Geografie 2011, 116, 59-78
Applicability of quartz grains surface analysis to the study of the genesis of unlithified sediments
This paper deals with genetic types of unlithified sediments and their characteristics with an emphasis on quartz grain surface microrelief. There are various physical-geographic agents in different sedimentary environments which play an important role in the origin of certain marks on the surface of sedimentary grains. As a result, studying the features of quartz grain surfaces enables us to determine the possible origin of sediments and landforms. Reference samples were chosen from geomorphological landforms of known origin: a moraine in the Labský Důl Valley, a debris flow in the Důl Bílého Labe Valley, a flood accumulation and deluvium from the Důl Bílého Labe Valley in the Krkonoše Mountains and eolian sediment from Klárov in Prague. Significant differences in surface micromorphology were found among these samples.
