The human role in changing fluvial systems: Retrospect, inventory and prospect

Historical and modern scientific contexts are provided for the 2006 Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium on the Human Role in Changing Fluvial Systems. The 2006 symposium provides a synthesis of research concerned with human impacts on fluvial systems — including hydrologic and geomorphic changes to watersheds — while also commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1955 Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth Symposium [Thomas, Jr., W. L. (Ed.), 1956a. Man's Role in Changing the Face of the Earth. Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago. 1193 pp]. This paper examines the 1955 symposium from the perspective of human impacts on rivers, reviews current inquiry on anthropogenic interactions in fluvial systems, and anticipates future directions in this field.Although the 1955 symposium did not have an explicit geomorphic focus, it set the stage for many subsequent anthropogeomorphic studies. The 1955 conference provided guidance to geomorphologists by recommending and practicing interdisciplinary scholarship, through the use of diverse methodologies applied at extensive temporal and geographical scales, and through its insistence on an integrated understanding of human interactions with nature. Since 1956, research on human impacts to fluvial systems has been influenced by fundamental changes in why the research is done, what is studied, how river studies are conducted, and who does the research. Rationales for river research are now driven to a greater degree by institutional needs, environmental regulations, and aquatic restoration. New techniques include a host of dating, spatial imaging, and ground measurement methods that can be coupled with analytical functions and digital models. These new methods have led to a greater understanding of channel change, variations across multiple temporal and spatial scales, and integrated watershed perspectives; all changes that are reflected by the papers in this volume. These new methods also bring a set of technical demands for the training of geomorphologists. The 2006 Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium complements the 1956 symposium by providing a more specific and updated view of river systems coupled with human interactions. The symposium focuses on linkages between human land use, structures, and channel modification with geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology. The emergence of sustainability as a central policy guideline in environmental management should generate greater interest in geomorphic perspectives, especially as they pertain to human activities. The lack of theories of anthropogeomorphic change, however, presents a challenge for the next generation of geomorphologists in this rapidly growing subfield.     

The fluvial cycle at cold–warm–cold transitions in lowland regions: A refinement of theory

A previously established non-linear theory of river cyclicity as a response to climate change states that short phases of fluvial instability occur both at the transition from relatively warm (temperate) to cold (periglacial) and from relatively cold to warm periods. Such instability typically starts with vertical erosion, successively followed by sedimentary fill of the erosive scar. In spite of frequent confirmation of this theory by geomorphological reconstructions, a few problems arise. First, there are fewer incision phases than climatic transitions. Secondly, remnants of erosion at ‘cold–warm’ transitions are scarce, in contrast to obvious erosion relics at ‘warm–cold’ transitions. Furthermore, it appears that the incision style is strikingly different at both kinds of climatic transitions. Similarly, the long stable phases are also expressed in terms of different floodplain development in cold and warm periods. These arguments require a modification of the general non-linear theory.At the transition from relatively temperate to colder conditions, rivers transformed gradually from a regular, low-energy, single-channel course to a periodically high-energy, multi-channel type. The latter (braided) type is characterized by intense lateral movement, rather than by deep vertical erosion. This results in a well-expressed morphology of wide, extensive floodplains and terraces. In contrast, the linear and constrained, meandering channels incise with small width–depth ratio and build floodplains of limited lateral extent. Consequences are twofold: 1) the spatial limitation of the deeply incised, meandering valleys at the beginning of warm periods counts against their recognition; 2) relatively strong, lateral migration of the braided rivers removes most traces of previous (meandering) systems, which contrasts with the limited lateral activity of confined meandering channels. It means that in a ‘warm–cold–warm’ alternation generally only one phase of vertical erosion is preserved, the one that is caused by the high-energy, braided river at the start of the cold period.     

Regional and local controls on the spatial distribution of bedrock reaches in the Upper Guadalupe River, Texas

While studies on gravel mantled and mixed alluvial bedrock rivers have increased in recent decades, few field studies have focused on spatial distributions of bedrock and alluvial reaches and differences between reach types. The objective of this work is to identify the spatial distribution of alluvial and bedrock reaches in the Upper Guadalupe River. We compare reach length, channel and floodplain width, sinuosity, bar length and spacing, bar surface grain size, and slope in alluvial and bedrock reaches to identify whether major differences exist between channel reach types. We find that local disturbances, interaction of the channel and valley sides, variation in lithology, and regional structural control contribute to the distribution of bedrock reaches in the largely alluvial channel. Alluvial and bedrock channel reaches in the Upper Guadalupe River are similar, particularly with respect to the distribution of gravel bars, surface grain size distributions of bars, and channel slope and width. Our observations suggest that the fluvial system has adjusted to changes in base level associated with the Balcones Escarpment Fault Zone by phased incision into alluvial sediment and the underlying bedrock, essentially shifting from a fully alluvial river to a mixed alluvial bedrock river.     

