BASIN-RANGE SYSTEM EVOLUTION OF QINLING-DABIE OROGENIC BELT AND ITS IMPACT ON REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT

As the structural body related to temporal-spatial evolution and tectonic dynamic system, the orogenic belt and basin are not only dependent on each other in space but also closely related with each other in terms of infrastructure, matter transference and dynamic mechanisms. By using apatite fission-track method, the authors firstly analyze the uplift and denudation ratios of the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt, and by using tectonically detbrmed combination analysis and tectonic-thermal simulation the main geological occurrences are also illustrated. It is found that there must have had multi-phase differential uplift and denudation phenomena in the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. Then, the regional evolution pattern of qualitative and quantitative denudation process is obtained during the post-orogenic period. On the basis of summarizing evolution process of the basin-range system in the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic and its effects on regional environ     

Cosmogenic <Superscript>10</Superscript>Be-derived denudation rates of the Eastern and Southern European Alps

Denudation rates from cosmogenic ¹⁰Be measured in quartz from recent river sediment have previously been used in the Central Alps to argue that rock uplift occurs through isostatic response to erosion in the absence of ongoing convergence. We present new basin-averaged denudation rates from large rivers in the Eastern and Southern European Alps together with a detailed topographic analysis in order to infer the forces driving erosion. Denudation rates in the Eastern and Southern Alps of 170–1,400 mm ky⁻¹ are within a similar range to those in the Central Alps for similar lithologies. However, these denudation rates vary considerably with lithology, and their variability generally increases with steeper landscapes, where correlations with topographic metrics also become poorer. Tertiary igneous rocks are associated with steep hillslopes and channels and low denudation rates, whereas pre-Alpine gneisses usually exhibit steep hillslopes and higher denudation rates. Molasse, flysch, and schists display lower mean basin slopes and channel gradients, and, despite their high erodibility, low erosion rates. Exceptionally low denudation rates are also measured in Permian rhyolite, which has high mean basin slopes. We invoke geomorphic inheritance as a major factor controlling erosion, such that large erosive glaciers in the late Quaternary cold periods were more effective in priming landscapes in the Central Alps for erosion than in the interior Eastern Alps. However, the difference in tectonic evolution of the Eastern and Central Alps potentially adds to differences in their geomorphic response; their deep structures differ significantly and, unlike the Central Alps, the Eastern Alps are affected by ongoing tectonic influx due to the slow motion and rotation of Adria. The result is a complex pattern of high mountain erosion in the Eastern Alps, which has evolved from one confined to the narrow belt of the Tauern Window in late Tertiary time to one affecting the entire underthrust basement, orogenic lid, and parts of the Southern Alps today.     

Morphological controls on the dynamics of carbonate landscapes under a mediterranean climate

The influence of the morphological setting on the denudation of carbonate landscapes and the respective contributions of mechanical and chemical weathering processes are still debated. We have addressed these questions by measuring ³⁶Cl concentrations in 40 samples from the Luberon mountain, SE France, to constrain the denudation of various landscape elements. We observe a clear contrast between the local denudation rates from the flat summit surface, clustered around 30 mm/ka, and the basin‐average denudation rates across the flanks, ranging from 100 to 200 mm/ka. This difference highlights the transient evolution of the range, whose topography is still adjusting to previous uplift events. Such a pattern also suggests that carbonate dissolution is not the only driver of denudation in this setting, which appears to be significantly controlled by slope‐dependent processes.     

