SURFACE PROCESSES DRIVEN BY PLUME-LITHOSPHERE INTERACTION: USING COSMOGENIC10BE RADIONUCLIDES WITH A RIVER INCISION MODEL TO STUDY LATE MIOCENE LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION IN CENTRAL IDAHO

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Larimer ◽  
◽  
Brian J. Yanites ◽  
William M. Phillips ◽  
Eric Mittelstaedt
Keyword(s):  
Late Miocene ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Surface Processes ◽  
River Incision ◽  
Central Idaho

scholarly journals Late Miocene rejuvenation of central Idaho landscape evolution: A case for surface processes driven by plume-lithosphere interaction

Lithosphere ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff E. Larimer ◽  
Brian J. Yanites ◽  
William Phillips ◽  
Eric Mittelstaedt
Keyword(s):  
Late Miocene ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Surface Processes ◽  
Central Idaho

scholarly journals Landscape evolution models using the stream power incision model show unrealistic behavior when <i>m</i> ∕ <i>n</i> equals 0.5

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 807-820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. Kwang ◽  
Gary Parker
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Drainage Area ◽  
Uplift Rate ◽  
Stream Power ◽  
River Incision ◽  
Vertical Incision ◽  
Small Scales ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract. Landscape evolution models often utilize the stream power incision model to simulate river incision: E = KAmSn, where E is the vertical incision rate, K is the erodibility constant, A is the upstream drainage area, S is the channel gradient, and m and n are exponents. This simple but useful law has been employed with an imposed rock uplift rate to gain insight into steady-state landscapes. The most common choice of exponents satisfies m ∕ n = 0.5. Yet all models have limitations. Here, we show that when hillslope diffusion (which operates only on small scales) is neglected, the choice m ∕ n = 0.5 yields a curiously unrealistic result: the predicted landscape is invariant to horizontal stretching. That is, the steady-state landscape for a 10 km2 horizontal domain can be stretched so that it is identical to the corresponding landscape for a 1000 km2 domain.

Factors controlling the interaction between tectonics and surface processes in convergent orogens: insight from analogue and numerical models

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Reitano ◽  
Claudio Faccenna ◽  
Francesca Funiciello ◽  
Fabio Corbi ◽  
Sean Willett
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
Tectonic Setting ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Sprinkler System ◽  
Surface Processes ◽  
Oblique View ◽  
Surface Uplift ◽  
Geomorphic Features ◽  
Set Up

&lt;p&gt;Convergent orogens are the best places on Earth for studying the interaction between surface processes and tectonics. They display the highest surface uplift rates and in turn are more likely affected by erosion. The balance between tectonics and erosion is responsible for many aspects in the evolution of a mountain belt. Despite the growth of analysis techniques, our understanding is still limited by the impossibility to observe these processes through their entire evolution. In particular, understanding how single parameters affect the system is necessary to unravel the nature of these multiple-interrelated processes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here we propose a new series of analogue models reproducing a simplified and scaled natural convergent orogenic system, to investigate the evolution of landscapes in which both tectonics and erosion/sedimentation are present. The growth of the orogenic wedge is driven by a rigid plate pushing the rear of the model. Deformed brittle granular material is a mixture of silica powder, glass microbeads and PVC powder. This mixture allows for the observation of both deforming structures and geomorphic features. Erosion is simulated by a water sprinkler system, providing a fine mist as precipitation which collects into simulated rivers, shaping the landscape. The model therefore allows observing the interaction between tectonics and surface processes. We analyze the model evolution monitoring oblique-view with cameras and top-view with a laser scanner. The latter is useful for measuring the mass balance between input fluxes (tectonics) and output fluxes (erosion) and in fulfilling a proper parametric study on the cause-effect relationship. The effect of different parameters on landscape evolution (e.g., precipitation rate, convergence velocity) is investigated systematically.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Our preliminary results analyze the relationship between single parameters and their effect on the models, allowing a proper definition of the role played in the landscape evolution. We also set up a benchmark with numerical models using DACI3ELVIS code in the same tectonic setting.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Distinct phases of eustatism and tectonics control the late Quaternary landscape evolution at the southern coastline of Crete