生态地貌学研究体系及其功能提升探讨

地球表层是人类生存的家园,地表形态直接或间接影响人类生活、生产和社会经济活动。地貌学和生态学是与人类关系密切的学科。自然实体与人文实体都依附于地表,研究生态与地貌关系的科学便统称为生态地貌学,直接影响人类生存选址、生存保障、生产方向、产业布局、交通、城乡建设等,因此,生态地貌学是保障人类生存与社会经济可持续协调发展的基础性与应用性极强的学科,是国家实现生态文明战略的基础性学科。生态地貌学研究生态与地貌两者相互作用形成的生态地貌综合实体,学科体系包含地貌基础学科、生态基础学科及其相互作用形成的生态地貌学科。生态地貌学科下又包含生态地貌区划学、生态地貌类型学、生态地貌资源学、生态地貌岩态学、生态地貌遥感与GIS技术、生态地貌管理与规划等分支学科,是目前仍然属于探索性的学科。生态地貌结构可表达为：由地貌与生物成分、类型、区域组合、数量构成及其空间排列组合方式。从生态地貌结构理论出发,对其功能进行系统梳理,主要可以归纳为区域结构、类型结构、资源结构、岩态结构等多种类型。不同结构类型具有不同的功能,主要功能有提升中国自然地理区划质量与空间定位功能、生态评估与生态设计功能、土地利用评估与利用结构调整功能、地质地貌灾害成因和防灾减灾对策功能等。故该研究意在实现生态地貌功能间协调、高效可持续,通过对各功能进行整合,形成功能体系,并从调控管理上提出了提升功能能力的设计路径。     

国外工业联系研究的理论发展及其对我国的借鉴意义

本文主要探讨了西方工业地理学关于工业联系研究的理论进展、发展背景和它所涉及的主要问题。在第二部分,着重对我国新时期条件下工业联系研究的可能性和必要性进行了讨论。其中特别是对我国现阶段生产组织形式的某些变化和西方国家作了对比,并就我国工业联系研究的某些可能领域及其意义作了论述。     

The impact of past and present land use on a major coastal barrier system

This paper considers the relative impacts of past and present land use on the stability of the major coastal barrier complex of the Younghusband Peninsula and Coorong lake chain of South Australia. Data have been obtained from field survey and mapping, field studies of soil shear strength, interviews, aerial photographs, archaeological survey, documentary and cartographic historical sources. The investigation shows that large-scale changes in dune stability have occurred in the prehistoric past, probably as a result of as yet unspecified climatological/ oceanographic fluctuations. The legacy of both pre-European aboriginal land-firing and of European pastoralism appears to have had a minor impact on the dunes compared to the more recent use of off-road recreational vehicles.Even in the most intensively used areas, however, local stability of the sand dunes occurs, apparently due to the exposure of prehistoric shell-middens interbedded with palaeosols, which together offer greater resistance to off-road vehicles than many other soils in the barrier system.There are important differences in the scale and type of geomorphic impact of the many kinds of vehicles now taken off-road, and in the attitudes of different users of the same type of vehicle. These attitudes and impacts interact with each other, and with various aspects of the physical geography of the region, to cause the pattern and rate of environmental degradation to spread in a characteristic manner. In particular, the character and distribution of scrub, mallee and lacustrine habitats, as well as of settlements, are shown to markedly affect the manner in which the entire network of tracks and used ground develops. The pattern of past and present access and communications routes seems to have been particularly important.For management purposes it is important to view these interactions not only at the level of the individual track or path, but also at the level of the entire National Park based on the coastal barrier system, and then to expand the management framework again to regional level at which the off-road vehicle problem must ultimately be resolved. These observations are incorporated into suggestions for improving the control of off-road recreational vehicle use in the barrier system, and in the region at large.     

