Granite Landscapes of the World

by Migon, Piotr

• ISBN13: 9780199273683
• ISBN10: 0199273685
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Using examples from around the world, Piotr Migon offers a comprehensive view of the geomorphology of granite areas, showing how the specific characteristics of the rock itself influence natural landscapes, and why natural processes shaping the earth's surface act so distinctively on granite.

Table of Contents

List of Colour Plates	xvi
List of Plates	xvii
List of Figures	xxiii
List of Tables	xxvii
Geology of Granite	1	(23)
Granite Rocks among the Igneous Rock Family	2	(2)
Petrological Classifications of Granitoid Rocks	4	(3)
Granite-Forming Minerals	4	(1)
Chemical Composition and Geochemical Classification of Granite	5	(1)
Inferred Parameters Classification	6	(1)
Granite Textures	7	(1)
Origin of Granite	8	(3)
Magma Emplacement and Shapes of Granite Bodies	11	(3)
Tectonic Settings of Granite	14	(2)
Fractures	16	(6)
Primary Fractures	17	(2)
Master Fractures	19	(1)
Secondary Fractures	20	(2)
Microcracks	22	(1)
Vein Rocks	22	(2)
Granite Weathering	24	(59)
Weathering Processes	25	(1)
Patterns and Products of Granite Breakdown	25	(10)
Surface Roughness	26	(1)
Granular Disintegration	27	(1)
Block-by-Block Breakdown	28	(1)
Exfoliation and Related Phenomena	29	(4)
Block Splitting	33	(2)
Chemical Weathering and Denudation	35	(5)
Weathering Indices	40	(2)
Lithological and Structural Controls on Granite Breakdown	42	(2)
Weathering Susceptibility of Granite	44	(6)
Frost (Freeze-Thaw) Weathering	44	(1)
Salt Weathering	45	(1)
Thermal Weathering and Fire Effects	46	(2)
Biological and Biochemical Weathering	48	(2)
Granite Weathering in Comparison to other Common Rock Types	50	(2)
Deep Weathering	52	(1)
Deep Weathering Profiles on Granite	53	(8)
The Weathering Front	56	(1)
Corestones	57	(4)
Lithology and Mineralogy of Granite-Derived Weathering Mantles	61	(4)
Grus	63	(2)
Weathering versus Hydrothermal Origin of Deeply Weathered Granite	65	(2)
Thickness and Rate of Deepening of Weathering Profiles on Granite	67	(6)
Spatial Patterns of Deep Weathering	73	(7)
Regional Scale	73	(5)
Slope Scale	78	(2)
Evolutionary Pathways of Weathering Mantle Development	80	(1)
Economic Significance of Deeply Weathered Granite	81	(2)
Boulders, Tors, and Inselbergs	83	(49)
Problems of Terminology	84	(4)
Boulders	88	(1)
Distribution and Structural Control	88	(2)
Origin and Significance	90	(6)
Tors	96	(1)
Distribution and Appearance	96	(6)
Origin of Tors	102	(3)
Tor Evolution at the Surface	105	(3)
Tors and Changing Environments	108	(2)
Tors in Glaciated Terrains	110	(1)
Inselbergs and Bornhardts	111	(1)
Diversity of Form	111	(10)
Origin of Inselbergs	121	(5)
Geological Controls	126	(3)
Further Development of Inselbergs	129	(3)
Minor Landforms	132	(29)
Weathering Pits	132	(7)
Tafoni and Alveoles	139	(6)
Polygonal Cracking	145	(4)
Karren	149	(4)
Flared Slopes	153	(3)
Microforms as Climate-Related Features	156	(5)
Slope Development in Granite Terrains	161	(57)
Rock Slopes	161	(1)
Granite Rock Slopes---Form and Geological Control	161	(8)
Rock Slope Failures	169	(10)
Particle Fall	169	(2)
Rock Mass Failures	171	(7)
Gravitational Spreading	178	(1)
Caves Associated with Rock Slope Development	179	(3)
Pediments	182	(2)
Slope Development in Weathered Granite Terrain	184	(2)
Types of Movement and Association with Weathering Zones	186	(2)
Corestone Movement	188	(1)
Landslides	189	(8)
Debris Flows	197	(2)
Gully Erosion	199	(4)
Slope Sediments	203	(1)
Mixed Slope Deposits in Temperate and Cold Uplands	203	(5)
Block Fields and Block Streams	208	(4)
Granite Colluvium in Humid and Seasonally Humid Low Latitudes	212	(4)
Pediment Mantles	216	(2)
Granite Coasts	218	(18)
Granite Coasts---Are They Specific?	218	(2)
Cliffs and Platforms	220	(6)
Inlets, Sea Caves and Arches	226	(1)
Granite Weathering in Coastal Settings	227	(3)
Non-littoral Inheritance	230	(6)
Cold-Climate Granite Landscapes	236	(18)
Granite Periglacial Landscapes	237	(8)
Glaciated Granite Terrains	245	(9)
Mountain Glaciation	246	(4)
Ice Caps	250	(4)
Geological Controls in the Evolution of Granite Areas	254	(36)
Tectonic Setting	254	(14)
Orogenic Settings	256	(1)
Eroded and Rejuvenated Ancient Orogenic Belts	257	(5)
Passive Continental Margins	262	(2)
Cratonic Continental Interiors	264	(4)
Lithological Variation	268	(10)
Texture	268	(4)
Mineralogy and Geochemistry	272	(5)
Veins, Enclaves, Borders, and Roof Pendants	277	(1)
Ring Dykes	278	(1)
Discontinuities	278	(6)
Master Fractures	278	(2)
Jointing	280	(3)
Microfractures	283	(1)
Hierarchy of Geological Controls	284	(6)
Krumlovsky Les, Czech Republic	285	(1)
Serra da Estrela, Portugal	286	(4)
Typology of Natural Granite Landscapes	290	(37)
Approaches to Granite Landscapes	290	(4)
Etching Concept and its Application	294	(12)
Etching and Etchplains	295	(2)
Regional Examples	297	(7)
The Concept---Relevance and Limits	304	(2)
Characteristic Granite Landscapes	306	(16)
Plains	307	(1)
Plains with Residual Hills	308	(2)
Multi-Convex Topography	310	(1)
Multi-Concave Topography	311	(2)
Plateaux	313	(1)
Dissected Plateaux	314	(1)
Joint-Valley Topography	315	(2)
All-Slopes Topography	317	(1)
Stepped Topography	318	(4)
Rock versus Climatic Control	322	(5)
Granite Landscapes Transformed	327	(17)
Megalithic Granite Landscapes	328	(3)
Origin of Moorlands	331	(2)
Rural Landscapes	333	(3)
Defensive Aspect of Granite Geomorphology	336	(2)
Impact of Mining	338	(2)
Large-Scale Granite Carvings: From Sri Lanka to Mt Rushmore	340	(4)
References	344	(35)
Index	379