Bathymetry of Lake Lisan controls late Pleistocene and Holocene stream incision in response to base level fall

This paper examines the millennial-scale evolution of the longitude profile of Nahal (Wadi) Zin in the Dead Sea basin in the northern Arava valley, Israel. Nahal Zin has incised ~ 50 m into relatively soft late Pleistocene Lake Lisan sediments. Incision was forced by the regressive (> 10 km) lake level fall of a total of > 200 m of Lake Lisan from its highest stand at ~ 25 ka and exposure of the lake-floor sediments to fluvial and coastal processes. Alluvial cut terraces of the incising channel are well preserved along the 17.5 km of the lowermost reach of Nahal Zin. At its outlet into the Dead Sea basin, Nahal Zin deposited a Holocene alluvial fan at the base of a 10–80 m high escarpment in unconsolidated sediments. The escarpment is associated with the Amazyahu fault, which forms the southern structural boundary of the present Dead Sea basin. Geomorphic mapping, optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages, and soil stratigraphy allowed correlation of terrace remnants and reconstruction of several past longitudinal profiles of Nahal Zin and its incision history. Together with the published lake level chronology, these data provide an opportunity to examine stream incision related to base level lowering at a millennial scale. OSL ages of the terraces fit relatively well with the established lake level chronology and follow its regression and fall. For a few thousands of years the longitudinal profile response to the lake level fall was downstream lengthening onto the exposed former lake bed. Most of the incision (~ 40 m) occurred later, when the lake level reached the top of the Amazyahu fault escarpment and continued to drop. The incision was a relatively short episode at about 17 ka and cut through this escarpment almost to its base. The fast incision, its timing, and the profiles of the incising channels indicate that the escarpment was an underwater feature and was not formed after the lake retreated.This fairly simple scenario of regressive lake level fall and knickpoint exposure and incision is modeled here using a one-dimensional numerical incision model based on a linear diffusion equation. The calculated diffusion coefficient fits earlier results and data obtained from other streams in the area and confirms the upscaling of this simple model to the millennial scale.     

Incision of alluvial channels in response to a continuous base level fall: Field characterization, modeling, and validation along the Dead Sea

The dramatic lake level drop of the Dead Sea during the twentieth century ( 30 m) provides a field-scale experiment in transport-limited incision of gravel-bed channels in response to quasi-continuous base level fall at approximately constant rate. We apply a one-dimensional numerical incision model based on a linear diffusion equation to seven ephemeral channels draining into the Dead Sea. The model inputs include the measured twentieth century lake level curve, annual shoreline location (i.e., annual channel lengthening following the lake level drop), reconstructed longitudinal profiles of each of the channels based on mapped and surveyed terraces, and the current profiles of the active channels. The model parameters included the diffusion coefficient and the upstream-derived sediment flux. Both were first calibrated using a set of longitudinal profiles of known ages and then validated using additional sets of longitudinal profiles.The maximum at-station total incision observed at each of the studied channels was significantly less then the total lake level drop and varied in response to both drainage area and lake bathymetry. The model applied predicted degradation rates and the pattern of degradation with high accuracy. This suggests that sediment flux in the modeled channels is indeed linearly dependent on slope. Further support for this linear dependency is provided by a linear correlation between the diffusion coefficient and the mean annual rain volume over each basin (a proxy for discharge). The model presented could be a valuable tool for planning in rapid base level fall environments where incision may risk infrastructure.     

Cosmogenic nuclide-based investigation of spatial erosion and hillslope channel coupling in the transient foreland of the Swiss Alps