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Mouslopoulou ◽  
John Begg ◽  
Alexander Fülling ◽  
Daniel Moraetis ◽  
Panagiotis Partsinevelos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Vertical Movement ◽  
Tectonic Uplift ◽  
Alluvial Fan ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
River Incision ◽  
Coastal Landscapes ◽  
Uplift Rates

Abstract. The extent to which climate, eustacy and tectonics interact to shape the late Quaternary landscape is poorly known. Alluvial fans often provide useful indexes that allow decoding the information recorded on complex coastal landscapes, such as those of Eastern Mediterranean. In this paper we analyse and date (using optically stimulated luminescence – OSL) a double alluvial-fan system in Crete, an island straddling the forearc of the Hellenic subduction margin, in order to constrain the timing of, and quantify the contributing factors to, its landscape evolution. The studied alluvial system is unique because each of its two juxtaposed fans records individual phases of alluvial and marine incision, providing, thus, unprecedented resolution in the formation and evolution of its landscape. Specifically, our analysis shows that the fan sequence at Domata developed during the last glaciation (Marine Isotope Stage 3; 57–29 kyr) due to five distinct stages of marine transgressions and regressions and associated river incision, as a response to climatic changes and tectonic uplift at rates of ~ 2.2 mm/yr. Comparison of our results with published tectonic uplift rates from Crete shows, however, that vertical movement on Crete was minimal during 20–50 kyr BP and mot uplift was accrued during the last 20 kyr. This implies that eustacy and tectonism impacted on the landscape at Domata over mainly distinct time-intervals (e.g. sequentially and not synchronously), forming and preserving the coastal landforms, respectively.

Measurable impact of river incision on rift tectonics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Arthur Olive ◽  
Luca Malatesta ◽  
Mark Behn ◽  
Roger Buck
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Hanging Wall ◽  
Normal Fault ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Natural Variability ◽  
Surface Processes ◽  
Tectonic Deformation ◽  
Plate Boundaries ◽  
River Incision ◽  
Half Graben

&lt;p&gt;Models that couple tectonics and surface processes commonly predict that efficient erosion and sedimentation help focus crustal deformation onto fewer, longer-lived faults. However, because their geomorphic parameters are difficult to calibrate against real landscapes, the sensitivity of tectonic deformation to a realistic range of surface process efficiencies remains poorly known. Here we model the growth of structurally simple half-graben structures subjected to fluvial incision of specified efficiency and sedimentation. Numerical simulations predict that infinitely-efficient erosion and deposition (i.e., complete surface leveling) can more than double the maximum offset reached on a master normal fault before crustal strain localizes elsewhere. Further, leveling footwall relief tends to promote the migration of strain towards the hanging wall to form new grabens instead of horsts.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160; &amp;#160;To test whether the efficiency of river incision can vary sufficiently across real rifts to exert a control on tectonic styles, we analyze the profiles of rivers draining half-graben footwalls and horst blocks in the Basin &amp; Range, Taupo, Rio Grande, and East African Rift. We adapt the standard methodology of equilibrium river profile analysis to account for spatial variations in uplift expected from crustal flexure in a fault-bounded block. Erosional efficiency (EE) is defined as the inverse of the (dimensionless) slope of uplift- and drainage area-corrected river elevation plots. &amp;#160;Measured EEs range between ~0.1 and ~4, reflecting natural variability in lithology, climate, and uplift rates across sites. Incorporating EEs within this documented range in numerical simulations, we find that increasing EE can increase the maximum throw on half-graben master faults by ~50%. Changing EE also affects the geometry of subsequent faults, with lower EEs favoring the transition from half-graben to horsts. These models predict that rifting in a colder, stronger continental crust is less sensitive to surface processes and requires even lower EE to develop horst structures. Our simulations are consistent with a compilation of EE, crustal strength proxies, and fault characteristics across real rift zones. These results suggest that natural variability in climatic conditions and surface erodibility has a measurable impact on the tectonic makeup of Earth's plate boundaries.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Accurate simulation of transient landscape evolution by eliminating numerical diffusion: the TTLEM 1.0 model

