Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Application of Rock Weathering and Colonization by Biota for the Relative Dating of Moraines from the Arid Part of the Russian Altai Mountains. / Ganyushkin, Dmitrii A.; Lessovaia, Sofia N.; Vlasov, Dmitrii Y.; Kopitsa, Gennady P.; Almásy, László; Chistyakov, Kirill V.; Panova, Elena G.; Derkach, Ekaterina; Alekseeva, Anastasiya.
In: Geosciences (Switzerland), Vol. 11, No. 8, 342, 08.2021.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Application of Rock Weathering and Colonization by Biota for the Relative Dating of Moraines from the Arid Part of the Russian Altai Mountains
AU - Ganyushkin, Dmitrii A.
AU - Lessovaia, Sofia N.
AU - Vlasov, Dmitrii Y.
AU - Kopitsa, Gennady P.
AU - Almásy, László
AU - Chistyakov, Kirill V.
AU - Panova, Elena G.
AU - Derkach, Ekaterina
AU - Alekseeva, Anastasiya
N1 - Ganyushkin, D.A.; Lessovaia, S.N.; Vlasov, D.Y.; Kopitsa, G.P.; Almásy, L.; Chistyakov, K.V.; Panova, E.G.; Derkach, E.; Alekseeva, A. Application of Rock Weathering and Colonization by Biota for the Relative Dating of Moraines from the Arid Part of the Russian Altai Mountains. Geosciences 2021, 11, 342. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11080342
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - For the Altai Mountains’ region, especially the arid southeastern part of the Russian Altai, the data on glacier fluctuations in the Pleistocene and Holocene are still inconsistent. The study area was the Kargy River’s valley (2288–2387 m a.s.l.), a location that is not currently affected by glaciation and the glacial history of which is poorly studied. Field observations and geomorphological mapping were used to reveal the configuration of Pleistocene moraines. The relative dating method was applied to define the degree of weathering as an indicator of age. Three moraine groups of different ages (presumably MIS 6, MIS 4, and MIS 2) were identified based on a detailed investigation of their morphological features and the use of relative dating approaches. The latter were primarily based on weathering patterns. Data on the rock mineralogy, porosity, and specificity of biological colonization as an agent of weathering were obtained for the moraine debris. The studied moraines were composed of fine-grained schist, in which the specific surface area and fractality (self-similarity) were more developed in the older moraine. The growth of biota (crustose lichen and micromycetes) colonizing the rock surface led to rock disintegration and the accumulation of autochthonous fragments on the rock surface. Despite the fact that the initial stage(s) of moraine weathering affected by biota was fixed, the correlation trends of biota activity and moraine ages were not determined.
AB - For the Altai Mountains’ region, especially the arid southeastern part of the Russian Altai, the data on glacier fluctuations in the Pleistocene and Holocene are still inconsistent. The study area was the Kargy River’s valley (2288–2387 m a.s.l.), a location that is not currently affected by glaciation and the glacial history of which is poorly studied. Field observations and geomorphological mapping were used to reveal the configuration of Pleistocene moraines. The relative dating method was applied to define the degree of weathering as an indicator of age. Three moraine groups of different ages (presumably MIS 6, MIS 4, and MIS 2) were identified based on a detailed investigation of their morphological features and the use of relative dating approaches. The latter were primarily based on weathering patterns. Data on the rock mineralogy, porosity, and specificity of biological colonization as an agent of weathering were obtained for the moraine debris. The studied moraines were composed of fine-grained schist, in which the specific surface area and fractality (self-similarity) were more developed in the older moraine. The growth of biota (crustose lichen and micromycetes) colonizing the rock surface led to rock disintegration and the accumulation of autochthonous fragments on the rock surface. Despite the fact that the initial stage(s) of moraine weathering affected by biota was fixed, the correlation trends of biota activity and moraine ages were not determined.
KW - Biota colonization
KW - Moraine relative dating
KW - Pleistocene moraines
KW - Rock porosity
KW - Weathering
KW - weathering
KW - HOLOCENE
KW - KANAS VALLEY
KW - moraine relative dating
KW - rock porosity
KW - CHINESE ALTAI
KW - SCHMIDT HAMMER
KW - SIERRA-NEVADA
KW - SEQUENCE
KW - GLACIATION
KW - biota colonization
KW - RIND THICKNESS
KW - AGE
KW - HISTORY
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85113296906&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/d7cb53fb-3b8f-3bd9-866a-bce9337d632d/
U2 - 10.3390/geosciences11080342
DO - 10.3390/geosciences11080342
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85113296906
VL - 11
JO - Geosciences (Switzerland)
JF - Geosciences (Switzerland)
SN - 2076-3263
IS - 8
M1 - 342
ER -
ID: 84842964