Definition
Landforms resulting from the slow downslope flow of saturated unfrozen earth materials (van Everdingen et al. 1998/2005). The term is commonly applied to processes operating in both seasonal frost and permafrost areas.
Synonyms
Description of Subtypes
Subtypes as defined on Earth:
- (1)
Solifluction lobe: an isolated, tongue-shaped feature on Earth up to 25 m wide and >150 m long. It commonly has a steep (15–60°) front (riser) and a relatively smooth upper surface (thread) (van Everdingen et al. 1998/2005) (Fig. 2).
- (1.1)
Turf-banked lobes are vegetated lobes. They are non-sorted, displaying arcuate bands of tongue-like shaped fronts (Benedict 1970).
- (1.2)
Stone-banked lobes are sorted solifluction lobes (Benedict 1970) (sorted patterned ground: sorted step). Stone-banked lobes are “lobate mass of rocky debris underlain by relatively stone-free fine-textured, moving soil” (Ridefelt 2004).
- (1.1)
- (2)
Solifluction terrace: a low step, or bench, with...
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References
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Benedict J (1970) Downslope soil movement in a Colorado alpine region: rates, processes and climatic significance. Arctic Alpine Res 2(3):165–226
Benedict JB (1976) Frost creep and gelifluction features: a review. Quat Res 6:55–76
Harris C, Davies MCR, Coutard J-P (1997) Rates and processes of periglacial solifluction: an experimental approach. Earth Surf Process Landf 22:849–868
Harris C, Davies MCR, Rea BR (2003) Gelifluction: viscous flow or plastic creep? Earth Surf Process 28:1289–1301
Johnsson A, Reiss D, Hauber E, Zanetti M, Hiesinger H, Johansson L, Olmvo M (2012) Periglacial mass-wasting landforms on Mars suggestive of transient liquid water in the recent past: insights from solifluction lobes on Svalbard. Icarus 218:489–505
Mackay JR, Mathews WE (1974) Movement of sorted stripes, the Cinder Cone, Garibaldi Park, BC, Canada. Arct Alp Res 6:347–359
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Ridefelt H (2004) Morphometry and environmental controls of solifluction landforms in the Abisko area, northern Sweden. Thesis, Uppsala University
Smith PS (1910) Geology and mineral resources of the Solomon and Casadepaga Quadrangles Seward Peninsula Alaska. U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 433. Washington, Govt Printing Office
van Everdingen R (ed) (1998 revised May 2005) Multi-language glossary of permafrost and related ground-ice terms. National Snow and Ice Data Center/World Data Center for Glaciology, Boulder
Washburn AL (1956) Classification of patterned ground and review of suggested origins. Geol Soc Am Bull 67:823–865
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Hargitai, H., Johnsson, A. (2014). Solifluction Landforms. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_534-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_534-1
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