Aspect‐controlled weathering observed on a blockfield in dronning maud land, antarctica

Investigations of openwork block deposits have the potential to improve understanding of the production of substrates for biological colonisation, the control of geological structure and the impacts of climate change on landforms. As part of research into the morphology and characterisation of a blockfield located on the orthern uttress of the esleskarvet unataks, estern ronning aud and, ntarctica (2°, 71°), this paper investigates the influence that aspect has on weathering for a blockfield using data collected during the 2009–2012 ustral summer seasons. Proxy data recorded for weathering included rock hardness rebound values as well as visual evidence of flaking, pitting, surface roughness and lichen presence. Aspect was found to affect weathering of blockfield samples across the study site, with the south‐facing sides being the least weathered of the directional aspects. This paper argues that a higher radiation budget associated with slope aspect and angle could drive thermal regimes and subsequent weathering of clast faces. Furthermore, in the absence of abundant precipitation, ice and snow cover become the primary source of moisture in this high‐latitude ntarctic environment.