Further examples of ventifacts and unusual patterned ground from the Falkland Islands, South Atlantic

Authors: Wilson P.; Edwards E.J.

Source: Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography, Volume 86, Number 1, March 2004 , pp. 107-115(9)

Buy & download fulltext article:

Price: $48.00 plus tax (Refund Policy)

Abstract:

Examples of ventifacts and forms of unusual patterned ground that differ in situation, characteristics and/or origin to types reported previously are described from the Falkland Islands, South Atlantic. The ventifacts, represented by clasts projecting from an eroding tillite shore platform, have been grooved by the passage of windblown sand. The patterned ground forms comprise stone polygons on clay loam regolith, stone polygons on peat, peat-filled desiccation cracks on peat, and clusters of on-edge clasts (stone packings) on a gravel beach. Aeolian transport of particles is considered responsible for the infill of the polygonal cracks. The clusters of on-edge clasts are thought to have developed as a result of wave action, in particular backwash and/or undertow. Although these features occupy small surface areas they provide useful information about local geomorphic processes and testify to the marked diversity of such features in nature.

Keywords: ventifacts; patterned ground; aeolian action; hydro-dynamic processes; Falkland Islands

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0435-3676.2004.00217.x

Affiliations: 1: School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Ulster at Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK

Publication date: 2004-03-01