Blockfields (Felsenmeer)

Blockfields are a common feature on many summit ridges and plateaux in contemporary and formerly glaciated landscapes. They are often enigmatic, possessing characteristics and a geochemistry that is in nonequilibrium with the present climate, suggesting some antiquity. However, they are often found in proximity to intense glacial erosion and may even have erratics on the surface. Contemporary approaches to investigating and interpreting mid- to high-latitude blockfields provide insights into long-term landscape evolution, selective linear erosion, the geometries and basal thermal regimes of glaciers and ice sheets, and past and present weathering environments.