Bedrock

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Soil with broken rock fragments overlying bedrock at Sandside Bay, Caithness, Scotland
Soil profile with bedrock labeled R

In geology, bedrock is the solid rock that lies under weathered rock and unconsolidated or loose superficial deposits (together known as regolith) in the near surface part of Earth's crust or the crust of another terrestrial planet. The top of the bedrock is known as rockhead.

Definition

Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface material.[1] An exposed portion of bedrock is often called an outcrop.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found. The various kinds of broken and weathered rock material, such as soil and subsoil, that may overlie the bedrock are known as regolith.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.[2]

Engineering geology

The surface of the bedrock beneath the soil cover (regolith) is also known as rockhead in engineering geology,[3][4] and its identification by digging, drilling or geophysical methods is an important task in most civil engineering projects. Superficial deposits can be very thick, such that the bedrock lies hundreds of meters below the surface.[5]

Weathering of bedrock

Exposed bedrock experiences weathering, which may be physical or chemical, and which alters the structure of the rock to leave it susceptible to erosion. Bedrock may also experience subsurface weathering at its upper boundary, forming saprolite.[6] Rock fragments can disconnect from the underlying bedrock, where they are found within a weathering or soil profile as floaters.[7]

Geological map

A geological map of an area will usually show the distribution of differing bedrock types, rock that would be exposed at the surface if all soil or other superficial deposits were removed. Where superficial deposits are so thick that the underlying bedrock cannot be reliably mapped, the superficial deposits will be mapped instead (for example, as alluvium).[8]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Jackson, Julia A., ed. (1997). "Bedrock". Glossary of geology (4th ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: American Geological Institute. ISBN 0922152349.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Allaby, Michael (2013). "Regolith". A dictionary of geology and earth sciences (4th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199653065.
  3. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Price, David George (2009). "The Basis of Engineering Geology". In de Freitas, Michael H. (ed.). Engineering Geology: Principles and Practice. Springer. p. 16. ISBN 978-3540292494.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McLean, A.C.; Gribble, C.D. (9 September 1985). Geology for Civil Engineers (Second ed.). CRC Press. p. 113. ISBN 978-0419160007.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Swinford, E. Mac (2004). "What the glaciers left behind  – the drift-thickness map of Ohio" (PDF). Ohio Geology. No. 1. Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological Survey. pp. 1, 3–5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lidmar-Bergström, Karna; Olsson, Siv; Olvmo, Mats (January 1997). "Palaeosurfaces and associated saprolites in southern Sweden". Geological Society, London, Special Publications. 120 (1): 95–124. Bibcode:1997GSLSP.120...95L. doi:10.1144/GSL.SP.1997.120.01.07. S2CID 129229906. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Floaters". University of Kentucky, College of Arts & Sciences. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Digital Geology – Bedrock geology theme". British Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2009.

Further reading

  • Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". Media related to Script error: No such module "Commons link". at Wikimedia Commons

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