Evolution of hillslope soils: The geomorphic theater and the geochemical play

How and how fast do hillslope soils form as the landscape’s morphology changes over time? Here results are shown from an ongoing study that simultaneously examines the morphologic and geochemical evolution of soil mantled hillslopes that have been exposed to distinctively different denudation history. In Northern Sierra Nevada, California, the authors are investigating a tributary basin to the Middle Fork Feather River. A major incision signal from the river is well marked in a knickpoint within the tributary basin which stretches from its mouth to the Feather River at an elevation of ～700 m to the plateau at an elevation of ～1500 m. Hillslopes are significantly steeper below the knickpoint. The area’s total denudation rates are currently being constrained using cosmogenic radio nuclides, but a previous study suggested an order of magnitude difference in total denudation rates below and above the knickpoint. When compared with topographic attributes calculated from LIDAR data, physical erosion rates can be modeled as a linear function of ridge top curvature. Surprisingly, over the wide range of total denudation rates, soil thicknesses do not vary significantly until a threshold point where soil mantled landscapes abruptly shift to bedrock dominated landscapes. Bioturbation by tree falls appear to buffer soil thickness over the wide range of physical soil erosion rates. From three hillslopes with different physical erosion rates, the concentrations of Zr, which were considered conserved during dissolution and leaching, were determined and used as a proxy for the degree of mass losses via chemical denudation. There is a general trend that colluvial soils along the hillslopes with lower physical erosion rates are enriched in fine size fractions, Zr, and pedogenic crystalline Fe oxides. Likewise, the saprolites show greater degrees of chemical denudation at the sites above the knickpoint, presumably because of the saprolites’ longer turnover time in the slowly eroding landscapes. In the two steep hillslopes below the knickpoint, no significant or systematic topgraphic trends were found for soil geochemistry. However, soils show increasing Zr enrichment in the downslope direction in the hillslope above the knickpoint, which suggests a critical denudation rate beyond which soils’ turnover time is too short to develop a geochemical catena. As detailed CRN-based soil production rates and catchment scale denudation rates are acquired, the data will be combined with a mass balance model to calculate the rates of chemical denudation and weathering in soils and saprolites along the denudation gradient.     

地带性与非地带性夷平面*

夷平面是指由剥蚀和夷平作用所产生的,以截面形式横切所有在年龄上先于它的地层和构造的一种平缓地形。前人普遍认为,夷平面是在构造相对稳定条件下经过长期外营力作用形成的一个接近基准面的平坦地形,是地貌长期演化的终极产物。 流水侵蚀是夷平面形成的动力学基础。"夷平面"一直是解释新生代以来大的构造格局和地貌演化的重要理论依据,如我国青藏高原隆升的研究。 基于气候地貌学原理,文章提出了寒冻夷平面和干旱夷平面的概念;从坡地演化过程理论模型入手,探讨了寒冻、干旱夷平面和流水夷平面的形成机理;提出有别于传统"构造侵蚀旋迴"理论的"构造隆升和地面剥夷动态平衡"的气候夷平地貌假说;此外,还简要分析了这三类夷平面的全球分布规律。     

Lateral thinking: 2-D interpretation of thermochronology in convergent orogenic settings

Lateral motion of material relative to the regional thermal and kinematic frameworks is important in the interpretation of thermochronology in convergent orogens. Although cooling ages in denuded settings are commonly linked to exhumation, such data are not related to instantaneous behavior but rather to an integration of the exhumation rates experienced between the thermochronological ‘closure’ at depth and subsequent exposure at the surface. The short spatial wavelength variation of thermal structure and denudation rate typical of orogenic regions thus renders thermochronometers sensitive to lateral motion during exhumation. The significance of this lateral motion varies in proportion with closure temperature, which controls the depth at which isotopic closure occurs, and hence, the range of time and length scales over which such data integrate sample histories. Different chronometers thus vary in the fundamental aspects of the orogenic character to which they are sensitive. Isotopic systems with high closure temperature are more sensitive to exhumation paths and the variation in denudation and thermal structure across a region, while those of lower closure temperature constrain shorter-term behaviour and more local conditions.Discounting lateral motion through an orogenic region and interpreting cooling ages purely in terms of vertical exhumation can produce ambiguous results because variation in the cooling rate can result from either change in kinematics over time or the translation of samples through spatially varying conditions. Resolving this ambiguity requires explicit consideration of the physical and thermal framework experienced by samples during their exhumation. This can be best achieved through numerical simulations coupling kinematic deformation to thermal evolution. Such an approach allows the thermochronological implications of different kinematic scenarios to be tested, and thus provides an important means of assessing the contribution of lateral motion to orogenic evolution.     

The surface archaeological record in arid Australia: Geomorphic controls on preservation,exposure, and visibility

The conventional approach to assessing the archaeological record in most parts of the world involves a combination of excavation of stratified deposits and extensive survey of surface deposits. Although widely applied in Australia, in both research‐based and management archaeology, the method does not conform well to the nature of the surface archaeological record here. Over much of semi‐arid and arid Australia, archaeological “sites” are, in fact, accretion phenomena that are not easily interpreted as the outcome of short‐term behavioral events. Using results from twelve years of geoarchaeological research in western New South Wales, we demonstrate that there is considerable variability in landsurface age, and hence the “availability” of archaeological surfaces, over relatively short distances. Therefore, it cannot be assumed that stone artifact deposits, for example, that appear to be similar in character are of similar age. Data are also presented that demonstrate that the presence of artifacts on the surface, their apparent absence in sediments buried beneath the surface, and the apparent recent ubiquity of the archaeological record are all a function of geomorphic processes that, at the same time, expose some artifact deposits at the surface and erode and bury others amid large volumes of sediment. Interpreting the surface artifact record within a spatial and temporal geomorphic framework is crucial to understanding the past human behavior that the artifact deposits represent. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

