Physical and spatial characteristics of the Paleic surface of Norway
PhD candidate: Jørund Raukleiv Strømsøe
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Supervisors: Atle Nesje and Øyvind Paasche (external)
The aim of this project is to investigate and quantify the physical properties of the weathered regolith that form the upper part of the Paleic surface, and to produce an observation-based model that can improve the understanding of the formation and spatial distribution of paleic surfaces in Norway.
Large areas distributed on the earth’s surface are covered by regolith, an unconsolidated heterogeneous material overlying bedrock. In high latitude areas, only remnants of formerly large regolith covers are still present due to glacial and fluvial erosion. Remnants of this old surface represent one of the key landscape elements in Norway, but still, after over 100 years of research the questions related to age and genesis of this particular landscape element remains unsolved. In an effort to further the understanding of weathering patterns and processes in old regolith covers, comprehensive investigations and regolith sampling of localities spread across Norway are carried out.
A methodological approach including X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and grain-size analyses, provides in-depth knowledge about the distribution of minerals, elements and grain-sizes within the regolith. When interpreted in a stratigraphic and geomorphological context the findings potentially make important contributions to the debate of the history and the development of the Scandinavian uplands.
