Arrested development: Erosional equilibrium in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, maintained by feedbacks between channel incision and hillslope sediment production

Callahan, R. P.; Ferrier, Ken L.; Dixon, Jean L.; Dosseto, Anthony; Hahm, W. Jesse; Jessup, Barbara S.; Miller, Scott N.; Hunsaker, Carolyn T.; Johnson, Dale W.; Sklar, L. S.; Riebe, C. S.

doi:10.1130/b35006.1

Cited by 24 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 138 publications

(263 reference statements)

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“…This scenarios of the future hydrologic response in the Sierra Nevada is consistent with previous studies investigating changes in runoff (Hunsaker et al, 2012), vegetation (Goulden and Bales, 2014) and flooding (Das et al, 2013). More broadly, mountain watersheds that experienced Pleistocene glaciations have been scoured by glacial and periglacial processes (Ackerer et al, 2016;Callahan et al, 2019), resulting in thinner regolith and potentially lower water-storage capacities. The CZ structure, which is acquired through long-term processes, may not be adaptable to the rapid changes in climate and snowpack that are currently being observed.…”

Section: Implications For Water Resources From Headwater Watershedssupporting

confidence: 89%

“…KREW includes eight watersheds, four in Providence site (P301, P303, P304, and D102) and four in Bull site (B201, B203, B204, and T003; Figure 1). The study area is underlain by the Sierra Nevada Batholith with bedrock dominated by Mesozoic granitoids and metamorphic rocks from granitic roof pendants (Lackey et al, 2012;Callahan et al, 2019). The Landscape is characterized by a sequence of range-parallel ridges and valleys, with alternating steep and gentle terrain (Holbrook et al, 2014).…”

Section: Watershed Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Providence is located east of a tread edge in an area with generally intermediate slopes (Jessup et al, 2011). Bull is located southeast of Providence, with erosion and soil formation rates that are generally slower than Providence (Callahan et al, 2019). More geological description of the region and additional chemical and mineralogical data are available from the US Geological Survey (Bateman and Lockwood, 1976;Bateman and Busacca, 1983).…”

Section: Watershed Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Determining How Critical Zone Structure Constrains Hydrogeochemical Behavior of Watersheds: Learning From an Elevation Gradient in California's Sierra Nevada

et al. 2020

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Concentration-discharge (C-Q) relations can provide insight into the dynamic behavior of the Critical Zone (CZ), as C-Q relations integrate the spatial distribution and timing of watershed hydrogeochemical processes. This study blends geomorphologic analysis, C-Q relations and reactive-transport modeling using a rich dataset from an elevation gradient of eight watersheds in the Southern Sierra Nevada, California. We found that the CZ structure exerts a strong control on the C-Q relations, and on the hydrogeochemical behavior of headwater watersheds. Watersheds with thin regolith, a large stream network, and limited water storage have fast mean transit times along subsurface flow lines, and show limited seasonal variability in ionic concentrations in streamflow (i.e., chemostatic behavior). In contrast, watersheds with thicker regolith, a small stream network and more water storage have longer transit times along subsurface flow lines, and exhibit greater chemical variability (i.e., chemodynamic behavior). Independent estimates of mean transit times and water storage from other isotopic, hydrologic and geophysical studies were consistent with results from modeling C-Q relations. The stream chemistry and its variability were controlled by lateral flow within the regolith, and no mixing with deep groundwater was needed to explain the observed chemical variability. This study opens the possibility to estimate water-storage capacity and mean transit times, and thus drought resistance in watersheds, by using quantitative modeling of C-Q relations.

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Section: Implications For Water Resources From Headwater Watershedssupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Watershed Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Watershed Study Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Determining How Critical Zone Structure Constrains Hydrogeochemical Behavior of Watersheds: Learning From an Elevation Gradient in California's Sierra Nevada

et al. 2020

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“…Widespread volcanism blanketed the northern Sierra Nevada from the mid-Miocene through the Pliocene (Bateman and Wahrhaftig, 1996;Busby et al, 2008;Christensen, 1966;Curtis, 1953;Durrell, 1966;Slemmons, 1966). These deposits still blanket modern interfluves throughout the northern Sierra Nevada along with Eocene-aged fluvial gravels (Cassel and Graham, 2011 and references therein). The depth of incision into basement rock underlying Mio-Pliocene volcanic deposits and Eocene fluvial gravels has been proposed to reflect accumulated rock uplift since their deposition (Wakabayashi, 2013;Wakabayashi and Sawyer, 2001).…”

Section: Disequilibrium Form Of the Mainstem Middle Fork American Rivmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphic signatures of the transient fluvial response to tilting

Beeson

McCoy

2020

Earth Surf. Dynam.