Transient landscape disequilibrium is a common response to climatic fluctuations between glacial and interglacial conditions. Such landscapes are best suited to the investigation of catchment-wide response to changes in incision. The geomorphology of the Trub and Grosse Fontanne, adjacent stream systems in the Napf region of the Swiss Molasse, was analyzed using a 2-m LIDAR DEM. The two catchments were impacted by the Last Glacial Maximum, LGM, even though the glaciers never overrode this region. They did, however, cause base levels to drop by as much as 80 m. Despite their similar tectonic, lithologic and climatic settings, these two basins show very different responses to the changing boundary conditions. Stream profiles in the Trub tend to be smooth, while in the Fontanne, numerous knickzones are visible. Similarly, cut-and-fill terraces are abundant in the Trub watershed, but absent in the Fontanne, where deep valleys have been incised. The Trub appears to be a coupled hillslope–channel system because the morphometrics throughout the basin are uniform. The morphology of hillslopes upstream of the knickzones in the Fontanne is identical to that of the Trub basin, but different downstream of the knickzones, suggesting that the lower reaches of the Fontanne have been decoupled from the hillslopes. However, the rapid incision of the Fontanne is having little effect on the adjacent upper hillslopes.We tested this interpretation using cosmogenic ¹⁰Be-derived basin-averaged denudation rates and terrace dating. The coupled nature of the Trub basin is supported by the similarity of denudation rates, 350 ± 50 mm ky^− 1, at a variety of spatial scales. Upstream of the knickzones, rates in the Fontanne, 380 ± 50 mm ky^− 1, match those of the Trub. Downstream of the knickzones, denudation rates increase to 540 ± 100 mm ky^− 1. The elevated rates in the downstream areas of the Fontanne are due to rapid incision causing a decoupling of the hillslope from the channel. Basin response time and the magnitude of base level drop exert the principal control over the difference in geomorphic response between the two basins. The timing of the filling of the Trub valley, 17 ± 2 ka, and the initial incision of the Fontanne, 16 ± 3 ka, were calculated, verifying that these are responses to late glacial perturbations. Unique lithologic controls allow for one of the fastest regolith production rates yet to be reported,  380 mm ky^− 1.     

Rates of fluvial bedrock incision within an actively uplifting orogen: Central Karakoram Mountains, northern Pakistan

Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) ¹⁰Be surface exposure ages for strath terraces along the Braldu River in the Central Karakoram Mountains range from 0.8 to 11 ka. This indicates that strath terrace formation began to occur rapidly upon deglaciation of the Braldu valley at  11 ka. Fluvial incision rates for the Braldu River based on the TCN ages for strath terraces range from 2 to 29 mm/a. The fluvial incision rates for the central gorged section of the Braldu River are an order of magnitude greater than those for the upper and lower reaches. This difference is reflected in the modern stream gradient and valley morphology. The higher incision rates in the gorged central reach of the Braldu River likely reflect differential uplift above the Main Karakoram Thrust that has resulted in the presence of a knickpoint and more rapid fluvial incision. The postglacial fluvial incision rate (2–3 mm/a) for the upper and lower reaches are of the same order of magnitude as the exhumation rates estimated from previously published thermochronological data for the Baltoro granite in the upper catchment region and for the adjacent Himalayan regions.     

Clay slides in the Målselv valley, northern Norway: Characteristics, occurrence, and triggering mechanisms

The distribution of a large number of clay slides in the Målselv valley, northern Norway, is analysed and put into context with the stratigraphic organization of the valley-fill sediments. About 32% of the landslides larger than 10⁴ m³ occur close to the valley margins, where mud is either exposed or at shallow depth. About 57% of the landslides occur mid-valley, where relatively thin (< 15 m) coarse-grained deltaic sediments overlay fine-grained marine and glaciomarine sediments, and about 11% of the landslides occur in front of ice-contact deposits. The slide-prone areas are all characterized by the occurrence of heterogeneous sediments (interbedded clay, silt and sand), in addition to the presence of steep slopes eroded by rivers. The heterogeneous nature of the sediments probably enhanced groundwater drainage and leaching of salts from the clay, increasing sensitivity. Thus, the distribution and organization of the valley-fill sediments and groundwater drainage probably controlled the position of the slide scars and sliding planes. Since deglaciation of the valley (11,500 BP–present), isostatic rebound has enhanced fluvial incision and the creation of steep slopes due to a fall in relative sea level of up to 80 m.Arcuate-shaped, ‘bottleneck’ landslide scars ranging from c. 10⁴ to 10⁷ m³ in size is the dominant morphological signature of the slides, typical for quick clay slides or earth flows involving fluid mud. Their most common triggering mechanism is probably erosion at the toe slopes by the river Målselv or its tributaries. River erosion close to the valley margin, where glaciomarine and marine sediments are present, seems to give the most severe slides. The overall valley-fill organization controls the distribution of clay slides, which may apply to other fjord valleys having similar sediment distribution.     