Local- and watershed-scale controls on the spatial variability of natural levee deposits in a large fine-grained floodplain: Lower Pánuco Basin, Mexico

This study examines spatial variations in natural levee deposits within the lower reaches of a large coastal plain drainage system. The Pánuco basin (98,227 km²) drains east-central Mexico, and is an excellent setting to examine the influence of watershed and local controls on the morphology and sedimentology of natural levees. Although many fluvial systems in the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain have been investigated, the rivers in the Mexican Gulf Coastal Plain have received comparatively little attention. Lateral and downstream characteristics of natural levee morphology and sediment texture are considered within the context of meandering river floodplain deposits. Data sources include total-stations surveying, sediment samples of surficial levee deposits, topographic maps (1:50,000), and aerial photographs (1:40,000). The slope of natural levees average 0.0049 m/m, whereas the texture (D₈₄) of levee deposits averages 0.12 mm. Natural levee characteristics vary due to local- and watershed-scale controls. The lateral reduction in levee height displays a curvilinear pattern that coincides with an abrupt change in sediment texture. The downstream pattern of natural levee texture exhibits the influence of local-scale perturbations superimposed upon a larger watershed-scale trend. Disruption to the fining trend, either by tributary inputs of sediment or reworking of Tertiary valley deposits, is retained for a limited distance. The influence of the channel planform geometry on levee morphology is examined by consideration of the radius of curvature (R_c) of meander bends, and is inversely related to natural levee width. This suggests that the planform geometry of river channels exerts a control on the dispersal of flood sediments, and is responsible for considerable local variability in the floodplain topography. The average width of natural levees increases with drainage area, from an average of 747 m in the Moctezuma to an average of 894 m in the Pánuco. However, in the lower reaches of the Pánuco valley the width of natural levees rapidly decreases, which is associated with fining of the suspended sediment load. Thus, the reduction in natural levee width signifies an abrupt change in the directionality of cause–effect relationships at the watershed-scale. Findings from this study elucidate linkages between meandering river channels and floodplains for a large lowland alluvial valley.     

The role of soil erosion and fluvial processes in the post-fallout redistribution of Chernobyl-derived caesium-137: a case study of the Lapki catchment, Central Russia

The central area of the Russian Plain received substantial amounts Cs-137 fallout as a result of the Chernobyl accident in 1986, with inventories exceeding 40 kBq m⁻² in many of the areas close to Chernobyl. Concern over the longer-term fate of this contamination has focused attention on the need to predict the post-fallout redistribution of the radiocaesium and, thus, future changes in the spatial distribution of contamination in the landscape. Since radiocaesium reaching the land surface as fallout is rapidly and strongly adsorbed by soil and sediment particles, any attempt to predict its post-fallout redistribution must focus on erosion and sediment delivery processes and must rely heavily on a knowledge of the geomorphological processes involved. This paper reports a detailed investigation of post-fallout Cs-137 redistribution in the 2.18-km² Lapki catchment in the Middle-Russian Upland, which has required consideration of soil erosion processes, sediment delivery pathways, sediment delivery ratios and sediment sinks. The time elapsed since the Chernobyl accident is currently insufficient to result in significant reduction of Cs-137 inventories in eroding areas, but areas of deposition on both the lower slopes and on the balka sides and bottoms are already marked by significant increases in Cs-137 inventories. The results obtained emphasise that any attempt to develop meaningful predictions of the longer-term redistribution of Chernobyl-derived Cs-137 fallout within the Russian Plain must be based on a sound and detailed understanding of the linkage between the slopes and the balka systems and the fate of sediment entering the balka systems.     

High-altitude Plio–Quaternary fluvial deposits and their implication on the tilt of a horst, western Anatolia, Turkey

This study investigates the origin and regional tectonic implications of high-altitude Plio (?)–Quaternary fluvial deposits developed over the Bozdağ horst which is an important structural element within the horst–graben system of western Anatolia, Turkey.A total of 23 deposits occur near the modern drainage divide comprising fluvial to occasionally lacustrine deposits. The deposits are all elongated in N–S direction with a width / length ratio of 1 / 10. The largest of them is of 13 km in length with a maximum observable thickness of about 100–110 m. Morphological, lithological, deformational characteristics of these deposits and the drainage system of the area all suggest that the deposits were formed due to uplift and southward tilting of the Bozdağ horst. This tilting which is estimated as 1.2° to 2.2° caused accumulation of the stream load along channels flowing from south to north. All the deposits were later dissected by the same streams with the exception of one deposit which still preserves its original lake form. These deposits are of Quaternary age, which corresponds to the latest N–S directed extensional tectonic phase in the region.     

