Mid-Latitude Slope Deposits (Cover Beds)

Slope deposits are common in any inclined relief. So-called cover beds may veil entire landscapes, in which case they are commonly overlooked or confused with soil horizons. This book focuses on these widespread deposits and discusses their properties, genesis, and age mainly in subdued mountains of Central Europe, where to date most research on the matter has been conducted. The ecological consequences of such slope deposits on soils, slope water dynamics, and slope failures are addressed. Finally, transfer of the cover-bed concept to other mid-latitude regions is attempted for the reconstruction of landscape evolution.

This unique compilation, covering several decades of a facies-oriented approach to slope-deposit research, delivers deep insight into the wide field of research on cover beds and encourages researchers all over the world to take an in-depth look at the critical zone as to its possible stratified nature.

1 Introduction
2 Subdued mountains of Central Europe
3 Other case studies
4 Influence of cover beds on soils
5 Influence of cover beds on slope hydrology
6 Influence of cover beds on vegetation and biodiversity
7 Geo-technical properties of cover beds
8 Conclusions and future research demands