As I previously wrote, my samples have to be sealed and sit for at least three weeks. While waiting for this time period to pass, much of what I’ve been doing has been reviewing my proposal and beginning to write the ‘Introduction’ and ‘Method’ sections for my thesis. For this reason this blog will be relatively short. In starting to write my Introduction and Method sections, much of it has consisted of a literature review. I’ve been reading different scientific articles regarding previous research on hillslope asymmetry and valley asymmetry. These articles have been good as they give a background on the subject and serve somewhat as a guide for the structure of my thesis. I’ve found some of the studies to be somewhat inconsistent, with varying causes of hillslope asymmetry found with different groups and study areas. Mechanisms of asymmetric hillslope formation proposed in the literature can generally be grouped into two categories: (1) asymmetry caused by differences in the lithology and bedrock structure and (2) microclimate induced asymmetry- asymmetry caused by differences in microclimate on opposing hillslope sides. I’ve so far gotten a very good start to these sections. I will continue to read these articles in order to gather enough information to give a solid synopsis of past research on the topic for my introduction, and to continue to structure my thesis.