Expression of active tectonics in erosional landscapes |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geosciences, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16803, USA;2. Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam 14476, Germany;3. School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA;1. University of Liege, Dept of Physical Geography and Quaternary, B 4000, Liège, Belgium;2. FRS-FNRS, Brussels, Belgium;3. Plymouth University, School of Geography, Plymouth, UK;4. Imperial College London, Dept of Earth Science and Engineering, London, UK;1. Geological Institute, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland;2. Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zürich, Clausiusstrasse 25, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland;3. Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland;4. Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zürich, Schafmattstrasse 20, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland;1. The Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;2. Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Geodynamics and Geohazards, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China;3. Department Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto M5S 3B1, Canada;4. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1396, USA;5. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072 QLD, Australia;1. Department of Geological Sciences and Engineering, Global Water Center, University of Nevada at Reno, United States;2. Division of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Desert Research Institute, United States;1. Department of Earth Science & Engineering, Imperial College London, Royal School of Mines, Prince Consort Road, SW7 2BP London, United Kingdom;2. Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), Scottish Enterprise Technology Park/Rankine Av, G75 0QF Glasgow, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | Understanding the manner and degree to which topography in active mountain ranges reflects deformation of the Earth's surface remains a first order goal of tectonic geomorphology. A substantial body of research in the past decade demonstrates that incising channel systems play a central role in setting relationships among topographic relief, differential rock uplift rate, and climatically modulated erosional efficiency. This review provides an introduction to the analysis and interpretation of channel profiles in erosional mountain ranges. We show that existing data support theoretical expectations of positive, monotonic relationships between channel steepness index, a measure of channel gradient normalized for downstream increases in drainage area, and erosion rate at equilibrium, and that the transient response to perturbations away from equilibrium engenders specific spatial patterns in channel profiles that can be used to infer aspects of the forcing. These aspects of channel behavior lay the foundation for a series of case studies that we use to illustrate how focused, quantitative analysis of channel morphology can provide insight into the spatial and temporal dynamics of active deformation. Although the complexities of river response to climate, lithology, and uplift patterns mean that multiple interpretations of topographic data alone will always possible, we show that application of stream profile analysis can be a powerful reconnaissance tool with which to interrogate the rates and patterns of deformation in active mountain belts. |
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