Mangrove forest dynamics in Tanintharyi,Myanmar from 1989–2014, and the role of future economic and political developments

Mangrove forests in Southeast Asia provide many ecosystem services, though are experiencing extensive deforestation, especially in Myanmar. Recent political and economic reforms in Myanmar are projected to further increase development pressures on natural resources. Mangrove forests in the southern state of Tanintharyi have largely been spared clearance because of poor infrastructure and a volatile security situation, though this may change with plans for economic expansion. We quantified land cover dynamics and proximate drivers of mangrove deforestation in Tanintharyi between 1989 and 2014 using a remote sensing approach over five time intervals. Tanintharyi experienced low mangrove cover loss overall, as compared with other regions of Myanmar, with 3.2 per cent being deforested over 25 years. However, this statistic hides large site‐specific losses and gains, which varied significantly within the study area. Myeik district lost 210 km² of mangrove over 25 years, but also gained 132 km². Dawei and Kawthung had minimal net loss of mangroves because of extensive mangrove regeneration. This historical mangrove baseline is essential for supporting environmentally‐conscious development in Myanmar's southernmost state.     

Research and compilation of the Geomorphologic Atlas of the People’s Republic of China (1:1,000,000)

Geomorphologic maps are one of the most fundamental materials of the natural environment. They have been widely used in scientific research, resource exploration and extraction, education and military affairs etc. An editorial committee was established in 2001 to collect materials for researching and compiling a set of new 1:1,000,000 geomorphologic atlas of China. A digital geomorphologic database was created with visual interpretation from Landsat TM/ETM imageries and SRTM-DEM etc. The atlas compiled from the database was finished. The main characteristics of the atlas are as follows: Firstly, Landsat TM/ETM imageries, published geomorphologic maps or sketches, geographical base maps, digital geological maps, and other thematic maps were collected, which were uniformly geometrically rectified, clipped into uniform sheets, and stored in the foundation database. Secondly, based on the legends of 15 sheets 1:1,000,000 maps published in the 1980s, a geomorphologic classification system was built by combining morphology and genesis types. The system comprised seven hierarchical layers: basic morphology, genesis, sub-genesis, morphology, micro-morphology, slope and aspect, material composition and lithology. These layers were stored in the database during visual image interpretation. About 2000 kinds of morpho- genesis and 300 kinds of morpho-structure were interpreted. Thirdly, the legend system was built, which included color, symbol bases and note bases etc., compilation standards and procedures were developed, 74 sheets of 1:1,000,000 covering all land and sea territories of China were compiled, the 1:1,000,000 geomorphologic atlas of the People’s Republic of China was finished and published. The atlas will fill the blanks in national basic scale thematic maps, and the geomorphologic database could be applied widely in many fields in the future.     

The past,present, and future of population geography in China: Progress,challenges and opportunities

Population geography (PopGeo), although a sub-discipline of human geography, should have been well developed in China in light of its national population size and unique demographic issues, regional socio-economic development, and biophysical differences. Yet it typically lags behind the development of its parent disciplines, especially demography and geography. Specifically, PopGeo in Chinese higher education is still at a low level in terms of the three major aspects of disciplinary development: academic majors for higher education, academic conferences, and journals. The research content of PopGeo in China has focused on the growth, composition, change, distribution, and carrying capacity of population at the meso- and macro-spatial scales. As the most populated country in the world, questions about how and why the population changes, where the population settles and migrates to, its maximum carrying capacity, and how to guide sound development of population matter to society and the economy, are always important topics in the PopGeo studies in China. In contrast, some new population phenomena such as human space–time behaviors (commuting, remittances, and friends’ interaction), popular in the scientific community abroad, are not fully investigated at the micro-level. Presently, PopGeo in China may face both challenges and opportunities because of the adjustment of fertility policies and implementation of national new urbanization plans at the national level. It is this occasion that calls for a state-of-the-art review of the development of PopGeo since the 1980s, the turning point of an increasing number of PopGeo studies in China. We aim to reveal the current status of PopGeo in China to the world, and shed light on its further study.     

