Influence of late Holocene hillslope processes and landforms on modern channel dynamics in upland watersheds of central Nevada

Stratigraphic, geomorphic, and paleoecological data were collected from upland watersheds in the Great Basin of central Nevada to assess the relationships between late Holocene climate change, hillslope processes and landforms, and modern channel dynamics. These data indicate that a shift to drier, warmer climatic conditions from approximately 2500 to 1300 YPB led to a complex set of geomorphic responses. The initial response was massive hillslope erosion and the simultaneous aggradation of both side-valley alluvial fans and the axial valley system. The final response was fan stabilization and axial channel incision as fine-grained sediments were winnowed from the hillslope sediment reservoirs, and sediment yield and runoff processes were altered. The primary geomorphic response to disturbance for approximately the past 1900 years has been channel entrenchment, suggesting that the evolutionary history of hillslopes has produced watersheds that are prone to incision. The magnitude of the most recent phase of channel entrenchment varies along the valley floor as a function of geomorphic position relative to side-valley alluvial fans. Radial fan profiles suggest that during fan building, fan deposits temporarily blocked the flow of sediment down the main stem of the valley, commonly creating a stepped longitudinal valley profile. Stream reaches located immediately upvalley of these fans are characterized by low gradients and alternating episodes of erosion and deposition. In contrast, reaches coincident with or immediately downstream of the fans exhibit higher gradients and limited valley floor deposition. Thus, modern channel dynamics and associated riparian ecosystems are strongly influenced by landforms created by depositional events that occurred approximately 2000 years ago.     

Monsoon triggered formation of Quaternary alluvial megafans in the interior of Oman

A vast bajada consisting of coalescing low-gradient (< 0.3°) alluvial fans exceeding 100 km in length formed along the southwestern margin of the Oman Mountains. It comprises an old fan sequence of inferred Miocene to Pliocene age termed Barzaman Formation, diagenetically highly altered to dolomitic clays, and a thin veneer of weakly cemented Quaternary gravels. A combination of remote sensing, lithological analyses and luminescence dating is used to interpret the complex aggradation history of the Quaternary alluvial fans from the interior of Oman in the context of independent regional climate records. From satellite imagery and clast analysis four fans can be discerned in the study area. While two early periods of fan formation are tentatively correlated to the Miocene–Pliocene and the Early Pleistocene, luminescence dating allows the distinction of five phases of fan aggradation during the Middle–Late Pleistocene. These phases are correlated with pluvial periods from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 through 3, when southern Arabia was affected by monsoonal precipitation. It is concluded that the aggradation of the alluvial fans was triggered by the interplay of increased sediment production during arid periods and high rainfall with enhanced erosion of hillslopes and transport rates during strong monsoon phases. However, the lack of fine-grained sediments, bioturbation and organic material implies that although the Quaternary fans are sourced by monsoonal rains they formed in a semi-arid environment. Thus, it appears that, in contrast to the Oman Mountains, the interior was not directly affected by monsoonal precipitation.     

Recognition and significance of streamflow-dominated piedmont facies in extensional basins

Alluvial slopes are piedmonts characterized by parallel steam channels rather than alluvial fans. They are common landforms in extensional basins of the south-western United States but have received little attention from geomorphologists or sedimentologists. Persistence of channellized flow across piedmonts, as opposed to sheetflooding due to loss of flow confinement on alluvial-fan surfaces, distinguishes alluvial-slope and alluvial-fan facies. Miocene strata of the Tesuque Formation (Española basin, New Mexico) and Pliocene strata of the St. David Formation (San Pedro Valley, Arizona) provide examples of extensional basin–piedmont successions constructed by discrete gravel and sand bedload channels and aggrading interfluve floodplains and aeolian sand sheets. Distinction of alluvial-fan and alluvial-slope piedmont deposits has several important implications. The contrasting facies geometries associated with the two landforms produce distinctly different aquifer and reservoir properties. It is hypothesized that alluvial slopes are more likely to form than alluvial fans where mountain fronts lack abrupt structural and topographic definition. This circumstance will most likely be met (a) along tectonically inactive and embayed mountain fronts and (b) on the hangingwall ramp side of half grabens.     