An empirical–conceptual gully evolution model for channelled sea cliffs

Incised coastal channels are a specific form of incised channel that are found in locations where stream channels flowing to cliffed coasts have the excess energy required to cut down through the cliff to reach the outlet water body. The southern coast of the Isle of Wight, southern England, comprises soft cliffs that vary in height between 15 and 100 m and which are retreating at rates ≤ 1.5 m a^− 1, due to a combination of wave erosion and landslides. In several locations, river channels have cut through the cliffs to create deeply (≤ 45 m) incised gullies, known locally as ‘Chines’. The Chines are unusual in that their formation is associated with dynamic shoreline encroachment during a period of rising sea-level, whereas existing models of incised channel evolution emphasise the significance of base level lowering. This paper develops a conceptual model of Chine evolution by applying space for time substitution methods using empirical data gathered from Chine channel surveys and remotely sensed data. The model identifies a sequence of evolutionary stages, which are classified based on a suite of morphometric indices and associated processes. The extent to which individual Chines are in a state of growth or decay is estimated by determining the relative rates of shoreline retreat and knickpoint recession, the former via analysis of historical aerial images and the latter through the use of a stream power erosion model.     

Last glacial aggradation and postglacial sediment production from the non-glacial Waipaoa and Waimata catchments, Hikurangi Margin, North Island, New Zealand

The sediment flux generated by postglacial channel incision has been calculated for the 2150 km², non-glacial, Waipaoa catchment located on the tectonically active Hikurangi Margin, eastern North Island, New Zealand. Sediment production both at a sub-catchment scale and for the Waipaoa catchment as a whole was calculated by first using the tensioned spline method within ARC MAP to create an approximation of the aggradational Waipaoa-1 surface (contemporaneous with the Last Glacial Maximum), and second using grid calculator functions in the GIS to subtract the modern day surface from the Waipaoa-1 surface. The Waipaoa-1 surface was mapped using stereo aerial photography, and global positioning technology fixed the position of individual terrace remnants in the landscape. The recent discovery of Kawakawa Tephra within Waipaoa-1 aggradation gravels in this catchment demonstrates that aggradation was coincidental with or began before the deposition of this 22 600 ¹⁴C-year-old tephra and, using the stratigraphic relationship of Rerewhakaaitu Tephra, the end of aggradation is dated at ca 15 000 ¹⁴C years (ca 18 000 cal. years BP). The construction of the Waipaoa-1 terrace is considered to be synchronous and broadly correlated with aggradation elsewhere in the North Island and northern South Island, indicating that aggradation ended at the same time over a wide area. Subsequent downcutting, a manifestation of base-level lowering following a switch to postglacial incision at the end of glacial-age aggradation, points to a significant Southern Hemisphere climatic warming occurring soon after ca 15 000 ¹⁴C years (ca 18 000 cal. years BP) during the Older Dryas interval. Elevation differences between the Waipaoa-1 (c.15 ka) terrace and the level of maximum channel incision (i.e. before aggradation since the turn of the 20th century) suggest about 50% of the topographic relief within headwater reaches of the Waipaoa catchment has been formed in postglacial times. The postglacial sediment flux generated by channel incision from Waipaoa catchment is of the order of 9.5 km³, of which ~ 6.6 km³ is stored within the confines of the Poverty Bay floodplain. Thus, although the postglacial period represented a time of high terrigenous sediment generation and delivery, only ~ 30% of the sediment generated by channel incision from Waipaoa catchment probably reached the marine shelf and slope of the Hikurangi Margin during this time. The smaller adjacent Waimata catchment probably contributed an additional 2.6 km³ to the same depocentre to give a total postglacial sediment contribution to the shelf and beyond of ~ 5.5 km³. Sediment generated by postglacial channel incision represents only ~ 25% of the total sediment yield from this landscape with ~ 75% of the estimated volume of the postglacial storage offshore probably derived from hillslope erosion processes following base-level fall at times when sediment yield from these catchments exceeded storage.     

Exhumation and incision history of the Lahul Himalaya, northern India, based on (U–Th)/He thermochronometry and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide methods

Low-temperature apatite (U–Th)/He (AHe) thermochronology on vertical transects of leucogranite stocks and ¹⁰Be terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) surface exposure dating on strath terraces in the Lahul Himalaya provide a first approximation of long-term (10⁴–10⁶ years) exhumation rates for the High Himalayan Crystalline Series (HHCS) for northern India. The AHe ages show that exhumation of the HHCS in Lahul from shallow crustal levels to the surface was ~ 1–2 mm/a and occurred during the past ~ 2.5 Ma. Bedrock exhumation in Lahul fits into a regional pattern in the HHCS of low-temperature thermochronometers yielding Plio-Pleistocene ages. Surface exposure ages of strath terraces along the Chandra River range from ~ 3.5 to 0.2 ka. Two sites along the Chandra River show a correlation between TCN age and height above the river level yielding maximum incision rates of 12 and 5.5 mm/a. Comparison of our AHe and surface exposure ages from Lahul with thermochronometry data from the fastest uplifting region at the western end of the Himalaya, the Nanga Parbat syntaxis, illustrates that there are contrasting regions in the High Himalaya where longer term (10⁵–10⁷ years) erosion and exhumation of bedrock substantially differ even though Holocene rates of fluvial incision are comparable. These data imply that the orogen's indenting corners are regions where focused denudation has been stable since the mid-Pliocene. However, away from these localized areas where there is a potent coupling of tectonic and surface processes that produce rapid uplift and denudation, Plio-Pleistocene erosion and exhumation can be characterized by disequilibrium, where longer term rates are relatively slower and shorter term fluvial erosion is highly variable over time and distance. The surface exposure age data reflect differential incision along the length of the Chandra River over millennial time frames, illustrate the variances that are possible in Himalayan river incision, and highlight the complexity of Himalayan environments.     

