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98:. The geometric shapes and patterns associated with patterned ground are often mistaken as artistic human creations. The mechanism of the formation of patterned ground had long puzzled scientists but the introduction of computer-generated geological models in the past 20 years has allowed scientists to relate it to
307:
areas of finer grained sediments. These water-saturated areas of finer sediments have a much greater ability to expand and contract as freezing and thawing occur, leading to lateral forces which ultimately pile larger stones into clusters and stripes. Through time, repeated freeze-thaw cycles smooth
253:
at angles between 2° and 7°. Stripes can consist of either sorted or unsorted material. Sorted stripes are lines of larger stones separated by areas of smaller stones, fine sediment, or vegetation. Unsorted stripes typically consist of lines of vegetation or soil that are separated by bare ground.
315:
seasonal frost layer is a few centimetres (inches) below the surface in places. Patterned ground is present at 3,400 metres (11,155 ft) to the west of Mugi Hill. These mounds grow because of the repeated freezing and thawing of the ground drawing in more water. There are
327:
Frost also sorts the sediments in the ground. Once the mantle has been weathered, finer particles tend to migrate away from the freezing front, and larger particles migrate through the action of gravity. Patterned ground forms mostly within the active layer of permafrost.
688:
Marchant, D.R.; Lewis, A.R.; Phillips, W.M.; Moore, E.J.; Souchez, R.A.; Denton, G.H.; Sugden, D.E.; Potter Jr., N.; Landis, G.P. (2002). "Formation of
Patterned Ground and Sublimation Till over Miocene Glacier Ice in Beacon Valley, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica".
229:
Steps can be developed from circles and polygons. This form of patterned ground is generally a terrace-like feature that has a border of either larger stones or vegetation on the downslope side, and can consist of either sorted or unsorted material.
124:
Patterned ground can be found in a variety of forms. Typically, the type of patterned ground in a given area is related to the prevalence of larger stones in local soils and the frequency of freeze-thaw cycles.
303:
forces larger stones toward the surface, as smaller stones flow and settle underneath larger stones. At the surface, areas that are rich in larger stones contain much less water than highly
217:
in the center surrounded by a circle of larger stones. Unsorted circles are similar, but rather than being surrounded by a circle of larger stones, they are bounded by a circular margin of
324:
occurs when the night temperatures freeze the soil before it thaws again in the morning. This daily expansion and contraction of the soil prevents the establishment of vegetation.
213:
Circles range in size from a few centimeters to several meters in diameter. Circles can consist of both sorted and unsorted material, and generally occur with fine
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It has been conjectured that periglacial stripes on
Salisbury Plain in England, that happened by chance to align with the solar sunrise at
517:
484:
1098:
974:
585:
317:
381:
Grab, Stefan W.; Gatebe, Charles K.; Kinyua, Antony M. (2004). "Ground
Thermal Profiles from Mount Kenya, East Africa".
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out irregularities and odd-shaped piles to form the common polygons, circles, and stripes of patterned ground.
17:
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265:, gave rise to awe and veneration by prehistoric people that eventually culminated in the building of the
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1271:
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668:
437:"New type of sand wedge polygons in the salt cemented soils of the hyper-arid Atacama Desert"
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are lines of stones, vegetation, and/or soil that typically form from transitioning steps on
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present around 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) where the ground has cracked to form hexagons.
872:
798:
698:
632:
448:
206:
623:
Kessler M.A.; Werner B.T. (January 2003). "Self-organization of sorted patterned ground".
546:(1986). "Non-sorted patterned ground on mountains in the Northern Highlands of Scotland".
8:
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167:. The rocks that make up these raised stone rings typically decrease in size with depth.
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Sager, Christof; Airo, Alessandro; Arens, Felix L.; Schulze-Makuch, Dirk (2021-01-15).
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Geology of the Mount Kenya area; degree sheet 44 N.W. quarter (with coloured map)
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Patterned ground occurs in alpine areas with freeze thaw cycles. For example, on
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937:"New dig suggests Stonehenge was built to align with summer and winter solstice"
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205:(heaved mounds found in permafrost) have left circle-like structures on the
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are often the early colonists within such a polygonal climax sedge mat.
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Patterned ground in the form of soil polygons located in the hyper-arid
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1032:"Patterns from Nowhere; Natural Forces Bring Order to Untouched Ground"
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Ballantyne, Colin K. (2001). "The sorted stone stripes of Tingo Hill".
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alternate; patterned ground has also been observed in the hyper-arid
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of geometric shapes formed by the deformation of ground material in
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861:"Boulder polygons and stripes in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland"
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The
Mountain Club of Kenya Guide to Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro
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726:"A Theory of the Origin of Surface-Polygons in Polar Lands"
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10.1130/0016-7606(2002)114<0718:fopgas>2.0.co;2
95:
87:
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62:
regions. It is typically found in remote regions of the
600:
177:, when bogs reach a eutrophic climax and create a
969:(2nd ed.). Prentice Hall. pp. 418–422.
383:Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography
16:"stone ring" redirects here. For other uses, see
1501:
485:"Southern Hemisphere Polygonal Patterned Ground"
380:
1207:
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491:. Malin Space Science Systems. Archived from
673:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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295:areas and areas affected by seasonal frost,
281:Patterned ground in the polar region of Mars
163:) or in areas that are affected by seasonal
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1092:
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577:A Dictionary of Geology and Earth Sciences
542:
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884:
810:
787:"Stone circles: form and soil kinematics"
558:
507:
489:Mars Global Surveyor: Mars Orbiter Camera
460:
425:
580:. Oxford University Press. p. 429.
