| hyolite domes formed over a million year continuum in eastern California are used to study the evolution of boulder dominated slopes. Slopes in this study are steep ;A classic geomorphic debate is reconsidered: Do slopes retreat in a parallel fashion as postulated by Walther Penck, or do they decline as asserted by William Morris Davis? Results support Penck.;Environmental applications of this research relate to slope erosion studies, and to studies in archeology and paleoclimatology in the southwestern desert region by providing uniquely detailed and controlled studies of slope development where other paleoenvironmental records are abundant. Boulder dominated slopes are found on Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential repository for high level nuclear waste. Knowing rates and mechanisms of erosion is critical to the integrity of the storage facility. Boulder slopes are also found in urban areas throughout the southwestern US. In expanding Phoenix, Arizona, construction on boulder dominated slopes is being disturbed by debris flows.;Grain size, grain shape, grain angularity, and slope deposit area do not change significantly from genesis to... |
