Abrasion Mill Experiments
We have adapted the abrasion mill method of Sklar and Dietrich (2001) to assess how weathering affects the abrasion rate of rocks. All samples were quarried from bedrock reaches of streams. Weathered rock surfaces abrade up to 100 times faster than unweathered surfaces (see examples below). The depth over which weathering affects abrasion is 0.1 - 10 mm.
Abrasion mill
|
Sandstone: abrasion rate versus time in mill
|
Basalt graph: abrasion rate versus time in mill
|
References
Sklar L.S. and Dietrich W. E. (2001), Sediment and rock strength controls on river incision into bedrock.
Geology 29(12): 1087-1090.
