Definition
Drying-induced fractures in a geologic material aligned in a polygonal pattern.
Synonyms
Mud crack polygon; Polygonal shrinkage crack; Sun-crack polygon
A type of patterned ground.
A type of shrinkage crack polygons.
Polygon types proposed to form by desiccation: crater floor polygons.
Description
Polygonal pattern outlined by a network of desiccation cracks or fissures developed in fine-grained soil material (El Maarry et al. 2012). They typically intersect at right angles, exhibiting T-junctions (Weinberger 1999*). Their morphology can be 4, 3, 5, and 6 sided (in the order of decreasing abundance); they can be oriented or arcuate (Picard and High 1973, pp. 105–110). Mud shrinkage cracks often have curled rims (Kargel 2004, p. 271) or mud curls formed by peeling (Style et al. 2011). Their morphology is similar to that of thermal contraction crack polygons.
Morphometry
On Earth, desiccation polygons can span different sizes ranging from centimeters, while usually <2 m across...
References
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Picard MD, High LR Jr (1973) Sedimentary structures of ephemeral streams. Elsevier, Amsterdam/New York
Style RW, Peppin SSL, Cocks ACF (2011) Mud peeling and horizontal crack formation in drying clays. J Geophys Res 116:F01025. doi:10.1029/2010JF001842
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Weinberger R (1999) Initiation and growth of cracks during desiccation of stratified muddy sediments. J Struct Geol 21:379–386
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El-Maarry, M.R. (2014). Desiccation Crack Polygon. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_111-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_111-1
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