A review of the analysis and significance of stone-lines

Abstract

The term stone-line corresponds to a horizon of coarse rock fragments, resistant to weathering, often found within the pedological cover in intertropical zones. Though mentioned in the literature since the nineteenth century, the origin of these features, whether autochthonous or allocthonous, is a subject that still arouses controversy in the scientific community, and is the target of numerous studies by pedologists, biologists and geomorphologists. This contribution discusses hypotheses on the origin of stone-lines and methods for their analysis.