GEOMORPHIC RESPONSE TO WILDFIRE IN AN ARID WATERSHED,CROW CANYON,NEVADA

On August 28, 1981, the Crow Canyon drainage basin in central Nevada was burned by a lightning-generated wildfire that destroyed the vegetation cover consisting primarily of juniper trees, sagebrush, and desert grasses. The geomorphic impact of the wildfire was assessed on the basis of aerial photography, measurements of sediment movement on hillslopes using charred tree trunks as erosion indicators, and surveys of the valley floor, axial channel, and alluvial fan. Aerial photographs indicate the valley floor was untrenched prior to the fire. The combination of foliage destruction and heavy runoff in the spring following the wildfire initiated channel downcutting that has now reached as much as 3.9 m in depth. Entrenchment of the valley-fill in the lower 2.2 km of the drainage network produced as much as 48, 142 m³ of sediment. Much of the channel incision occurred during 1982 and 1983, years characterized by above-normal precipitation. Approximately 17,608 m³ of sediment were deposited on a preexisting alluvial fan at the mouth of the basin. Following initial channel entrenchment and deposition on the fan, a spatially out-of-phase episode of channel cutting was initiated on the fan apex, a process that is redistributing sediment down-fan. Thus, one geomorphic disturbance has produced two discrete depositional events on the fan. Moreover, the geomorphic instability was still evident over a decade after the wildfire. [Key words: wildfire, degradation, channel entrenchment, soil erosion, complex-response.]     

Alluvial Fans as Records of Holocene Sediment Yield in the Central Great Plains of Southwest Nebraska

Soils buried by alluvial fan deposits in southwest Nebraska record several intervals of increased sediment yield from small watersheds during the Holocene. These intervals, which began at ca. 9000, 5800, 4000, 3000, and 1000 ¹⁴C yrs. B.P., were probably caused by some sort of change in regional climatic conditions. Existing evidence of Holocene climate change suggests that increased sediment yields were caused by periodic shifts toward drier climatic conditions, except for the intervals that began at 5800 and 4000 ¹⁴C yrs. B.P. The cause of increased sediment yields at those times is unclear, although an increased frequency of large intense storms may have been a contributing factor. The record of soil burial exhibits considerable spatial variability both within individual fans and between fans. This is partly due to practical limitations on the number of buried soils that could be sampled on each fan. But it is also due to the inherent spatial variability of depositional processes and to differences in the geomorphic development of the four fans. Thus, researchers who use data from fans to reconstruct sediment-yield histories need to investigate several sites on several fans in order to obtain as complete a record as possible of changing sediment yields.     

Distinguishing tectonic from climatic controls on range-front sedimentation

Geologic and chronometric studies of alluvial fan sequences in south-central Australia provide insights into the roles of tectonics and climate in continental landscape evolution. The most voluminous alluvial fans in the Flinders Ranges region have developed adjacent to catchments uplifted by Plio-Quaternary reverse faults, implying that young tectonic activity has exerted a first-order control on long-term sediment accumulation rates along the range front. However, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of alluvial fan sequences indicates that late Quaternary facies changes and intervals of sediment aggradation and dissection are not directly correlated with individual faulting events. Fan sequences record a transition from debris flow deposition and soil formation to clast-supported conglomeritic sedimentation by ∼30 ka. This transition is interpreted to reflect a landscape response to increasing climatic aridity, coupled with large flood events that episodically stripped previously weathered regolith from the landscape. Late Pleistocene to Holocene cycles of fan incision and aggradation post-date the youngest-dated surface ruptures and are interpreted to reflect changes in the frequency and magnitude of large floods. These datasets indicate that tectonic activity controlled long-term sediment supply but climate governed the spatial and temporal patterns of range-front sedimentation. Mild intraplate tectonism appears to have influenced Plio-Quaternary sedimentation patterns across much of the southern Australian continent, including the geometry and extent of alluvial fans and sea-level incursions.     

Distribution and land use characteristics of alluvial fans in the Lhasa River Basin,Tibet

In Lhasa River Basin (LRB),land suitable for settlement or living is experiencing a shortage of resources.Alluvial fans have the potential to alleviate this problem.However,basic information,such as the distribution and land use types of alluvial fans,is rarely studied.In this study,Google Earth,ArcGIS and visual interpretation were used to obtain the outlines,areas,quantities and distribution of alluvial fans.Meanwhile,to show the utilisation potential of alluvial fans,we analysed the land use,their distance from the roads,places (town and village) and rivers.The results showed 826 alluvial fans exist in LRB,with a total area of 1166.03 km2.The number of alluvial fans with areas between 0.1 and 1 km2 is 517,ac-counting for 62.59％ of the total number of alluvial fans.Grassland is the dominant land use type,accounting for 68.70％ of the total area of alluvial fans.The cropland area accounted for 2.16％ of alluvial fans and accounted for 18.98％ of the total cropland area in LRB.Exactly 93.70％,53.63％ and 61.86％ of the total number of alluvial fans were located within 5 km from the tertiary road,village,and river,respectively.To sum up,our survey results showed that alluvial fans are important land resources in LRB and may have huge utilisation potential.     