Sensitivity analysis of pediment development through numerical simulation and selected geospatial query

Dozens of references recognizing pediment landforms in widely varying lithologic, climatic, and tectonic settings suggest a ubiquity in pediment forming processes on mountain piedmonts worldwide. Previous modeling work illustrates the development of a unique range in arid/semiarid piedmont slope (< 0.2 or 11.3°) and regolith thickness (2–4 m) that defines pediments, despite varying the initial conditions and domain characteristics (initial regolith thickness, slope, distance from basin to crest, topographic perturbations, and boundary conditions) and process rates (fluvial sediment transport efficiency and weathering rates). This paper expands upon the sensitivity analysis through numerical simulation of pediment development in the presence of spatially varying rock type, various base level histories, various styles of sediment transport, and various rainfall rates to determine how pediment development might be restricted in certain environments. This work suggests that in landscapes characterized by soil and vegetation types that favor incisive fluvial sediment transport styles coupled with incisive base level conditions, pediment development will be disrupted by the roughening of sediment mantled surfaces, thereby creating spatial variability in topography, regolith thickness, and bedrock weathering rates. Base level incision rates that exceed the integrated sediment flux along a hillslope derived from upslope weathering and sediment transport on the order of 10^− 3 m y^− 1 restrict pediment development by fostering piedmont incision and/or wholesale removal (stripping) of regolith mantles prior to footslope pediment development. Simulations illustrate an insensitivity to alternating layers of sandstone and shale 3–15 m thick oriented in various geometric configurations (vertical, horizontal, and dip-slope) and generating different regolith hydrologic properties and exhibiting weathering rate variations up to 3-fold. Higher fluxes and residence times of subsurface groundwater in more humid environments, as well as dissolution-type weathering, lead to a thickening of regolith mantles on erosional piedmonts on the order of 10¹ m and an elimination of pediment morphology. An initial test of the model sensitivity analysis in arid/semiarid environments, for which field reconnaissance and detailed geomorphic mapping indicate the presence of pediments controlled by climatic conditions (soil hydrologic properties, vegetation characteristics, and bedrock weathering style) that are known and constant, supports our modeling results that pediments are more prevalent in hydrologically-open basins.     

Initiation conditions for debris flows generated by runoff at Chalk Cliffs, central Colorado

We have monitored initiation conditions for six debris flows between May 2004 and July 2006 in a 0.3 km² drainage basin at Chalk Cliffs; a band of hydrothermally-altered quartz monzonite in central Colorado. Debris flows were initiated by water runoff from colluvium and bedrock that entrained sediment from rills and channels with slopes ranging from about 14° to 45°. The availability of channel material is essentially unlimited because of thick channel fill and refilling following debris flows by rock fall and dry ravel processes. Rainfall exceeding I = 6.61(D)^− 0.77, where I is rainfall intensity (mm/h), and D is duration (h), was required for the initiation of debris flows in the drainage basin. The approximate minimum runoff discharge from the surface of bedrock required to initiate debris flows in the channels was 0.15 m³/s. Colluvium in the basin was unsaturated immediately prior to (antecedent) and during debris flows. Antecedent, volumetric moisture levels in colluvium at depths of 1 cm and 29 cm ranged from 4–9%, and 4–7%, respectively. During debris flows, peak moisture levels in colluvium at depths of 1 cm and 29 cm ranged from 10–20%, and 4–12%, respectively. Channel sediment at a depth of 45 cm was unsaturated before and during debris flows; antecedent moisture ranged from 20–22%, and peak moisture ranged from 24–38%. Although we have no measurements from shallow rill or channel sediment, we infer that it was unsaturated before debris flows, and saturated by surface-water runoff during debris flows.Our results allow us to make the following general statements with regard to debris flows generated by runoff in semi-arid to arid mountainous regions: 1) high antecedent moisture levels in hillslope and channel sediment are not required for the initiation of debris flows by runoff, 2) locations of entrainment of sediment by successive runoff events can vary within a basin as a function of variations in the thickness of existing channel fill and the rate of replenishment of channel fill by rock fall and dry ravel processes following debris flows, and 3) rainfall and simulated surface-water discharge thresholds can be useful in understanding and predicting debris flows generated by runoff and sediment entrainment.     

