A revised approach to discriminating sediment transport histories in glacigenic sediments in a temperate alpine environment: a case study from Fox Glacier, New Zealand

Abstract

ABSTRACTClast shape measurements have developed into a standard method for reconstructing the transport histories of sediments in glacial environments. The majority of studies use the ‘RA‐C40’ covariance approach, with some researchers routinely including clasts of varying lithologies within their samples. The corollary is that variable lithological properties may control clast form and roundness, rather than debris‐transport mechanisms. Despite this, the role of lithology on clast shape in glacial environments has rarely been analysed. Furthermore, some studies have reported difficulties in using the RA‐C40 co‐variance plot in discriminating clasts that have undergone subglacial transport, and clasts that have been modified by fluvial activity. Results from a glacierized valley in a temperate alpine setting indicate that detailed analysis of clast shape where samples are of uniform lithology, although time consuming, is a useful tool in the investigation of deposits in glaciated environments. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.