Geometric form changes of soil quartz minerals under Freeze-thaw weathering

Abstract

Freeze-thaw weathering can alter the geometry of soil minerals and severely damage the Earth's surface. This has significant implications for the global geological environment. To investigate the process of morphological development and show the morphological trends and evolution of quartz minerals under freeze-thaw cycle (FTC) action, researchers conducted many freeze-thaw weathering experiments. We collected the surface morphology of quartz under different freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) using a particle image processor. The results showed that: (1) Grain-size morphology became increasingly heterogeneous geometrically as the number of FTCs increased. (2) Freeze-thaw weathering caused the breakage of soil minerals. For longer FTCs, the ratio of the corresponding elliptical axis to the rectangular axis fluctuated. The fluctuation in the equivalent elliptical perimeter exhibited the same trend as the texture and angle values of the particles. (3) During freeze-thaw weathering, the surface geometrical characteristics of quartz minerals resembled those of quartz crystals. Extensive morphological characterization data played a crucial role in determining the morphological evolution of quartz mineral grains during freeze-thaw weathering. Researchers made a novel discovery of self-similarity between the macro- and micro-morphology of quartz minerals during weathering denudation, which has significant implications for advancing our understanding of underlying geomorphological changes.