Studies in weathering and slope movements-an introduction

Weathering can be studied in its own right, but often it is an important component in investigations in other fields. This special issue of Geomorphology contains eight of the 16 contributions presented during the session on “Slope movements in weathered materials: recognition, analysis and hazard assessment” at the 1stGeneralAssembly of the European Geosciences Union (Nice, France, 2004). This volume brings together a number of studies where weathering plays a significant role in a broader context. Most deal with landslides and have a strong engineering approach, but other aspects covered include coastal geomorphology, tectonics and geomorphic maps.