistocene formed an important source of the carbonate-rich loess in this region.

Type de document :
Article de monographie

Source :
Geografiska annaler. Series A. Physical geography, issn : 0435-3676, 2014, vol. 96, n°. 3, p. 339-356, nombre de pages : 18, Références bibliographiques : 41 ref.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Suede, Stockholm, Svenska sällskapet för antropologi och geografi

Langue :
Anglais