Rates of sheet and rill erosion in Germany — A meta-analysis

Knowledge of erosion rates under real conditions is of great concern regarding sustainability of landuse and off-site effects on water bodies and settlements. Experimentally derived rates of sheet and rill erosion are often biased by experimental settings, which deviate considerably from typical landuse, by short measuring periods and by small spatial extensions, which do not account for the pronounced spatio-temporal variability of erosion events. We compiled data from 27 studies covering 1076 plot years to account for this variability. Modelling was used to correct for deficiencies in the experimental settings, which overrepresented arable land and used steeper and shorter slopes as well as higher erosivity than typically found in reality. For example, the average slope gradient was 5.9° for all arable plot experiments while it is only 2.6° on total arable land in Germany. The expected soil loss by sheet and rill erosion in Germany after taking real slopes, landuse and erosivity into account averaged 2.7 t ha^− 1 yr^− 1. Annual crops contributed the largest proportion (90%) but hops despite its negligible contribution to landuse (0.06%) still contribute 1.0% due to its extraordinary rapid erosion, which was even faster than the measured bare fallow soil loss standardized to otherwise identical conditions. Bare fallow soil loss, which is often used as baseline, was 80 t ha^− 1 yr^− 1 when standardized to 5.1° slope gradient, 200 m flow path length, and average German erosivity.     

Accordant summit heights, summit levels and the origin of the “upper denudation level” in the Serra do Mar (SE-Brazil, São Paulo): A study of hillslope forms and processes

In southern São Paulo the Serra do Mar is characterized by three distinct terrain types: 1) highly dissected areas with closely spaced ridges and accordant summit heights; 2) multiconvex hills; and 3) terrains with highly elevated watershed areas, irregular summit heights, and locally subdued relief. The development of this landscape is considered to be the result of the Cenozoic block-faulting and of the influences that are exerted by the differing lithological and structural setting of block-faulted compartments on weathering and erosion processes.In areas characterized by pronounced accordant summits the close coincidence between hillslope angle and the angle of limiting stability against landsliding points to a close adjustment of hillslope gradients and the mechanical properties of the regolith. The relative height of the hillslopes is functionally related to the spacing of the valleys and the gradient of the hillslopes. In areas with a regular spacing of v-shaped valleys and uniform rocks, this leads to the intersection of valley-side slopes in summits and ridges at a certain elevation. This elevation is determined by the length and steepness of the valley-side slopes. Therefore, the heights of the summits are geometrically constrained and are likely to indicate the upper limit of summit heights or an “upper denudation level” that is adjusted by hillslope processes to the incising streams. Accordant summit heights of this type are poor indicators of formerly more extensive denudation surfaces as it is also likely that they are a result of the long-term adjustment of hillslopes to river incision.The steep mountain flanks of block-faulted compartments on the other hand, comprise regolith-covered hillslopes that are closely adjusted to the maximum stable gradient as well as rock-slopes that are controlled by the rock-mass strength. Their summits are usually not accommodated into uniform summit levels. Highly elevated watershed areas exhibiting a subdued relief are detached from the base level response. On granitoid rocks these areas are often characterized by the rocky hills and domal rock outcrops. However, differences in the elevation of interfluves and summits between rocks of differing resistance and in the elevation of lithologically distinct individual fault-blocks imply that long-term weathering and erosion has transformed and lowered these landscapes. Therefore, these areas cannot be interpreted as a remnant of a pre-uplift topography and it appears to be unlikely that the height of the summits correlates with formerly more widespread planation surfaces in the far hinterland.The studies indicate that concepts such as the parallel retreat of hillslopes cannot account for the observed differences in the landscape. It is suggested that the Serra do Mar is consumed from the Atlantic and the inland side by spatially non-uniform developmental states. These states are determined by local differences in the coupling and distance to the regional base level and sea-level or are due to lithological and structural controls between and within the block-faulted compartments.     

区域经济发展的知识动力及其多区位机制北大核心CSCD

在信息、劳动力、资本和商品等要素超具流动性的时代背景下,知识越发表现出一种邻近和远距离流动并存的多区位互动特征,并对区域经济发展产生重要影响。为此,论文首先围绕当前人类社会经济系统的一系列重要变化,并结合传统区域创新研究范式的内在缺陷,引介以知识组合为核心的区域知识动力学理论。在此基础上,尝试构建区域经济发展的多区位知识动力解析框架:通过引入信任机制和学习机制深度阐释正式/非正式制度和认知水平等地方情景因素对知识组合的影响机理;分别围绕外部知识关联和知识网络外部性探究多区位知识网络对区域产业比较优势演化和内生经济增长的作用机制。最后,从区域管治、区域战略导向、政策工具和知识影响4个维度归纳知识经济时代的区域治理逻辑。多区位知识动力框架推进了区域创新学派关于经济发展中知识动力问题的研究,有助于区域协同创新和经济高质量发展政策的科学制定。     

