Abstract
In order to assess the potential of the Schmidt hammer for relative-age dating, rebound (R) values were collected from more than 50 sites on two glacier forelands in Jotunheimen, southern Norway. Four factors are found to influence results: instrument errors, lithology, weathering, and boulder-surface roughness. The influence of each is examined and its potential as a source of error assessed. Particular attention is paid to roughness, which may reflect either transport history or the differential weathering of minerals. On Little Ice Age moraines, where differential weathering of minerals is insignificant, variation in R-values parallels variation in boulder-surface roughness, which in turn is related to transport history. Boulder roundness provides a surrogate measure of primary bouldersurface roughness (prior to weathering) and assists in interpreting sites which yield anomalously low R-values. Although the Schmidt hammer has some potential for measuring rock weathering, and thus for interpreting relative age, it should be viewed only as a rapid, inexpensive, and convenient technique for preliminary assessment.
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