侯马盆地冲积扇及其流域地貌发育规律

根据从DEM数据中提取的侯马盆地冲积扇及其流域的多项地貌指标,分析了各地貌指标的空间分布规律,并通过地貌指标的空间分布曲线与山前地形高程曲线形态的对比以及地貌指标相关性分析来揭示冲积扇及其流域地貌的发育规律。结果表明,在侯马盆地相对隆起部位的冲积扇及其流域的地貌指标与在盆地凹陷部位的冲积扇及其流域的地貌指标有较大差异;流域地貌指标的空间分布受到盆地边界断层构造活动性的影响;冲积扇的发育主要受到流域规模、山前构造活动以及盆地基准面等多种因素共同的影响;流域内岩性的差异不是造成研究区域内冲积扇地貌差异的主要因素。     

Channel processes following land use changes in a degrading steep headwater stream in North Island, New Zealand

In headwater streams in steep land settings, narrow and steep valley floors provide closely coupled relationships between geomorphic components including hillslopes, tributary fans, and channel reaches. These relationships together with small catchment sizes result in episodic changes to the amount of stored sediment in channels. Major sediment inputs follow high magnitude events. Subsequent exponential losses via removal of material can be represented by a relaxation curve. The influence of hillslope and tributary processes on relaxation curves, and that of altered coupling relations between components, were investigated along a 1.3 km reach of a degrading channel in the 4.8 km² Weraamaia Catchment, New Zealand. Extensive deforestation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, followed by invasion of scrubs and reforestation, induced changes to major erosion types from gully complexes to shallow landslides. Changes in the size and pattern of sediment slugs from 1938 to 2002 were analysed from air photographs tied to detailed field measurement. The rate and calibre of sediment flux changed progressively following substantive hillslope input in a storm in 1938. Subsequently, the channel narrowed and incised, decoupling tributary fans from the main stem, thereby scaling down the size of sediment slugs. As a consequence, the dominant influence on the behaviour of sediment slugs and associated relaxation processes, changed from tributary fans to the type and distribution of bedrock outcrops along the reach.     

Impact of recycling and lateral sediment input on grain size fining trends—Implications for reconstructing tectonic and climate forcings in ancient sedimentary systems

Grain size trends in basin stratigraphy are thought to preserve a rich record of the climatic and tectonic controls on landscape evolution. Stratigraphic models assume that over geological timescales, the downstream profile of sediment deposition is in dynamic equilibrium with the spatial distribution of tectonic subsidence in the basin, sea level and the flux and calibre of sediment supplied from mountain catchments. Here, we demonstrate that this approach in modelling stratigraphic responses to environmental change is missing a key ingredient: the dynamic geomorphology of the sediment routing system. For three large alluvial fans in the Iglesia basin, Argentine Andes we measured the grain size of modern river sediment from fan apex to toe and characterise the spatial distribution of differential subsidence for each fan by constructing a 3D model of basin stratigraphy from seismic data. We find, using a self‐similar grain size fining model, that the profile of grain size fining on all three fans cannot be reproduced given the subsidence profile measured and for any sediment supply scenario. However, by adapting the self‐similar model, we demonstrate that the grain size trends on each fan can be effectively reproduced when sediment is not only sourced from a single catchment at the apex of the system, but also laterally, from tributary catchments and through fan surface recycling. Without constraint on the dynamic geomorphology of these large alluvial systems, signals of tectonic and climate forcing in grain size data are masked and would be indecipherable in the geological record. This has significant implications for our ability to make sensitive, quantitative reconstructions of external boundary conditions from the sedimentary record.     

Little ice age alluvial fan development in Langedalen, western Norway

This paper reports a preliminary investigation of the sedimentary succession in two alluvial fans in western Norway. Sedimentological information is supplemented by palaeoecological data from pollen analysis and the age of the sequence is constrained by six radiocarbon age estimates on woody fragments and peat. These data suggest that significant accumulation of fan sediments took place after AD 1637–1685. Before this, the fluvial landscape and the adjacent slopes may have been more stable with the development of Betula , Salix and Alnus woodland on the valley floor and sides. Although there is no indication of gradual climatic deterioration in the vegetation record from these sites, the radiocarbon chronology suggests that enhanced fan development was coincident with the climatic change associated with the 'Little Ice Age'. This was probably a response to glacier expansion and increased discharge and sediment supply to the alluvial fans from outlets of the Jostedalsbreen ice cap on the southern side of Langedalen. Initial response to climate change in this setting was therefore enhanced geomorphic activity and instability of the valley-side slopes.     

