Related papers: The shape and erosion of pebbles
We propose to characterize the shapes of flat pebbles in terms of the statistical distribution of curvatures measured along the pebble contour. This is demonstrated for the erosion of clay pebbles in a controlled laboratory apparatus.…
We report on the erosion of flat linoleum "pebbles" under steady rotation in a slurry of abrasive grit. To quantify shape as a function of time, we develop a general method in which the pebble is photographed from multiple angles with…
We report here on a laboratory-scale experiment which reproduces a rich variety of natural patterns with few control parameters. In particular, we focus on intriguing rhomboid structures often found on sandy shores and flats. We show that…
We propose a mathematical model which suggests that the two main geological observations about shingle beaches, i.e. the emergence of predominant pebble size ratios and strong segregation by size are interrelated. Our model is a based on a…
Clustering analysis identifies samples as groups based on either their mutual closeness or homogeneity. In order to detect clusters in arbitrary shapes, a novel and generic solution based on boundary erosion is proposed. The clusters are…
This article introduces a new geophysical theory, in the form of a single simple partial integro-differential equation, to explain how frictional abrasion alone of a stone on a planar beach can lead to the oval shapes observed empirically.…
Shells, when confined, can deform in a broad assortment of shapes and patterns, often quite dissimilar to what is produced by their flat counterparts (plates). In this work we discuss the morphological landscape of shells deposited on a…
Among pebbles strewn across a sandy ocean beach one can find relatively many with a nearly perfect elliptical (ellipsoidal) shape, and one wonders how this shape was attained and whether, during abrasion, the pebbles would remain elliptical…
This article introduces a new approach to discrete curvature based on the concept of effective resistances. We propose a curvature on the nodes and links of a graph and present the evidence for their interpretation as a curvature. Notably,…
We propose a geometrically motivated mathematical model which reveals the key features of coastal and fluvial fragment shape evolution from the earliest stages of the abrasion. Our \textit{collisional polygon model} governs the evolution…
An increasing number of research topics and applications ask for a precise measurement of the size distribution of small bubbles in a liquid - and hence for reliable and automated image analysis. However, due to the strong mismatch between…
From the striped coats of zebras to the ripples in windblown sand, the natural world abounds with locally banded patterns. Such patterns have been of great interest throughout history, and, in the last twenty years, scientists in a wide…
In the present work we focus on the morphology of well abraded, almost perfectly ellipsoidal natural pebbles. Flat, oblate and prolate ellipsoidal pebbles are expected to be characterized by qualitatively different shape evolution due to…
River-bed sediments display two universal downstream trends: fining, in which particle size decreases; and rounding, where pebble shapes evolve toward ellipsoids. Rounding is known to result from transport-induced abrasion; however many…
Blisters are commonly observed when an adhesive sheet is carelessly deposited on a plate. Although such blisters are usually not desired for practical applications, we show through model experiments on angular blisters how material…
Pebble accretion refers to the growth of planetary bodies through the accretion of pebble-sized particles. Pebbles are defined in terms of their aerodynamically size $\tau_s$, which describes the level of coupling to the disk gas.…
We discuss various situations where the formation of rocky coast morphology can be attributed to the retro-action of the coast morphology itself on the erosive power of the sea. Destroying the weaker elements of the coast, erosion can…
While three-dimensional measurement technology is spreading fast, its meaningful application to sedimentary geology still lacks content. Classical shape descriptors (such as axis ratios, circularity of projection) were not inherently…
We measure the geometry of a crumpled sheet of paper with laser-aided topography and discuss its statistical properties. The curvature of an elasto-plastic fold scales linearly with applied force. The curvature distribution follows an…
Distributions of wave characteristics of ocean waves, such as wave slope, waveheight or wavelength, are an important tool in a variety of oceanographic applications such as safety of ocean structures or in the study of ship stability, as…