Source and Sediment

This case study presents the first comprehensive, systematic and data-bank supported analysis of provenance (source rock reconstruction) from its erosional products, terrigenous sediments. Source area properties such as geology, climate and relief of 19 small basins draining a modern active plate margin in Calabria, Southern Italy, were digitized and compared quantitatively with the sedimentological characteristics of the river-mouth deposits. The study includes both short- and longterm calculations of the related mass balances.

Inhalt
I The Source.- 1 Position and Geological Framework.- 2 Basins and Channel Network.- 3 Altitude and Slopes.- 4 Climate and Vegetation.- 5 Rock Units and Their Regional Distribution.- 6 Erosion and Predicted Sediment Composition.- 7 Water Budget and Dissolved Load.- 8 Composition of Rocks and Soils.- II From the Source to the River-Mouth Sediment.- 9 Development of the Chemical Composition of Sand.- 10 The Development of the Grain-Size Distributions.- 11 Development of Gravel Sphericity.- 12 Special Topics of Sediment Development of Lower River Course and Beach.- III River-Mouth Sediment and Provenance.- 13 River-Mouth Gravel.- 14 River-Mouth Sand, Silt and Clay.- IV Processes, Budget and Statistical Comparison.- 15 Mass Balances on Land.- 16 Mass Balances in the Marine Realm.- 17 Comparison of Source and Sediment: a Multivariate Approach.- 18 Summary and Conclusion.- Appendix A Data Management.- Appendix B Graphic Representation of the Data Base.- References.