Decoding temporal and spatial patterns of fault uplift using transient river long profiles

We present detailed observations of rivers crossing active normal faults in the Central Apennines, Italy, where excellent constraints exist on the temporal and spatial history of fault movement. We demonstrate that rivers with drainage areas > 10 km² and crossing faults that have undergone an increase in throw rate within the last 1 My, have significant long-profile convexities. In contrast, channels that cross faults that have had a constant-slip rate for 3 My have concave-up profiles and have similar concavities and steepness indices to rivers that do not cross any active fault structures. This trend is consistent across the Central Apennines and cannot be explained by appeal to lithology or regional base level change. The data challenge the belief that active faulting must always be reflected in river profiles; instead, the long-profile convexities are best explained as a transient response of the river system to a change in tectonic uplift rate. Moreover, for these rivers we demonstrate that the height of the profile convexity, as measured from the fault, scales with the magnitude of the uplift rate increase on the fault; and we establish that this relationship holds for throw rate variation along strike for the same fault segment, as well as between faults. These findings are shown to be consistent with predictions of channel response to changing uplift rate rates using a detachment-limited fluvial erosion model, and they illustrate that analysis of the magnitude of profile convexities has considerable predictive potential for extracting tectonic information. We also demonstrate that the migration rate of the profile convexities varies from 1.5–10 mm/y, and is a function of the slip rate increase as well as the drainage area. This is consistent with n > 1 for the slope exponent in a classical detachment-limited stream-power erosion law, but could potentially be explained by incorporating an erosion threshold or an explicit role for sediment in enhancing erosion rates. Finally, we show that for rivers in extensional settings, where the response times to tectonic perturbation are long (in this case > 1 My), attempts to extract tectonic uplift rates from normalised steepness indices are likely to be flawed because topographic steady state has not yet been achieved.     

New constraints on the late Cenozoic incision history of the New River, Virginia

The New River crosses three physiogeologic provinces of the ancient, tectonically quiescent Appalachian orogen and is ideally situated to record variability in fluvial erosion rates over the late Cenozoic. Active erosion features on resistant bedrock that floors the river at prominent knickpoints demonstrate that the river is currently incising toward base level. However, thick sequences of alluvial fill and fluvial terraces cut into this fill record an incision history for the river that includes several periods of stalled downcutting and aggradation. We used cosmogenic ¹⁰Be exposure dating, aided by mapping and sedimentological examination of terrace deposits, to constrain the timing of events in this history. ¹⁰Be concentration depth profiles were used to help account for variables such as cosmogenic inheritance and terrace bioturbation. Fill-cut and strath terraces at elevations 10, 20, and 50 m above the modern river yield model cosmogenic exposure ages of 130, 600, and 600–950 ka, respectively, but uncertainties on these ages are not well constrained. These results provide the first direct constraint on the history of alluvial aggradation and incision events recorded by New River terrace deposits. The exposure ages yield a long-term average incision rate of 43 m/my, which is comparable to rates measured elsewhere in the Appalachians. During specific intervals over the last 1 Ma, however, the New River's incision rate reached 100 m/my. Modern erosion rates on bedrock at a prominent knickpoint are between 28 and 87 m/my, in good agreement with rates calculated between terrace abandonment events and significantly faster than 2 m/my rates of surface erosion from ancient terrace remnants. Fluctuations between aggradation and rapid incision operate on timescales of 10⁴− 10⁵ year, similar to those of late Cenozoic climate variations, though uncertainties in model ages preclude direct correlation of these fluctuations to specific climate change events. These second-order fluctuations appear within a longer-term signal of dominant aggradation (until 2 Ma) followed by dominant incision. A similar signal is observed on other Appalachian rivers and may be the result of sediment supply fluctuations driven by the increased frequency of climate changes in the late Cenozoic.     