大巴山国家地质公园岩溶景观空间分层结构及受新构造运动的影响

大巴山国家地质公园岩溶景观种类齐全、组成系统完整,其发育和分布受构造控制作用显著。文章探讨大巴山国家地质公园岩溶景观特征及其空间分层结构受构造控制的作用机制,发现岩溶空间形态总体呈现掀斜式强烈抬升、河流深切的亚热带中低山峡谷岩溶特点,新构造运动间歇性隆升对岩溶景观垂向发育影响较为显著。岩溶发育的空间层位划分为三个高程层级,从下至上连续分段为440～700 m,700～1 200 m,1 200～1 890 m。空间分层结构反映某一阶段地壳总体处于相对稳定的时期,发育水平岩溶系统（溶洞）,后期地壳发生快速抬升,出现少量竖向岩溶系统（落水洞）,溶洞的分布与相应的侵蚀基准面（现代河床、各级阶地）相适应。根据发育层级推测,研究区至少经历过四次规模较大的间歇性快速抬升构造活动,各级夷平面先后受喜马拉雅运动第Ⅱ幕和第Ⅲ幕影响。喜马拉雅运动多次间歇性快速抬升过程中,丰沛的地下水和地表水下切并快速溶蚀形成多层剥蚀台地。在新构造运动相对稳定期,有充分的条件循环交替溶蚀导致垂向、水平岩溶均出现较大规模发育。      

Modelling karst denudation on a synthetic landscape

This contribution presents the results of a numerical study of karst denudation on limestone plateaux. The landscape evolution model used incorporates not only long-range fluvial and short-range hill-slope processes, but also large-scale chemical dissolution of limestone surfaces. The relative efficiencies of fluvial and chemical processes are of equal importance to the landscape evolution of a plateau dropping to sea level along an escarpment. While fluvial processes have an impact confined mostly to river channels, the karst denudation process is more uniform, removing material also from the plateau surface. The combined effect of both processes results in a landscape evolution almost twice as effective as the purely erosional evolution of an insoluble landscape.     

新元古代全球冰川事件对早期生物演化的影响

新元古代曾发生过强烈的全球性冰川作用 ,紧随冰川作用之后 ,发生了两次生物大辐射事件。这一时期是地球上早期生命演化的重要时期 ,特别是宏观后生动物的出现标志着生物演化史进入了一个新纪元。全球性冰川作用与早期生命演化这二者之间是否存在着密切的联系呢 ?过去地质学家对于新元古代的冰川沉积物多偏重于地层学、沉积学等方面的研究 ,古生物学家又很少关心前寒武纪的冰期地层 ,“新元古代冰川作用”和“早期生命演化”二者很少放在一起讨论。文章重点讨论了冰川作用对早期生物演化的影响。论述了新元古代晚期全球性冰川作用存在的证据及其特点 ,分析了新元古代冰期前后地球上生物的重大演化特点 ,重点讨论了新元古代全球性冰川作用对地球早期生命演化特别是在真核细胞生物向多细胞动物进化的影响方式和作用机理 ,从而说明新元古代全球性冰川作用对地球早期生命演化起着重要的作用     

Last Glacial Maximum ice sheet dynamics in Arctic Canada inferred from young erratics perched on ancient tors

A long-standing debate regarding the reconstruction of former ice sheets revolves around the use of relative weathering of landscapes, i.e., the assumption that highly weathered landscapes have not been recently glaciated. New cosmogenic isotope measurements from upland bedrock surfaces and erratics along the northeastern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) shed light on this debate. ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al concentrations from three perched erratics, yielding cosmogenic exposure ages of 17–11 ka, are much lower than those measured in two unmodified, highly weathered tors upon which they lie, which yield cosmogenic exposure ages of >60 ka. These findings suggest that non-erosive ice covered weathered upland surfaces along the northeastern margin of the LIS during the last glacial maximum. These data challenge the use of relative weathering to define the margins of Pleistocene ice sheets. The juxtaposition of non-erosive ice over upland plateaus and erosive ice in adjacent fiords requires strong gradients in basal thermal regimes, suggestive of an ice-stream mode of glaciation.     