1977-2014年江苏中部滨海湿地演化与围垦空间演变趋势

通过野外实地调研与遥感影像解译相结合的方式,研究1977-2014年（1977、1984、2000、2007与2014年）江苏中部滩涂湿地演化与围垦空间演变的规律。结果表明,1977-2014年江苏中部滨海湿地射阳河口以南岸线段总体以淤长为主,但是也存在侵蚀的岸线段,总体淤长/侵蚀速度在±20 m/yr左右,最高值出现在东台和如东洋口港附近。研究区湿地围垦的速度远高于岸线淤长的速度,基本维持在50 m/yr以上。1977-2014年江苏滨海湿地的生态关键区面积出现了快速的退化趋势,特别是盐生植被空间的快速萎缩,主要出现在射阳南部和大丰市。调查发现研究区传统的湿地围垦开发演变模式是光滩→盐生植被→养殖水面→耕地→建设用地。但是现在由于新技术和新方法的应用,极大地缩短了围垦演变路径和周期,有助于围垦经济效益的提高。江苏滨海湿地围垦后土地开发利用强度呈较为明显的上升趋势。同时,江苏滨海湿地开发的热点空间在区域上主要集中于几个重要的港口及其腹地建制镇附近,但总体规模不大。     

The 1786 earthquake-triggered landslide dam and subsequent dam-break flood on the Dadu River, southwestern China — Reply

A short reply to discussion by Chanson.     

欧亚大陆草原地上生物量的空间格局及其与环境因子的关系

本文以欧亚大陆草原为研究对象,收集和整合分析了该区域采用收获法实测的地上生物量数据,探讨了地上生物量的空间分布规律,地上生物量空间格局与环境因子之间的关系。主要结论为：① 欧亚大陆草原地上生物量的空间格局具有复杂的水平和垂直地带性分布规律,具体表现为：随着纬度的升高,海拔的升高,地上生物量都呈开口向下的抛物线变化趋势;随着经度的增大,呈开口向上的抛物线变化趋势。② 欧亚大陆草原地上生物量的空间分布虽然与年平均温度、年总太阳辐射、表层土壤（0~30 cm）的砾石含量、pH和有机碳含量有一定的相关关系,但是,主要受到年总降水量空间变异的影响。③ 欧亚大陆草原地上生物量的空间格局与年总降水量空间变异之间呈现为高斯函数关系,这主要是由青藏高原独特的草原分布与环境因素空间格局特征决定的。     

Slope aspect, slope length and slope inclination controls of shallow soils vegetated by sclerophyllous heath—links to long-term landscape evolution

On upland Triassic sandstone slopes of the western Blue Mountains, nonswamp, sclerophyllous heath (shrub-dominated vegetation) on shallow soils is commonly found downslope and adjacent to sclerophyllous forest on deeper soils. Some consider heath—and thus shallow soils—as favouring west-facing slopes, which are expected to experience drier microclimates due to insolation, strong and desiccating winds, and severe summer fires. However, our analysis of extensive areas with heath on shallow soils, based on vegetation and topographic maps, and fieldwork of uplands with various degrees of dissection, suggests that aspect is a poor predictor of shallow soils. Rather, shallow soils and heath are found on short slopes and the lower segments of longer slopes with the latter significantly steeper than forested segments.The shallow–deep soil boundary, marked by contrasting modern vegetation structures, does not signify a catchment area threshold, and correspondingly, the vegetation patterns are not in balance with distributary catchment processes, as short slopes are mantled exclusively by shallow soils. Instead, the soil depth boundary represents the propagation of base-level lowering signals, which takes place not only by the headward retreat of knickpoints but also via increased lowering of slope segments adjacent to drainage lines. This leads to steep slopes immediately adjacent to canyons, narrow gorges, and small steep valleys, that are mantled by shallow, discontinuous soils undergoing rapid erosion. These steep slopes persist in the landscape for ≥ 10 My after upland stream rejuvenation until incision of more weatherable Permian sediments, underlying the Triassic cliff-forming sandstones, triggers rapid lateral expansion of gorges. Once shallowly mantled and steeper slopes adjacent to streams are consumed by gorge widening, slopes adjacent to wide gorge clifflines reflect former upland drainage patterns rather than the redirected flow to rapidly widening gorges. Hence, modern vegetation patterns reflect a significant phase of landform development, perhaps combined with enhanced erosion during the Last Glacial Period that is compounded by a humped soil production function on bedrock.