Cosmogenic nuclide budgeting of floodplain sediment transfer

Cosmogenic nuclides produced in quartz may either decay or accumulate while sediment is moved through a river basin. A change in nuclide concentration resulting from storage in a floodplain is potentially important in large drainage basins in which sediment is prone to repeated burial and remobilization as a river migrates through its floodplain. We have modeled depth- and time-dependent cosmogenic nuclide concentration changes for ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, and ¹⁴C during sediment storage and mixing in various active floodplain settings ranging from confined, shallow rivers with small floodplains to foreland-basin scale floodplains traversed by deep rivers. Floodplain storage time, estimated from channel migration rates, ranges from 0.4 kyr for the Beni River basin (Bolivia) to 7 kyr for the Amazon River basin, while floodplain storage depth, estimated from channel depth, ranges from 1 to 25 m.For all modeled active floodplain settings, the long-lived nuclides ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al show neither significant increase in nuclide concentration from irradiation nor decrease from decay. We predict a hypothetical response time after which changes in ¹⁰Be or ²⁶Al concentrations become analytically resolvable. This interval ranges from 0.07 to 2 Myr and exceeds in all cases the typical residence time of sediment in a floodplain. Due to the much shorter half life of ¹⁴C, nuclide concentrations modeled for the in situ-produced variety of this nuclide are, however, sensitive to floodplain storage on residence times of < 20 kyr.The cosmogenic nuclide composition of old deposits in currently inactive floodplains that have been isolated for periods of millions of years from the river that once deposited them is predicted to either increase or decrease in ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al concentration, depending on the depositional depth. These conditions can be evaluated using the ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be ratio that readily discloses the depth and duration of storage.We illustrate these models with examples from the Amazon basin. As predicted, modern bedload collected from an Amazon tributary, the Bolivian Beni River, shows no systematic change in nuclide concentration as sediment is moved through 500 km of floodplain by river meandering. In contrast, in the central Amazon floodplain currently untouched by the modern river system, low ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be ratios account for minimum burial depths of 5 to 10 m for a duration of > 5 Myr.The important result of this analysis is that in all likely cases of active floodplains, cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al concentrations remain virtually unchanged over the interval sediment usually spends in the basin. Thus, spatially-averaged denudation rates of the sediment-producing area can be inferred throughout the entire basin, provided that nuclide production rates are scaled for the altitudes of the sediment-producing area only, because floodplain storage does not modify nuclide concentrations introduced from the sediment source area.     

Chemical weathering and CO2 consumption in the Xijiang River basin, South China

Monthly samples of riverine water were collected and analyzed for the concentrations of major ions (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, K⁺, Na⁺, HCO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, NO₃⁻), dissolved silicon, and total dissolved solids (TDS) at Wuzhou hydrological station located between the middle and lower reaches of the Xijiang River (XJR) from March 2005 to April 2006. More frequent sampling and analysis were carried out during the catastrophic flooding in June 2005. Stoichiometric analysis was applied for tracing sources of major ions and estimating CO₂ consumption from the chemical weathering of rocks. The results demonstrate that the chemical weathering of carbonate and silicate rocks within the drainage basin is the main source of the dissolved chemical substances in the XJR. Some 81.20% of the riverine cations originated from the chemical weathering processes induced by carbonic acid, 11.32% by sulfuric acid, and the other 7.48% from the dissolution of gypsum and precipitates of sea salts within the drainage basin. The CO₂ flux consumed by the rock chemical weathering within the XJR basin is 2.37 × 10¹¹ mol y^− 1, of which 0.64 × 10¹¹ mol y^− 1 results from silicate rock chemical weathering, and 1.73 × 10¹¹ mol y^− 1 results from carbonate rock chemical weathering. The CO₂ consumption comprises 0.38 × 10¹¹ mol during the 9-d catastrophic flooding. The CO₂ consumption from rock chemical weathering in humid subtropical zones regulates atmospheric CO₂ level and constitutes a significant part of the global carbon budget. The carbon sink potential of rock chemical weathering processes in the humid subtropical zones deserves extra attention.     

