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Stone movement on hillslopes in the Mojave Desert, California: A 16‐year record
Author(s) -
Abrahams Athol D.,
Parsons Anthony J.,
Cooke Ronald U.,
Reeves Richard W.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
earth surface processes and landforms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.294
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1096-9837
pISSN - 0197-9337
DOI - 10.1002/esp.3290090409
Subject(s) - geology , desert (philosophy) , debris , surface runoff , hydrology (agriculture) , creep , movement (music) , landslide , geomorphology , debris flow , geotechnical engineering , oceanography , ecology , philosophy , materials science , epistemology , composite material , biology , aesthetics
Previous research has shown that either hydraulic action or creep may be the dominant process transporting coarse debris down hillslopes in the American Southwest. This study analyses the movement over 16 years of painted stones on two hillslopes in the central Mojave Desert to ascertain which of these two processes dominate in this region. The distance moved ( M ) is found to be directly related to length of overland flow ( X ) and hillslope gradient ( S ), and inversely related to particle size ( D ). The fact that M is more highly correlated with X than with S suggests that hydraulic action rather than creep is the dominant process. It is concluded that this is probably the case over most of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts on slopes up to at least 24°, and that it is only at higher elevations where winters are more severe that creep may become dominant.