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 -