Solifluction

Solifluction

In geology, solifluction, also known as "soil fluction" or "soil creep", is a type of mass wasting where waterlogged sediment slowly moves downslope over impermeable material. It can occur in any climate where the ground is saturated by water, though it is most often found in periglacial environments where the ground is permanently frozen (permafrost). A term often used for deposits formed under periglacial conditions is "Gelifluction". During warm seasonal periods the surface layer (active layer) melts and literally slides across the frozen underlayer, slowly moving downslope due to frost heave that occurs normal to the slope. This type of mass wasting can occur on slopes as shallow as 0.5 degrees at a rate of between 0.5 and 15 cm per year. In Germany the solifluction deposits from the Younger Dryas are found to have a consistent thickness of 0.4–0.7 metres.

Although Solifluction and Soil Creep adhere to the same principle behind their cause, they are not the same thing. The difference between the two is defined by their geographical location of occurrence. Solifluction occurs in subpolar climates, usually areas with permafrost or an underlain frozen layer of soil. Soil Creep, on the other hand, occurs in moderate and temperate climates.

ee also

*Downhill creep


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  • solifluction — [säl΄ə fluk′ shən, sō΄lifluk′shən] n. a more rapid form of soil creep, often found near a glacier, in which saturated soil slips over hard or frozen layers …   English World dictionary

  • solifluction — solifluxion ou, moins bien, solifluction [sɔliflyksjɔ̃] n. f. ÉTYM. Av. 1923 (Larousse); angl. solifluction (1906, Andersson); du lat. solum « sol », et fluctio « écoulement ». ❖ ♦ Géol. Glissement du s …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • solifluction —    Slow, viscous downslope flow of water saturated regolith. Rates of flow vary widely. The presence of frozen substrate or even freezing and thawing is not implied in the original definition. However, one component of solifluction can be creep… …   Glossary of landform and geologic terms

  • solifluction lobe —    An isolated tongue shaped feature up to 25 m wide and 150 m or more long, formed by rapid solifluction on certain sections of a slope showing variations in gradient. This feature commonly has a steep (e.g., 15° 60°) front and a relatively… …   Glossary of landform and geologic terms

  • solifluction sheet —    A broad deposit of nonsorted, water saturated, locally derived material that is moving or has moved downslope, en masse. Stripes are commonly associated with solifluction sheets.    Compare: stripe.    NRC …   Glossary of landform and geologic terms

  • solifluction terrace —    A low step with a straight or lobate front, the latter reflecting local differences in rate of flow. A solifluction terrace may have bare mineral soil on the upslope part and folded under organic matter in both the seasonally thawed and the… …   Glossary of landform and geologic terms

  • solifluction — noun Etymology: Latin solum soil + i + fluction , fluctio act of flowing, from fluere to flow more at fluid Date: 1906 the slow creeping of saturated fragmental material (as soil) down a slope that usually occurs in regions of perennial frost …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • solifluction — /soh leuh fluk sheuhn, sol euh /, n. Geol. creep (def. 17a). [1915 20; < L sol(um) soil + i I + fluction a flowing (s. of fluctio), equiv. to fluct(us) (see FLUCTUATE) + ion ION] * * * …   Universalium

  • solifluction — noun Soil creep caused by waterlogged soil on top of an impermeable layer slowly moving downhill …   Wiktionary

  • solifluction —   a mass movement of soil in periglacial areas when upper layers thaw in summer and are lubricated in comparison to the permafrost below …   Geography glossary

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