Erosion, Weathering and Regolith Development

Cliff Riebe, Jesse Hahm,

Heather Rogers &Steve Holbrook

San Francisco

Lake Tahoe

Pacific Ocean

85 km

LasVegas

SierraNevada

Mountains

Alpine slopes

Dense conifer forests

Oak woodlandsFresno

Altitudinal variations in vegetation

Southern Sierra CZOcatchments

Bald Mountain

However, altitudinal variations in climate do not explain everything!

What controls the presence/absence and thickness of regolith?

Holbrook et al.in revision

Important for understanding:– water cycle• soil-water storage• timing & amount of melt runoff

– pedogenesis– weathering, erosion and landscape evolution

Influence of geology on vegetation:Bulk geochemistry, including bedrock P

Influence of geology on vegetation:

Mineralogy?