Modeling relative frost weathering rates at geomorphic scales

Abstract

Frost damage is a powerful agent of geomorphic change. Cracks can grow when the ice pressure in pores reaches a threshold that depends on matrix properties and crack geometry. Mineral surfaces that are preferentially wetted by liquid water rather than ice are coated by premelted liquid at a pressure that is lower than the ice pressure. Because this pressure difference increases as the * Corresponding author increased for seasonal thermal cycles with larger amplitudes, with a broad maximum centered on a mean annual temperature near the threshold required for crack growth. Warmer mean annual temperatures lead to less damage because of the reduction in time during which it is cold enough for cracking, whereas colder mean annual temperatures are accompanied by reduced water supply due to the temperature dependence of permeability. All of the controlling parameters in our model are tied explicitly to physical properties that can in principle be measured independently, which suggests promise for informing geomorphic interpretations of the role of frost weathering in evolving landforms and determining erosion rates.

Controls on deep critical zone architecture: a historical review and four testable hypotheses

“…Gabet et al, 2003). One strength of frost-cracking models like the one proposed by Anderson et al (2013) is that they can integrate the effects of rock damage over geologic time as subsurface temperature profiles change in response to changing climate (Anderson et al, 2013;Rempel et al, 2016). Thus it should be possible to directly account for paleoclimatic effects on rock damage due to frost cracking (Marshall et al, 2015) when paleotemperatures in the subsurface can be reliably parameterized.…”

Critical Zone Structure Under a Granite Ridge Inferred From Drilling and Three‐Dimensional Seismic Refraction Data

“…However, over the relatively small hillslope scale of our study, bedrock is geochemically homogenous enough that the spatial patterns in CZ architecture are not caused by variations in lithology. We therefore hypothesize that CZ architecture is strongly coupled to processes such as frost cracking (Anderson et al, ; Rempel et al, ), kinetically limited weathering (Lebedeva & Brantley, ), drainage of bedrock pore fluids (Rempe & Dietrich, ), and gradients in the subsurface stress field (Moon et al, ; Slim et al, ; St. Clair et al, ).…”

“…The CZ can be highly variable in both thickness and structure due to aboveground variations in vegetation (Hahm et al, ) and slope aspect (Anderson et al, ; Rempel et al, ), as well as subsurface gradients in weathering (Lebedeva & Brantley, ), hydrologic properties (Rempe & Dietrich, ), and topographic stress fields (Slim et al, ; St. Clair et al, ). Quantifying variability in CZ architecture and identifying the processes that created it are challenging because the deep CZ is difficult to access and study over relevant scales (Riebe et al, ).…”

The Influence of Frost Weathering on Debris Flow Sediment Supply in an Alpine Basin

“…For example, it may be possible to define a temperature threshold where rockfall activity would increase (e.g., Gunzburger et al, 2005), or to assess the potential summer debris flow threat by tracking the winter temperature and estimating the debris flow channel sediment refilling rate. This should be combined with further research into the frost-cracking window, as there is an existing debate on the exact temperature window bounds (McGreevy & Whalley, 1982), and emerging evidence that a lower temperature bound may not exist (Girard et al, 2013;Rempel et al, 2016).…”