Head (geology)

Head describes deposits at the very top of the geological succession, that could not be classified more accurately. The term has been used by British geologists since the middle of the 19th century. Areas identified as head include deposits of aeolian origin such as blown sand and loess, slope deposits such as gelifluctates and solifluctates, and recently eroded soil material, called colluvium. With geologists becoming more interested in studying the near-surface environment and its related processes, the term head is becoming obsolete.