Response of a proglacial delta to rapid high‐amplitude lake‐level change: an integration of outcrop data and high‐resolution shear wave seismics

In this paper, we will present the stratigraphic evolution, internal facies architecture and geomorphology of the Middle Pleistocene Emme delta, controlled by rapid high‐amplitude lake‐level change. The Emme delta was deposited on the northern margin of glacial Lake Weser, located in north‐west Germany. Rates of lake‐level rise were probably >50 mm year^?1 and rates of lake‐level fall 30–50 m within a few days or weeks, due to the opening of lake outlets. We use digital elevation models, sedimentology and shear wave seismics to improve earlier reconstructions and investigate the influence of rapid base‐level change on delta development. Shear wave seismic data resolve architectural elements in the range of metres and bridge the common gap between outcrop and conventional compression wave seismic data. The radial delta complex is about 2 km long, 1.8 km wide and up to 70 m thick, overlying a concave, up to 13° steep dipping ramp surface. It consists of vertically and laterally stacked delta lobes, caused by lobe switching during base‐level change. During the lake‐level rise, vertically stacked (Gilbert‐type) delta systems formed. The decrease in thickness and lateral extent indicates a rapid upslope shift of depocentres. A high rate and magnitude of lake‐level fall (50 m) promoted the development of a single incised valley and the deposition of forced regressive coarse‐grained delta lobes in front of the valley. The incised valley was filled during decreasing rates of lake‐level fall and low base‐level, because the alluvial gradient was larger than the emergent lake profile. Attached sand‐rich forced regressive aprons formed during lower magnitudes of lake‐level falls in the range of 30–35 m. Valley incision occurred, but was limited to the uppermost portion of the delta, controlled by the steep slope. The incised valley related to the final lake drainage is associated with long‐wavelength (60–90 m) bedforms at the downslope end, attributed to the formation of standing waves as a result of a hydraulic jump. Estimated palaeoflow depth during standing wave formation was ～9–14 m and flow velocity was 10–12 m s^?1. Because subsidence, waves or tides did not play a major role, the Emme delta can be used as an analogue‐based predictive stratigraphical and sedimentological model for steep glacigenic deltas controlled by rapid base‐level change and can help to understand better the facies distribution and three‐dimensional geometry of these depositional systems.     

On different types of adjustment usable to calculate the parameters of the stream power law

Model parameterization through adjustment to field data is a crucial step in the modeling and the understanding of the drainage network response to tectonic or climatic perturbations. Using as a test case a data set of 18 knickpoints that materialize the migration of a 0.7-Ma-old erosion wave in the Ourthe catchment of northern Ardennes (western Europe), we explore the impact of various data fitting on the calibration of the stream power model of river incision, from which a simple knickpoint celerity equation is derived. Our results show that statistical least squares adjustments (or misfit functions) based either on the stream-wise distances between observed and modeled knickpoint positions at time t or on differences between observed and modeled time at the actual knickpoint locations yield significantly different values for the m and K parameters of the model. As there is no physical reason to prefer one of these approaches, an intermediate least-rectangles adjustment might at first glance appear as the best compromise. However, the statistics of the analysis of 200 sets of synthetic knickpoints generated in the Ourthe catchment indicate that the time-based adjustment is the most capable of getting close to the true parameter values. Moreover, this fitting method leads in all cases to an m value lower than that obtained from the classical distance adjustment (for example, 0.75 against 0.86 for the real case of the Ourthe catchment), corresponding to an increase in the non-linear character of the dependence of knickpoint celerity on discharge.     

Late Quaternary uplift rate of the northeastern Japan arc inferred from fluvial terraces

Glacial Lake Wisconsin was a large proglacial lake that formed along the southern margin of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Wisconsin glaciation. It was formed when ice of the Green Bay Lobe came into contact with the Baraboo Hills in southwestern Wisconsin and blocked the south-flowing Wisconsin River. During early glacial recession, the ice dam failed catastrophically and the lake drained in about a week. Despite early recognition of the former lake and the likelihood that it failed catastrophically, outflow rates during the failure have not been previously evaluated. Estimates based on step-backwater modeling indicate that peak discharge was between 3.6 and 5.3 × 10⁴ m³/s in the lower Wisconsin River. As an alternate method, we used a previously derived empirical relationship between lake volume and peak discharge for dam-break events. From a digital elevation model altered to incorporate isostatic depression, we estimated the lake volume to be 87 km³ just prior to dam breach, suggesting that the flooding magnitude was as high as 1.5 × 10⁵ m³/s at the outlet. Adjusting these results for downstream flood wave attenuation gives a discharge of around 4.4 × 10⁴ m³/s in the lower reach, which closely matches the results of the step-backwater modeling. These estimates of discharge from the catastrophic failure of ice-marginal lakes improve our understanding of the processes that have produced the morphology and behavior of present-day upper Midwest river systems.     

