Freeze‐thaw weathering: The cold region “Panacea”¹

This paper was presented at the XIV International Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research (Berlin), funding for which was kindly provided by the University of Northern British Columbia. Field information was obtained as a result of work with the British Antarctic Survey and the U.S. Foundation for Glacier and Environmental Research; the assistance of both organizations is gratefully acknowledged. Three referees kindly offered a range of comments, corrections, and further thoughts or guidance, and I am grateful for their help

Abstract

Freeze‐thaw weathering is commonly cited as a major agency of landform development in high latitudes and at high altitudes. This is, however, largely an unsubstantiated qualitative judgment. The reality is a paucity of data regarding key factors, such as rock temperature and interstitial rock moisture content data, necessary for the correct assumption of freeze‐thaw rock weathering. The problem is compounded when it is presumed that angular clasts in cold regions are the result of freeze‐thaw weathering and then this argument is used as a basis for the interpretation, and possible paleoclimatic reconstruction, of Quaternary environments. In reality, angular clasts can be produced by a variety of weathering processes and there are no criteria that can identify a clast as being the product of freeze‐thaw weathering. Even the term “freeze‐thaw”; is really a collective noun, for it encompasses a range of individual mechanisms, each requiring different controlling conditions and, potentially, generating different weathering effects. This problem is discussed and some of the fallacies outlined.

Notes

This paper was presented at the XIV International Congress of the International Union for Quaternary Research (Berlin), funding for which was kindly provided by the University of Northern British Columbia. Field information was obtained as a result of work with the British Antarctic Survey and the U.S. Foundation for Glacier and Environmental Research; the assistance of both organizations is gratefully acknowledged. Three referees kindly offered a range of comments, corrections, and further thoughts or guidance, and I am grateful for their help