Weathering phases recorded by gnammas developed since last glaciation at Serra da Estrela, Portugal

The morphometrical analysis of gnammas (weathering pits) in granite landscapes has been used to establish the relative chronology of recent erosive surfaces and to provide the weathering history in a region. To test the validity of gnammas as relative chronometer indicators, and the reliability of the obtained weathering record, two sites have been studied in Serra da Estrela, Portugal. The first site is within the limits of the glacier that existed in these mountains during the last glaciation, whereas the second site is located in an unglaciated sector of the mountains, which preserves a longer record of weathering in the bedrock surface. The number of gnamma weathering phases recorded in the latter site (8) is larger than those from the former (6). Correlation between both measurement stations based on morphometrical criteria is excellent for the younger six weathering phases (1 to 6). Consequently, the parameter used for relative chronology (δ-value) has been verified to be age dependent, although absolute values are modulated by microclimate due to altitude variations. The weathering record was essentially duplicated once the surfaces at both sites were exposed, demonstrating the reliability of gnamma evolution as a post-glacial environmental indicator for the region.     

Dimensions and deglacial chronology of the Outer Hebrides Ice Cap,northwest Scotland: implications of cosmic ray exposure dating

Cosmic ray exposure ages of frost-weathered bedrock from mountain summits in the Outer Hebrides exceed the age of Late Devensian glaciation. Exposure ages of most glacially-abraded bedrock surfaces at low and intermediate elevations are younger than the age of maximum Late Devensian glaciation. These results confirm that previously mapped periglacial trimlines in the Outer Hebrides define the upper limit of bedrock erosion by Late Devensian ice. They are consistent with the interpretation, based on geomorphological evidence, that the trimlines mark the approximate upper limit of a Late Devensian Outer Hebrides Ice Cap. A postglacial exposure age from the summit of Oreval (662 m) suggests that this mountain was overrun during the last glaciation, indicating thicker ice cover and a lower surface gradient west of the ice-cap divide than previously inferred. Although bedrock surfaces below the trimlines are strongly ice-moulded, some show evidence of prior cosmic ray exposure, which we attribute to limited erosion during Late Devensian glaciation. If this interpretation is correct, the youngest apparent ages from these surfaces give the most reliable dates for deglaciation, at ca. 14.5–14 ka. This implies that ice persisted at favourable sites through the warm opening phase of the Windermere Interstade. Comparison with radiocarbon-dated evidence from offshore cores suggests net ice margin retreat of ∼74 km eastwards across the adjacent shelf in > 2.3 ± 1.0 ka. The dating evidence is consistent with relatively rapid retreat of calving margins to the coast, then slower withdrawal of ice margins to high ground. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Landscape response to tipping points in granite weathering: The case of stepped topography in the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory

The dynamics of granitic landscapes are modulated by bimodal weathering, which produces patchy granular soils and expanses of bare rock ranging from meter-scale boulders to mountain-scale domes. We used terrain analysis and with cosmogenic nuclide measurements of erosion rates to quantitatively explore Wahrhaftig’s decades-old hypothesis for the development of “stepped topography” by differential weathering of bare and soil-mantled granite. According to Wahrhaftig’s hypothesis, bare granite weathers slower than soil-mantled granite; thus random erosional exposure of bare rock leads to an alternating sequence of steep, slowly weathering bedrock “steps” and gently sloped, but rapidly weathering, soil-mantled “treads.” Our investigation focused on the terrain surrounding the Southern Sierra Critical Zone Observatory (CZO), which is underlain by granitic bedrock and lies outside the limits of recent glaciation, in the heart of the stepped topography described by Wahrhaftig. Our digital terrain analysis confirms that steep steps often grade into gentle treads, consistent with Wahrhaftig’s hypothesis. However, we observe a mix-and-match of soil and bare rock on treads and steps, contrary to one of the hypothesis’ major underpinnings – that bare rock should be much more common on steps than on treads. Moreover, the data show that bare rock is not as common as expected at step tops; Wahrhaftig’s hypothesis dictates that step tops should act as slowly eroding base levels for the treads above them. The data indicate that, within each landscape class (i.e., the steps and treads), bare rock erodes more slowly than surrounding soil. This suggests that the coupling between soil production and denudation in granitic landscapes harbors a tipping point wherein erosion rates decrease when soils are stripped to bedrock. Although broadly consistent with the differential weathering invoked by Wahrhaftig, the data also show that steps are eroding faster than treads, undermining Wahrhaftig’s explanation for the origins of the steps. The revised interpretation proposed here is that the landscape evolves by back-wearing of steps in addition to differential erosion due to differences in weathering of bare and soil-mantled granite.     