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Abstract. Nonuniform rock uplift in the form of tilting has been documented in convergent margins, postorogenic landscapes, and extensional provinces. Despite the prevalence of tilting, the transient fluvial response to tilting has not been quantified such that tectonic histories involving tilt can be extracted from river network forms. We used numerical landscape evolution models to characterize the transient erosional response of a river network initially at equilibrium to rapid tilting. We focus on the case of punctuated rigid-block tilting, though we explore longer-duration tilting events and nonuniform uplift that deviates from perfect rigid-block tilting such as that observed when bending an elastic plate or with more pronounced internal deformation of a fault-bounded block. Using a model river network composed of linked 1-D river longitudinal profile evolution models, we show that the transient response to a punctuated rigid-block tilting event creates a suite of characteristic forms or geomorphic signatures in mainstem and tributary profiles that collectively are distinct from those generated by other perturbations, such as a step change in the uniform rock uplift rate or a major truncation of the headwater drainage area, that push a river network away from equilibrium. These signatures include (1) a knickpoint in the mainstem that separates a downstream profile with uniform steepness (i.e., channel gradient normalized for drainage area) from an upstream profile with nonuniform steepness, with the mainstem above the knickpoint more out of equilibrium than the tributaries following forward tilting toward the outlet, versus the mainstem less out of equilibrium than the tributaries following back tilting toward the headwaters; (2) a pattern of mainstem incision below paleo-topography markers that increases linearly up to the mainstem knickpoint or vice versa following back tilting; and (3) tributary knickzones with nonuniform steepness that mirrors that of the mainstem upstream of the slope-break knickpoint. Immediately after a punctuated tilting event, knickpoints form at the mainstem outlet and each mainstem–tributary junction. Time since the cessation of rapid tilting is recorded by the mainstem knickpoint location relative to base level and by the upstream end of tributary knickzones relative to the mainstem–tributary junction. Tilt magnitude is recorded in the spatial gradient of mainstem incision depth and, in the forward tilting case, also by the spatial gradient in tributary knickzone drop height. Heterogeneous lithology can modulate the transient response to tilting and, post tilt, knickpoints can form anywhere in a stream network where more erodible rock occurs upstream of less erodible rock. With a full 2-D model, we show that stream segments flowing in the tilt direction have elevated channel gradient early in the transient response. Tilting is also reflected in network topologic changes via stream capture oriented in the direction of tilt. As an example of how these geomorphic signatures can be used in concert with each other to estimate the timing and magnitude of a tilting event, we show a sample of rivers from two field sites: the Sierra Nevada, California, USA, and the Sierra San Pedro Mártir, Baja California, Mexico, two ranges thought to have been tilted westward toward river outlets in the late Cenozoic.

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“…This latter example is striking because the granitic bedrock lining this gentle reach also lines the steepest reach in the profile (km-15-20). The presence of these low-gradient granitic reaches at lower elevations suggest that they might have been exposed more often to subsurface water than their counterparts at higher elevations and, therefore, the bedrock may have been weakened by chemical weathering (Callahan et al, 2019;Wahrhaftig, 1965).…”

Section: River Gradient and Lithologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Lithological and structural controls on river profiles and networks in the northern Sierra Nevada (California, USA)

Gabet

2019

GSA Bulletin

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In this study, the strong lithological heterogeneity of the northern Sierra Nevada (California, USA) is exploited to elucidate the role of lithology on river profiles and patterns at the mountain-range scale. The analyses indicate that plutonic, metavolcanic, and quartzite bedrock generally host the steepest river reaches, whereas gentle reaches flow across non-quartzite metasedimentary rocks and fault zones. In addition, the largest immobile boulders are often in the steepest reaches, suggesting that wide joint spacing plays a role in creating steep channels, and a positive relationship between boulder size and hillslope angle highlights the coupling of the hillslope and fluvial systems. With respect to river network configurations, dendritic patterns dominate in the plutonic bedrock, with channels aligned down the slope of the range; in contrast, river reaches in the metamorphic belts are mainly longitudinal and parallel to the structural grain. River profiles and patterns in the northern Sierra Nevada, therefore, bear a strong lithological imprint related to differential erosion. These observations indicate that attempts to infer uplift and tilting of the range based on the gradients and orientations of paleochannel remnants should first account for the effect of bedrock erodibility. Indeed, the differences in gradients of Tertiary paleochannel remnants used to argue for late Cenozoic uplift of the range can be wholly explained by differences in lithology.

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Arrested development: Erosional equilibrium in the southern Sierra Nevada, California, maintained by feedbacks between channel incision and hillslope sediment production

Cited by 24 publications

References 138 publications

Determining How Critical Zone Structure Constrains Hydrogeochemical Behavior of Watersheds: Learning From an Elevation Gradient in California's Sierra Nevada

Determining How Critical Zone Structure Constrains Hydrogeochemical Behavior of Watersheds: Learning From an Elevation Gradient in California's Sierra Nevada

Geomorphic signatures of the transient fluvial response to tilting

Lithological and structural controls on river profiles and networks in the northern Sierra Nevada (California, USA)

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