276:
237:
196:
148:Polygonal soil patterns, typical of the
143:
127:
34:
27:The patterned ground below Mugi Hill on
22:
1023:
242:Periglacial stone stripes in Antarctica
1502:
994:. Nairobi: Geological Survey of Kenya.
784:
767:, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
691:Geological Society of America Bulletin
616:
573:
102:, the expansion that occurs when wet,
54:is the distinct and often symmetrical
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1004:
989:
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376:
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1009:. Nairobi: Mountain Club of Kenya.
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78:, but is also found anywhere that
31:lies in an area of seasonal frost.
14:
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1420:Montane grasslands and shrublands
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371:
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395:10.1111/j.0435-3676.2004.00219.x
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966:Surface processes and landforms
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201:Partially melted and collapsed
170:In the northern reaches of the
47:, Northwest Territories, Canada
1484:Category:Periglacial landforms
681:
594:
477:
462:10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107481
18:ring of stone (disambiguation)
1:
1227:Solifluction lobes and sheets
1221:
902:Scottish Geographical Journal
724:Trevor-Battye, Aubyn (1921).
365:
297:repeated freezing and thawing
1312:Syngenetic permafrost growth
1231:
963:Easterbrook, Don J. (1999).
791:Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A
272:
155:Polygons can form either in
7:
1030:Perkins, S. (17 May 2003).
765:Black Spruce: Picea mariana
601:Ólafur, Ingólfsson (2006).
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43:and polygonal ground near
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914:10.1080/00369220118737131
886:10.1017/s0022143000022073
1363:Stratified slope deposit
785:Hallet, Bernard (2013).
762:C. Michael Hogan. 2008.
730:The Geographical Journal
603:"Glacial Geology Photos"
574:Allaby, Michael (2013).
224:
113:
1115:Periglacial environment
645:10.1126/science.1077309
1272:Fluvio-thermal erosion
935:Yirka, Bob; Phys.org.
812:10.1098/rsta.2012.0357
548:Biuletyn Peryglacjalny
282:
243:
210:
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48:
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1515:Periglacial landforms
1434:Massenerhebung effect
1139:Cryoplanation terrace
990:Baker, B. H. (1967).
865:Journal of Glaciology
840:AntarcticGlaciers.org
285:Further information:
280:
241:
200:
147:
131:
118:Further information:
38:
26:
1080:at Wikimedia Commons
1005:Allan, Iain (1981).
859:King, R. B. (1971).
207:Svalbard Archipelago
1317:Zero-curtain effect
877:1971JGlac..10..375K
803:2013RSPTA.37120357H
703:2002GSAB..114..718M
637:2003Sci...299..380K
453:2021Geomo.37307481S
1326:Soils and deposits
797:(2004): 20120357.
772:2011-10-05 at the
518:"Patterned Ground"
495:on 27 October 2016
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120:Patterns in nature
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1510:Patterned grounds
1497:
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1489:Template:Glaciers
1245:
1244:
1076:Media related to
976:978-0-13-860958-0
587:978-0-19-107895-8
287:Pattern formation
1527:
1430:Alpine tree line
1415:Antarctic tundra
1400:Arctic tree line
1282:Frost weathering
1209:Patterned ground
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1169:Periglacial lake
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774:Wayback Machine
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526:. Retrieved
522:the original
497:. Retrieved
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322:Solifluction
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187:black spruce
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104:fine-grained
51:
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1277:Frost heave
1262:Cryosuction
1199:Thermokarst
1194:Glaciokarst
359:Mima mounds
318:blockfields
313:Mount Kenya
301:groundwater
293:periglacial
60:periglacial
45:Tuktoyaktuk
29:Mount Kenya
1504:Categories
1358:Permafrost
1237:Stone ring
1217:Frost boil
1189:Strandflat
1129:Blockfield
946:2022-03-24
845:2022-03-24
499:8 November
447:: 107481.
366:References
267:Stonehenge
263:mid winter
259:mid summer
219:vegetation
161:ice wedges
159:areas (as
157:permafrost
70:, and the
68:Antarctica
1343:Ice wedge
1250:Processes
1134:Bratschen
1122:Landforms
922:128558678
750:0016-7398
471:0169-555X
419:129324724
403:0435-3676
354:Ice sheet
349:Ice field
339:Emergence
273:Formation
215:sediments
203:lithalsas
76:Australia
1471:Subpolar
1387:ecotones
1338:Gelisols
1302:Nivation
1222:Polygons
1154:Lithalsa
941:phys.org
821:24191111
770:Archived
661:27238820
653:12532013
608:March 4,
554:: 15–34.
332:See also
172:Canadian
140:Polygons
80:freezing
1454:Climate
1056:4014632
873:Bibcode
799:Bibcode
699:Bibcode
633:Bibcode
625:Science
449:Bibcode
411:3566103
344:Glacier
247:Stripes
234:Stripes
193:Circles
94:and on
84:thawing
72:Outback
1461:Alpine
1410:Golets
1383:Biomes
1373:Yedoma
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305:porous
251:slopes
108:porous
106:, and
64:Arctic
1466:Polar
1440:Taiga
1368:Talik
1348:Loess
1174:Pingo
1164:Palsa
1149:Kurum
1052:JSTOR
918:S2CID
657:S2CID
415:S2CID
407:JSTOR
225:Steps
181:mat,
179:sedge
165:frost
114:Types
41:pingo
1385:and
1353:Peat
1159:Paha
1011:ISBN
971:ISBN
817:PMID
746:ISSN
675:link
649:PMID
610:2007
582:ISBN
530:2016
501:2013
467:ISSN
399:ISSN
185:and
96:Mars
88:soil
82:and
1044:doi
1040:163
910:doi
906:117
881:doi
807:doi
795:371
738:doi
707:doi
695:114
641:doi
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457:doi
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391:doi
299:of
291:In
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