Late-Pleistocene catchment-wide denudation patterns across the European Alps

Delunel, Romain; Schlunegger, Fritz; Valla, Pierre G.; Dixon, Jean L.; Glotzbach, Christoph; Hippe, Kristina; Kober, Florian; Molliex, Stéphane; Norton, Kevin; Salcher, Bernhard; Wittmann, Hella; Akçar, Naki; Christl, Marcus

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103407

Cited by 44 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 118 publications

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“…Several studies have proved that bedrock channel steepness can be regarded as the surrogate for regional relative uplift rate [42,45,[59][60][61][62], and slope distribution in tectonically active mountain belts usually positively correlates with local erosion [63][64][65]. As the slope in the Zhongtiao Shan shows exactly the same distribution as the steepness (Figure 4), here we just analyze the uplift pattern of the Zhongtiao Shan based on the steepness, and the regional erosion pattern should be the same as the uplift pattern.…”

Section: Asymmetric Uplift and Erosionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Dynamic Divide Migration as a Response to Asymmetric Uplift: An Example from the Zhongtiao Shan, North China

Hong³

2020

Remote Sensing

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Previous numerical–analytical approaches have suggested that the main range divide prefers to migrate towards the high uplift flank in the asymmetric tectonic uplift pattern. However, natural examples recording these processes and further verifying the numerical simulations results, are still lacking. In this study, the landscape features, and the probable drainage evolution history of the Zhongtiao Shan, a roughly west-east trending, half-horst block on the southernmost tip of the Shanxi Graben System, were investigated through the geomorphic analyses (i.e., slope and steepness distributions, and the Gilbert and χ metrics). The topographic slope and steepness results indicate that the Zhongtiao Shan, controlled by the north Zhongtiao Shan normal fault, experiences asymmetric uplift and erosion patterns, with higher uplift and erosion on the north range. In addition, the Gilbert and χ metrics suggest that the western part of the main divide is currently stable, while the eastern divide is moving southward. According to the drainage divide stability criteria, we suggest that the uplift and erosion, on the fault side, balance each other well on the western part of the range, while on the eastern part, the uplift is outpaced by the erosion. In addition, a dynamic divide migration model in the asymmetric uplift condition is proposed, indicating that the interaction between uplift and erosion controls the migration and/or stability of the main divide. Deducing through this dynamic model, we suggested that the eastern segment of the north Zhongtiaoshan Fault must have experienced higher activities in the geological history, and the western fault may remain its activity along with the mountain relief generation. This gives a case that specific information on asymmetric neotectonic history and landscape evolution in an orogenic mountain can be uncovered by the proposed dynamic model.

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Section: Asymmetric Uplift and Erosionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Dynamic Divide Migration as a Response to Asymmetric Uplift: An Example from the Zhongtiao Shan, North China

Hong³

2020

Remote Sensing

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“…This produces constraints on both slope exponent (n) and channel erodibility (K), which is key to determining knickpoint ages. But, when the basin slope is close to or above the threshold angle (25-30°), erosion is stochastic in nature, and any correlation between denudation rates and catchment metrics falls apart [77]. In the northern Qinling range, owing to the steep topography (average basin slope of~25-32°; Figure 9(a)), He et al [36] found little correlation between denudation rates and either basin slope or channel steepness.…”

Section: Knickpoint Ages and Implications For Mountain Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Channel Profile Response to Abrupt Increases in Mountain Uplift Rates: Implications for Late Miocene to Pliocene Acceleration of Intracontinental Extension in the Northern Qinling Range-Weihe Graben, Central China

et al. 2020

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Cenozoic extension of the Qinling range-Weihe Graben system has occurred in response to the uplift and growth of the Tibetan Plateau. Rapid exhumation of the northern Qinling range since the late Miocene is also regarded as resulting from the eastward expansion of the northeast part of Tibet. Tectonic evidence of this in the landscape remains unclear, but the fluvial system can provide a sensitive proxy record of tectonic forcing through space and over time scales of 105–107 a. Here, we present a study of channel profiles in the northern Qinling range, which forms a footwall highland separated from the southern Weihe Graben by active normal faults. We identify a population of knickpoints that separate river profiles with a gentle upstream gradient from steeper downstream reaches. Above the knickpoints, steepness indices increase from the central part towards the west and east, whereas channel steepness shows its highest values in the Huaxian-Huayin section. We observed no systematic changes of channel steepness pattern as a function of rock resistance, drainage area, or channel concavity. Correlation analysis between channel steepness and basin elevation and relief documents the control of tectonic forcing on regional topography. While bearing no relation to geological outcrop boundaries, the knickpoints show a strong correlation between retreat distance, catchment area, and river length. We infer that the knickpoints formed in response to an increase in mountain uplift rates and retreated as a kinematic wave. Under linear slope exponent n, we calibrated channel erodibility K~1.00±0.44×10−6 m0.1/a and derived knickpoint ages of 5.59±1.80 Ma. Combining the ages of onset of active faulting and mountain growth in the NE Tibetan Plateau (8–10 Ma, e.g., Liupan Shan, Jishi Shan, and eastern segments of the Haiyuan and Kunlun faults) and in the southwest Qinling range (9–4 Ma), we conclude that growth of the NE Tibetan Plateau began in the mid-Miocene time and expanded eastwards to the Qinling range-Weihe Graben during the late Miocene and early Pliocene.

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“…On this basis, one might assume that the stratigraphic record preserved downstream of such mountain ranges will have a lithological composition that reflects upstream bedrock erosion rates and thus can be used to reconstruct the lithological and tectonic evolution of the sediment routing system (Amidon et al, 2005a(Amidon et al, , 2005b. Indeed this assumption is at the root of cosmogenic and thermochronology techniques for estimating catchment-averaged rates of bedrock erosion (10 2-5 years) and bedrock exhumation (> 10 6 years), respectively (Delunel et al, 2020;Kirstein et al, 2010;Reinhardt et al, 2007;Riesner et al, 2019;von Blanckenburg, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of climate on landscape form, sediment transfer and the sedimentary record

Harries

Gailleton

Kirstein

et al. 2021

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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The relationship between climate, landscape connectivity and sediment export from mountain ranges is key to understanding the propagation of erosion signals downstream into sedimentary basins. We explore the role of connectivity in modulating the composition of sediment exported from the Frontal Cordillera of the southcentral Argentine Andes by comparing three adjacent and apparently similar semiglaciated catchment-fan systems within the context of an along-strike precipitation gradient. We first identify that the bedrock exposed in the upper, previously glaciated reaches of the cordillera is under-represented in the lithological composition of gravels on each of three alluvial fans. There is little evidence for abrasion or preferen-

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Late-Pleistocene catchment-wide denudation patterns across the European Alps

Cited by 44 publications

References 118 publications

Dynamic Divide Migration as a Response to Asymmetric Uplift: An Example from the Zhongtiao Shan, North China

Dynamic Divide Migration as a Response to Asymmetric Uplift: An Example from the Zhongtiao Shan, North China

Channel Profile Response to Abrupt Increases in Mountain Uplift Rates: Implications for Late Miocene to Pliocene Acceleration of Intracontinental Extension in the Northern Qinling Range-Weihe Graben, Central China

Impact of climate on landscape form, sediment transfer and the sedimentary record

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