Factors influencing the presence or absence of tributary-junction fans in the Iberian Range, Spain

This paper analyses the factors which influence the presence or absence of tributary-junction fans in the Iberian Range, northern Spain. Two valleys were selected, both characterised by wide variations in lithology, altitude, land use and plant cover. Two groups of factors were studied: those related to the internal characteristics of the drainage basins, which particularly control sediment generation; and those related to the characteristics of the depositional area which control accommodation space and main river power. Among the internal factors, the development of alluvial fans was related to: (i) the capacity of the basin to yield large volumes of sediment, (ii) the occurrence of intense human pressure until recent times, a good indicator of sediment yield, and (iii) the capacity of the basin to quickly increase discharge during rainstorms (discharge density and torrentiality). It is suggested that the areas that were intensively cultivated in the past, and have therefore been affected by intense erosion, have played a decisive role on the development of alluvial fans. This would imply that many of these alluvial fans have a relatively recent origin, perhaps related to the beginning of a widespread deforestation. The basins without alluvial fans are characterised by relatively steep hillslope gradients (that is, slopes that never were subjected to historical cultivation), low drainage densities and dense forest and shrub cover, mostly coinciding with high altitude basins composed of quartzite and shale bedrocks. Regarding the external factors, the shape, size and longitudinal gradient of the main river to which the fans are tributary are the most relevant conditioning factors determining the development of alluvial fans.     

CHANNEL CHANGES IN ARID BADLANDS,BORREGO SPRINGS,CALIFORNIA

Geometric, hydraulic, and sediment characteristics in arid badlands near Borrego Springs, California, are examined in relation to precipitation events of varying magnitude and frequency. The longitudinal and cross profiles of five ephemeral channels occupying a 2.5 km² catchment were surveyed under pre-and post-storm conditions during the February 1976-December 1978 period. Such arid region channels offer the opportunity to observe and explain rates and methods of profile change under different flow types in a short period of time. Catchment responses to light winter events include substantial lags between initial precipitation and channel runoff, the limited downstream movement of small slugs of sediment, high losses of discharge into channel alluvium, and prolonged mass movement of debris from adjacent hillslopes into the channels following the storm events thus promoting aggradation along certain channel reaches. Responses to intense summer storms include explosive channel and hillslope runoff and localized scour and fill, both during and following such events, thereby promoting substantial aggradation and erosion along portions of the channels. Although ephemeral flow conditions may produce channel profiles which are distinct from those in perennial streams, the evaluation of the methods of sediment transport and the storage of debris in arid catchments offer useful explanation for other environments.     

Modelling differential catchment response to environmental change

The CAESAR (Cellular Automaton Evolutionary Slope And River) model is used to demonstrate significant differences in coarse sediment transfer and alluviation in medium sized catchments when responding to identical Holocene environmental changes. Simulations for four U.K. basins (the Rivers Swale, Ure, Nidd and Wharfe) shows that catchment response, driven by climate and conditioned by land cover changes, is synchronous but varies in magnitude. There are bursts of sediment transfer activity, generally of rapid removal but with some sediment accumulation ‘spikes’, with longer periods of slow removal or accumulation of sediment in different valley reaches. Within catchments, reach sensitivity to environmental change varies considerably: some periods are only recorded in some reaches, whilst higher potential sensitivity typically occurs in the piedmont areas of the catchments modelled here. These differential responses appear to be highly non-linear and may relate to the passage of sediment waves, by variable local sediment storage and availability, and by large- and small-scale thresholds for sediment transfer within each catchment. Differential response has major implications for modelling fluvial systems and the interpretation of field data. Model results are compared with the record of dated alluvial deposits in the modelled catchments.     

