ABSTRACT
Stone surfaces are characteristic o f many desert areas but their origin remains a matter of contention (Dixon 1994). The term desert pavement is generally applied to stone mantles in dryland regions but is usually reserved for relatively uniform mantles of one to two stones thickness, with relatively short axial dimensions, overlying finer material. The Arabic term, hammada is applied to boulder-strewn outcrops, pavements and rock surfaces with a residual scatter of stones (Cooke et al. 1993) and encompasses the variety in basalt boulder terrain found in the Badia. A quantitative analysis of the characteristics of basalt boulder surfaces has been conducted. The objectives were to identify surface characteristics associated with particular basalt types, evaluate evidence for the organization of boulder surfaces along slope profiles and to elucidate the formation of the surfaces and their interrelationships with slope evolution.