Geological and tectonic evolution of the Transantarctic Mountains,from ancient craton to recent enigma

The Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) are one of Earth's great mountain belts and are a fundamental physiographic feature of Antarctica. They are continental-scale, traverse a wide range of latitudes, have high relief, contain a significant proportion of exposed rock on the continent, and represent a major arc of environmental and geological transition. Although the modern physiography is largely of Cenozoic origin, this major feature has persisted for hundreds of millions of years since the Neoproterozoic to the modern. Its mere existence as the planet's longest intraplate mountain belt at the transition between a thick stable craton in East Antarctica and a large extensional province in West Antarctica is a continuing enigma. The early and more cryptic tectonic evolution of the TAM includes Mesoarchean and Paleoproterozoic crust formation as part of the Columbia supercontinent, followed by Neoproterozoic rift separation from Laurentia during breakup of Rodinia. Development of an Andean-style Gondwana convergent margin resulted in a long-lived Ross orogenic cycle from the late Neoproterozoic to the early Paleozoic, succeeded by crustal stabilization and widespread denudation during early Gondwana time, and intra-cratonic and foreland-basin sedimentation during late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic development of Pangea. Voluminous mafic volcanism, sill emplacement, and layered igneous intrusion are a primary signature of hotspot-influenced Jurassic extension during Gondwana breakup. The most recent phase of TAM evolution involved tectonic uplift and exhumation related to Cenozoic extension at the inboard edge of the West Antarctic Rift System, accompanied by Neogene to modern glaciation and volcanism related to the McMurdo alkaline volcanic province. Despite the remote location and relative inaccessibility of the TAM, its underlying varied and diachronous geology provides important clues for reconstructing past supercontinents and influences the modern flow patterns of both ice and atmospheric circulation, signifying that the TAM have both continental and global importance through time.     

滇西北山地末次冰期冰川发育及其基本特征

对滇西北海拔4 000~4 500 m 山地的第四纪冰川发育和平衡线高度进行了研究. 结果表明: 古冰川发育主要依托海拔4 000~4 300 m的夷平面,早中期发育小型的冰帽以及流入四周谷地的山谷冰川,晚期主要发育规模较小的冰斗冰川. 冰川主要发育期为末次冰期,古冰川平衡线、山体最高峰以及夷平面的高度显示,冰川发育所依托的夷平面在末次冰期时超过古平衡线,二者差值为50~400 m,为冰川发生提供了良好的地形与地势条件. 冰川规模演化表明,滇西北地区多处山地MIS 3中期的冰川规模大于末次冰盛期（LGM）,可能与MIS 3中期较强南亚季风带来较丰富的降水有关. 古气候研究资料以及研究区的冰期系列表明,滇西北海拔4 000~4 500 m山地末次冰期的冰川作用是构造和气候相耦合的结果.     

Proterozoic (pre-Ediacaran) glaciation and the high obliquity,low-latitude ice,strong seasonality (HOLIST) hypothesis: Principles and tests