A Neogene giant landslide in Tarapacá, northern Chile: A signal of instability of the westernmost Altiplano and palaeoseismicity effects

Giant landslides, which usually have volumes up to several tens of km³, tend to be related to mountainous reliefs such as fault scarps or thrust fronts. The western flank of the Precordillera in southern Peru and northern Chile is characterized by the presence of such mega-landslides. A good example is the Latagualla Landslide (19°15′S), composed of ~ 5.4 km³ of Miocene ignimbritic rock blocks located next to the Moquella Flexure, a structure resulting from the propagation of a west-vergent thrust blind fault that borders the Precordillera of the Central Depression. The landslide mass is very well preserved, allowing reconstitution of its movement and evolution in three main stages. The geomorphology of the landslide indicates that it preceded the incision of the present-day valleys during the late Miocene. Given the local geomorphological conditions 8–9 Ma ago (morphology, slopes and probably a high water table), large-magnitude earthquakes could have provided destabilization forces enough to cause the landslide. On the other hand, present seismic forces would not be sufficient to trigger such landslides; therefore the hazard related to them in the region is low.     

Suspended sediment and Cs fluxes during the exceptional December 2003 flood in the Rhone River, southeast France

At the beginning of December 2003, one of the biggest floods for at least 150 yr was recorded on the Rhone River. In the lower part of the river, the peak flood reached 11,000 m³ s⁻¹. The geomorphological and radioecological consequences of such an event were investigated downstream all the nuclear installations by using measured and calculated fluxes and the total export of suspended sediment and associated ¹³⁷Cs. Results pointed out the major role played by large floods in the annual suspended sediment load, as 3.70 × 10⁶ tons of silts, 0.85 × 10⁶ tons of sands, and 0.84 × 10⁶ tons of clays were transferred towards the coastal environment. Nevertheless, these solid loads were found to be lower than those expected as regards the liquid discharge reached during this event and suggested that previous floods that occurred on the river and on its main tributaries during the last decade have probably led to the removal of available sediment from the channels and their banks. Besides, the ¹³⁷Cs activity measured within the suspended load was estimated at 14.9 ± 0.4 Bq kg⁻¹, which is a level characteristic of the suspended sediments from the Rhone catchment area and demonstrated that nuclear installations located along the Rhone valley did not significantly contribute to any increase in ¹³⁷Cs activity in the water during the flood. The total ¹³⁷Cs particulate export amounted to 77 ± 17 GBq and was mainly associated with the silt fraction that contributes to around 70% of the total ¹³⁷Cs export.     

Late Cenozoic geomorphologic signal of Andean forearc deformation and tilting associated with the uplift and climate changes of the Southern Atacama Desert (26°S–28°S)

We analyze remarkable examples of the large ( 10,000 km²) and local-scale ( 100 km²) landscape forms related to Late Cenozoic geomorphologic evolution of the Andean forearc region in the Southern Atacama Desert. We also consider the continental sedimentary deposits, so-called “Atacama Gravels”, which are related to the degradation of the landscape during the Neogene. Our analysis integrates 1:50,000 field cartography, Landsat TM images observations,  1:1000 sedimentary logging data, and 50 m horizontal resolution topographic data to reconstruct the Late Cenozoic geomorphologic evolution of this region and discuss the factors that control it, i.e., Miocene aridification of the climate and Neogene Central Andean uplift. We determine that the Precordillera was already formed in the Oligocene and most of the present-day altitude of the Precordillera was reached before that time. Afterward, five episodes of geomorphologic evolution can be differentiated: (1) the development of an Oligocene deep incised drainage system cutting the uplifted Precordillera (up to 2000 m of vertical incision) and connecting it to the Ocean; followed by (2) the infilling of deep incised valleys by up to 400 m of Atacama Gravels. This infill started in the Early Miocene with the development of fluvial deposition and finished in the Middle Miocene with playa and playa lake depositions. We propose that playa-related deposition occurs in an endorheic context related to tectonic activity of the Atacama Fault System and Coastal Cordillera uplift. However, the upward sedimentologic variation in the Atacama Gravels evidences a progressive aridification of the climate. Subsequently, we have identified the effects of the Middle–Upper Miocene slow tectonic deformation: the Neogene Andean uplift is accommodated by a tilting or flexuring of the inner-forearc (Central Depression and Precordillera) related to some hundreds of meters of uplift in the Precordillera. This tilting or flexuring results in (3) the Middle Miocene re-opening of the valley network to the Pacific Ocean. Upper Miocene aridification, from arid to hyperarid, induces alluvial fans backfilling in the Central Depression (4) resulting in up to 50 m of Atacama Gravel deposition. Finally, in response to an increase in the rate of tilting, a new phase of vertical incision (up to 800 m in the Precordillera) allows the development of the canyon that crosses the forearc (5).