First Advisor
Jill A. Marshall
Date of Award
Spring 6-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Geology and University Honors
Department
Geology
Language
English
Subjects
stone stripes, patterned landscapes, periglacial, eastern Oregon, LiDAR
Abstract
Stone stripes are a type of patterned landscape that can be polygenetic in origin, but in the High Lava Plains province are interpreted to be relict periglacial features based on similarities to active stone stripe formation in current periglacial settings (Malde, 1964). Periglacial stone stripes are hypothesized to form via frost process, including ice-driven cracking and soil heave (Francou et al., 2001; Kessler and Werner 2003) which is dependent on temperature, long-term differences in temperature may contribute to differences in stone stripe patterns or density. Stone stripes in Oregon and Idaho have previously been studied using field techniques, but there is room for reexamination of temperature controls on hillslope density and spacing of these features using modern remote sensing tools and data and hillslope aspect as a proxy for temperature. Using a combination of high-quality satellite imagery and LiDAR data, I found that spacing of stripes may be identified using curvature analysis to measure the distance between curvature minima values (indicating the midpoint of a stone stripe). Given the small scope of this project, the results are not statistically significant, but it still operated well as a test case for developing methods that could be scaled for larger projects.
Recommended Citation
Hansen, Blue L., "Hillslope aspect and other potential controlling factors on the spacing of periglacial stone stripes in SE Oregon" (2026). University Honors Theses. Paper 1879.