Sedimentological observations and palaeomagnetic data for Cryogenian glacial deposits present the climatic paradox of grounded glaciers and in situ cold climate near sea-level, glaciomarine deposition, and accompanying large (up to 40 °C) seasonal changes of temperature, all in low to near-equatorial (< 10°) palaeolatitudes (equated with geographic latitudes). Neither the “snowball Earth” nor the “slushball Earth” hypothesis can account for such strong seasonality near the palaeoequator, which together with findings from sedimentology, chemostratigraphy, biogeochemistry, micropalaeontology, geochronology and climate modelling argue against those scenarios. An alternative explanation of glaciation and strong seasonality in low palaeolatitudes is offered by a high (> 54°) obliquity of the ecliptic, which would render the equator cooler than the poles, on average, and amplify global seasonality. A high obliquity per se would not have been a primary trigger for glaciation, but would have strongly influenced the latitudinal distribution of glaciers. The principle of low-latitude glaciation on a terrestrial planet with high obliquity is validated by theoretical studies and observations of Mars. A high obliquity for the early Earth is a likely outcome of a single giant impact at 4.5 Ga, the widely favoured mechanism for lunar origin. This implies that a high obliquity could have prevailed during most of the Precambrian, controlling the low palaeolatitude of glaciations in the early and late Palaeoproterozoic and Cryogenian. It is postulated that the obliquity changed to < 54° between the termination of the last Cryogenian low-palaeolatitude glaciation at ≤ 635 Ma and the initiation of Late Ordovician–Early Silurian circum-polar glaciation at 445 Ma.The High Obliquity, Low-latitude Ice, STrong seasonality (HOLIST) hypothesis for pre-Ediacaran glaciation emerges favourably from numerous glacial and non-glacial tests. The hypothesis is in accord with such established or implied features of Cryogenian glaciogenic successions as extensive and long-lived open seas, an active hydrological cycle, aridity and palaeowesterly (reversed zonal) winds in low palaeolatitudes, and the apparent diachronism or non-correlation of some low-palaeolatitude glaciations. A pre-Ediacaran high obliquity also offers a viable solution of the faint young Sun paradox of a warm Archaean Earth. Furthermore, reduction of obliquity during the Ediacaran–early Palaeozoic would have yielded a more habitable globe with much reduced seasonal stresses and may have been an important factor influencing the unique evolutionary events of the Ediacaran and Cambrian. The palaeolatitudinal distribution of evaporites cannot discriminate unambiguously between high- and low-obliquity states for the pre-Ediacaran Earth. Intervals of true polar wander such as postulated by others for the Ediacaran and Early Cambrian imply major mass-redistributions within the Earth at those times, which may provide a potential mechanism for reducing the obliquity during the Ediacaran–early Palaeozoic.     

Erosion of the Laurentide region of North America by glacial and glaciofluvial processes

Collection of seismic reflection data from continental margins and ocean basins surrounding North America makes it possible to estimate the amount of material eroded from the area formerly covered by Laurentide ice sheets since major glaciation began in North America. A minimum estimate is made of 1.62 × 10⁶ km³, or an average 120 m of rock physically eroded from the Laurentide region. This figure is an order of magnitude higher than earlier estimates based on the volume of glacial drift, Cenozoic marine sediments, and modern sediment loads of rivers. Most of the sediment produced during Laurentide glaciation has already been transported to the oceans. The importance of continental glaciation as a geomorphic agency in North America may have to be reevaluated. Evidence from sedimentation rates in ocean basins surrounding Greenland and Antarctica suggests that sediment production, sediment transport, and possibly denudation by permanent ice caps may be substantially lower than by periodic ice caps, such as the Laurentide. Low rates of sediment survival from the time of the Permo-Carboniferous and Precambrian glaciations suggest that predominance of marine deposition during some glacial epochs results in shorter lived sediment because of preferential tectonism and cycling of oceanic crust versus continental crust.     

Pleistocene/Holocene climate change, re-establishment of fluvial drainage network and increase in relief in the Swiss Alps

ABSTRACT Data are presented about modern sediment discharge of the Swiss rivers and related to the size of catchments. The information reveals that the Central Alps have experienced denudation rates of ≈0.15 mm yr⁻¹ in the foreland, and ≈0.5 mm yr⁻¹ in the Alpine core. Mapping, however, indicates that modern erosion only affects 30–50% of the Alpine surface, and that fluvial and associated hillslope processes have focused erosion in 50–200-m-deep valleys. These valleys are incised into the glacial surface. If this limited spatial extent of erosion is considered, then effective erosion rates are significantly higher than average denudation rates. These effective rates equal or locally exceed modern rates of rock uplift. This implies that the modification of erosional processes related to the Pleistocene/Holocene climate change has resulted in an increase in the relief at a local scale. At a drainage basin scale, however, the relief appears not to change at present.     

δ31Corg perturbations preserved by the interglacial Datangpo Formation in South China with implications for stratigraphic correlation and carbon cycle

Palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions of the Cryogenian Period have attracted attention in relation to the debated “Snowball Earth ” hypothesis and the early evolution of metazoan life. The carbon cycle and redox conditions of the Sturtian-Marinoan non-glacial interval have been subjected to much controversy in the past decades because of the lack of a high-resolution stratigraphic correlation scheme. As one of the typical Sturtian-Marinoan interglacial deposits, the Datangpo Fo...