The evolution of pebble size and shape in space and time

Abstract

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 system of ODEs called the box equations, describing the evolution of pebble ratios. We derive these ODEs as a heuristic approximation of Bloore's PDE describing collisional abrasion. While representing a radical simplification of the latter, our system admits the inclusion of additional terms related to frictional abrasion. We show that nontrivial attractors (corresponding to predominant pebble size ratios) only exist in the presence of friction. By interpreting our equations as a Markov process, we illustrate by direct simulation that these attractors may only stabilized by the ongoing segregation process.