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Campforts ◽  
Wolfgang Schwanghart ◽  
Gerard Govers
Keyword(s):  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Advection Equation ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
Numerical Diffusion ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
River Incision ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Integrated Response ◽  
Volume Method ◽  
Flux Limiting

Abstract. Landscape evolution models (LEM) allow studying the earth surface response to a changing climatic and tectonic forcing. While much effort has been devoted to the development of LEMs that simulate a wide range of processes, the numerical accuracy of these models has received much less attention. Most LEMs use first order accurate numerical methods that suffer from substantial numerical diffusion. Numerical diffusion particularly affects the solution of the advection equation and thus the simulation of retreating landforms such as cliffs and river knickpoints with potential unquantified consequences for the integrated response of the simulated landscape. Here we present TTLEM, a spatially explicit, raster based LEM for the study of fluvially eroding landscapes in TopoToolbox 2. TTLEM prevents numerical diffusion by implementing a higher order flux limiting total volume method that is total variation diminishing (TVD-TVM) and solves the partial differential equations of river incision and tectonic displacement. We show that the choice of the TVD-TVM to simulate river incision significantly influences the evolution of simulated landscapes and the spatial and temporal variability of catchment wide erosion rates. Furthermore, a 2D TVD-TVM accurately simulates the evolution of landscapes affected by lateral tectonic displacement, a process whose simulation is hitherto largely limited to LEMs with flexible spatial discretization. By providing accurate numerical schemes on rectangular grids, TTLEM is a widely accessible LEM that is compatible with GIS analysis functions from the TopoToolbox interface.

scholarly journals The SPACE 1.0 model: a Landlab component for 2-D calculation of sediment transport, bedrock erosion, and landscape evolution

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4577-4604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles M. Shobe ◽  
Gregory E. Tucker ◽  
Katherine R. Barnhart
Keyword(s):  
Sediment Transport ◽  
Analytical Solutions ◽  
Landscape Evolution ◽  
Sediment Flux ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Surface Processes ◽  
Flux Divergence ◽  
Space Model ◽  
Lithospheric Flexure ◽  
Bedrock Erosion

Abstract. Models of landscape evolution by river erosion are often either transport-limited (sediment is always available but may or may not be transportable) or detachment-limited (sediment must be detached from the bed but is then always transportable). While several models incorporate elements of, or transition between, transport-limited and detachment-limited behavior, most require that either sediment or bedrock, but not both, are eroded at any given time. Modeling landscape evolution over large spatial and temporal scales requires a model that can (1) transition freely between transport-limited and detachment-limited behavior, (2) simultaneously treat sediment transport and bedrock erosion, and (3) run in 2-D over large grids and be coupled with other surface process models. We present SPACE (stream power with alluvium conservation and entrainment) 1.0, a new model for simultaneous evolution of an alluvium layer and a bedrock bed based on conservation of sediment mass both on the bed and in the water column. The model treats sediment transport and bedrock erosion simultaneously, embracing the reality that many rivers (even those commonly defined as bedrock rivers) flow over a partially alluviated bed. SPACE improves on previous models of bedrock–alluvial rivers by explicitly calculating sediment erosion and deposition rather than relying on a flux-divergence (Exner) approach. The SPACE model is a component of the Landlab modeling toolkit, a Python-language library used to create models of Earth surface processes. Landlab allows efficient coupling between the SPACE model and components simulating basin hydrology, hillslope evolution, weathering, lithospheric flexure, and other surface processes. Here, we first derive the governing equations of the SPACE model from existing sediment transport and bedrock erosion formulations and explore the behavior of local analytical solutions for sediment flux and alluvium thickness. We derive steady-state analytical solutions for channel slope, alluvium thickness, and sediment flux, and show that SPACE matches predicted behavior in detachment-limited, transport-limited, and mixed conditions. We provide an example of landscape evolution modeling in which SPACE is coupled with hillslope diffusion, and demonstrate that SPACE provides an effective framework for simultaneously modeling 2-D sediment transport and bedrock erosion.

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