Weathering rinds, zones of alteration on the exterior surfaces of rock outcrops and coarse unconsolidated surficial debris are widely used by geomorphologists and Quaternary geologists as indicators of the relative age of landforms and landscapes. Additionally they provide unique insights into the earliest stages of rock and mineral weathering, yet the origin of these alteration zones is relatively poorly understood. This lack of understanding applies especially to the initial stages of rind formation. The study reported in this paper has two principal objectives. The first is to use lightly polished granite discs inserted in soil profiles under several different plant communities in an Arctic alpine environment for a period of four or five years to investigate the nature of incipient weathering rind development. The second is to investigate the factors responsible for spatial variability in the nature and rates of rind formation. Incipient weathering rind development on the outer edges of the granite discs is observable and measurable over a period of time as short as four Years in the mild Arctic alpine environment of Swedish Lapland. The earliest stages of rind development involve the development of a porous structure consisting of a combination of pits and fractures which have been solutionally enlarged and modified. Solution appears to be preferentially concentrated on the surfaces of feldspars and, to a lesser extent, quartz. In addition. iron oxides are present along grain boundaries and in grain interiors and are interpreted to have been derived from the oxidation of ferromagnesian minerals. Spatial variability in weathering rind development appears to be particularly driven by differences in moisture but is not related to soil pH. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

ABSTRACT Seven sites within the mountain region of Abisko, northern Sweden, were selected for measurement of solifluction movement rates and correlation with the local environmental factors. Grids with sizes from 20x€‰30€‰m to 50x100€‰m included both solifluction landforms and adjacent ground. Positions of movement markers and the terrain were recorded and the grid areas were digitally reconstructed. This allowed topography, vegetation and soil texture (fraction of fine material) surfaces to be interpolated and used together with data on soil moisture in statistical analyses. Significant correlations differ from site to site indicating that environmental factors have varying importance and inter-relations depending on the local setting. Geomorphic work was also assessed within the grids. The results indicate measurable geomorphic work where no landforms are present. These areas may make larger contributions to sediment displacement than where solifluction landforms exist. Solifluction is an important denudational agent in the region and has its greatest impact on landscape development in the western part of the region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.