Conceptual model of sediment processes in the upper Yuba River watershed, Sierra Nevada, CA

This study examines the development of a conceptual model of sediment processes in the upper Yuba River watershed; and we hypothesize how components of the conceptual model may be spatially distributed using a geographical information system (GIS). The conceptual model illustrates key processes controlling sediment dynamics in the upper Yuba River watershed and was tested and revised using field measurements, aerial photography, and low elevation videography. Field reconnaissance included mass wasting and channel storage inventories, assessment of annual channel change in upland tributaries, and evaluation of the relative importance of sediment sources and transport processes. Hillslope erosion rates throughout the study area are relatively low when compared to more rapidly eroding landscapes such as the Pacific Northwest and notable hillslope sediment sources include highly erodible andesitic mudflows, serpentinized ultramafics, and unvegetated hydraulic mine pits. Mass wasting dominates surface erosion on the hillslopes; however, erosion of stored channel sediment is the primary contributor to annual sediment yield. We used GIS to spatially distribute the components of the conceptual model and created hillslope erosion potential and channel storage models. The GIS models exemplify the conceptual model in that landscapes with low potential evapotranspiration, sparse vegetation, steep slopes, erodible geology and soils, and high road densities display the greatest hillslope erosion potential and channel storage increases with increasing stream order. In-channel storage in upland tributaries impacted by hydraulic mining is an exception. Reworking of stored hydraulic mining sediment in low-order tributaries continues to elevate upper Yuba River sediment yields. Finally, we propose that spatially distributing the components of a conceptual model in a GIS framework provides a guide for developing more detailed sediment budgets or numerical models making it an inexpensive way to develop a roadmap for understanding sediment dynamics at a watershed scale.     

Spatial distribution of sediment storage types and quantification of valley fill deposits in an alpine basin, Reintal, Bavarian Alps, Germany

Spatial patterns of sediment storage types and associated volumes using a novel approach for quantifying valley fill deposits are presented for a small alpine catchment (17 km²) in the Bavarian Alps. The different sediment storage types were analysed with respect to geomorphic coupling and sediment flux activity. The most landforms in the valley in terms of surface area were found to be talus slopes (sheets and cones) followed by rockfall deposits and alluvial fans and plains. More than two-thirds of the talus slopes are relict landforms, completely decoupled from the geomorphic system. Notable sediment transport is limited to avalanche tracks, debris flows, and along floodplains. Sediment volumes were calculated using a combination of polynomial functions of cross sections, seismic refraction, and GIS modelling. A total of, 66 seismic refraction profiles were carried out throughout the valley for a more precise determination of sediment thicknesses and to check the bedrock data generated from geomorphometric analysis. We calculated the overall sediment volume of the valley fill deposits to be 0.07 km³. This corresponds to a mean sediment thickness of 23.3 m. The seismic refraction data showed that large floodplains and sedimentation areas, which have been developed through damming effects from large rockfalls, are in general characterised by shallow sediment thicknesses (<20 m). By contrast, the thickness of several talus slopes is more than twice as much. For some locations (e.g., narrow sections of valley), the polynomial-generated cross sections resulted in overestimations of up to one order of magnitude; whereas in sections with a moderate valley shape, the modelled cross sections are in good accordance with the obtained seismic data. For the quantification of valley fill deposits, a combined application of bedrock data derived from polynomials and geophysical prospecting is highly recommended.     

冲洪积扇与泥石流扇的遥感影像特征辨析

在揭示冲洪积扇和泥石流扇在发育规模、物质成分及分选性、赖以形成的地形地貌条件等方面的差异特征的基础上 ,阐述它们在航天和航空遥感图像上的影像特征 ,以及识别它们的实践意义     

Hyperconcentrated Flows in the Slope-Channel Systems in Gullied Hilly Areas on the Loess Plateau, China

This study is based on the data from Zizhou and Wangjiagou experimental stations on the Loess Plateau in the major sediment‐producing areas of the middle Yellow River drainage basin. It deals with characteristics of hyperconcentrated flows in the slope‐channel systems in the gullied hilly areas on the Loess Plateau. The results show that the formation of hyperconcentrated flows is closely related to the vertical differentiation of landforms. Based on data from 21 rainfall events in the period 1963–1970, event‐averaged suspended sediment concentration for hilltop, upper hillslope, lower hillslope and gully slope was calculated as 36 kg/m³, 89 kg/m³, 304 kg/m³ and 505 kg/m³, and the frequency of hyperconcentrated flows was 0.0, 0.17, 0.74 and 1.0, respectively. Thus, hyperconcentrated flows form on the lower part of hillslopes and on the gully slopes, and develope well in gully channels of various orders. There exists a sediment storing‐releasing mechanism, resulting from different behaviours of sediment transport by non‐hyperconcentrated and hyperconcentrated flows. When water flows are nonhyperconcentrated, the relatively coarse fractions of sediment from the slopes are deposited in the channel. When hyperconcentrated flows occur, the previously deposited coarse sediment may be eroded and released from the channel. A close relationship is found between rainstorms and the formation of hyperconcentrated flows, and some thresholds of rainfall and runoff for the occurrence of hyperconcentrated flows have been identified.