geologyrounded

Geologyrounded is a proposed term used in geomorphology and sedimentology to describe a state or process in which rock bodies, fragments, or landforms progressively lose angularity and acquire rounded shapes due to sustained weathering, transport, and deposition. The term draws from geology and the concept of roundedness in particle morphology. It is not widely established as a formal category in peer-reviewed literature but appears in field notebooks and theoretical discussions to capture the continuum between angular fragments and highly rounded pebbles or boulders.

Within geologyrounded, rounding is attributed to abrasion, attrition, and dissolution during fluvial, glacial, aeolian, or coastal transport, as well as chemical weathering at the source. The rate and extent depend on rock hardness, grain size, transport distance, water velocity, and climate. Quantitative assessment can use grain-roundness indices, sphericity measurements, or image analysis of outcrop or sediment samples, compared against reference curves of rounding.

Geologyrounded may be applied in studies of landscape evolution, sediment provenance, and soil development by indicating a history of sustained transport and weathering. It can help distinguish between freshly exposed, angular fragments and reworked, polished material in deposits. Critics note that rounding alone is ambiguous, as different processes can produce similar shapes; thus, geologyrounded is best used alongside established metrics of texture, mineralogy, and context.

See also: geomorphology, weathering, erosion, sediment transport, grain roundness.