Quantifying drainage-divide migration from orographic rainfall over geologic timescales: Sierra de Aconquija, southern Central Andes

Schildgen, Taylor F.; Beek, Peter van der; D’Arcy, Mitch; Roda-Boluda, Duna; Orr, Elizabeth N.; Wittmann, Hella

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2021.117345

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Robust coupling between climate and tectonics on landscape erosion has been proposed in some studies (e.g., Rasmussen et al., 2011; Reiners et al., 2003). Tectonics impacts climate predominantly by growing high mountain ranges and plateaus, which lead to orographic precipitation (e.g., England & Molnar, 1990; Roe et al., 2008; Schildgen et al., 2022), and climate influences tectonics by increasing erosion and unroofing of the mountain belts (e.g., Beaumont et al., 2001). However, some studies have shown decoupling between climate and tectonics (i.e., Greater Caucasus, Zagros; Collignon et al., 2019; Forte et al., 2016; Forte, Leonard, et al., 2022) or weak coupling (i.e., Himalaya; Godard et al., 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tectonics, Base‐Level Fluctuations, and Climate Impact on the Eocene to Present‐Day Erosional Pattern of the Arabia‐Eurasia Collision Zone (NNW Iranian Plateau and West Alborz Mountains)

et al. 2023

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The NNW Iranian Plateau and west Alborz within the Arabia‐Eurasia collision zone are characterized by three main tectono‐stratigraphic zones, crosscut by the Qezel‐Owzan River (QOR) Basin. The interplay between present‐day deformation and climate, which control the landscape evolution of the region, is still poorly constrained. We addressed this gap by measuring millennial‐scale erosion rates from 10Be‐concentration in the QOR sands along with topographic/climatic metrics analyses. Results reveal low erosion rates in the Plateau and relatively high in the west Alborz. The regional consistency of topographic parameters with geomorphology suggests that they control sediment fluxes in the Plateau, while the surface uplift, active thrust‐faulting, and shallow crustal seismicity in the west Alborz are the main controlling factors. Climate has a secondary role on erosion rates. Furthermore, we calculated exhumation rates from published thermochronometric AFT/AHe ages to determine their relationship with 10Be short‐term data. Results imply that the exhumation rates increased slightly in the Plateau and west Alborz from ∼26 to ∼10 Ma, simultaneous with hard collision processes between the Arabia‐Eurasia. This trend accelerated from ∼10 to ∼2.8 Ma due to the isolation of the Caspian Sea and extreme base‐level fall. From ∼2.8 to ∼2 Ma, base‐level rise occurred under climate influence, and erosion rates decreased. Millennial‐scale data show the erosion rate decreased from ∼2 Ma to the Present‐day, which is attributed to the change in deformation style and fault kinematics from fold/thrusting to mainly strike‐slip faulting. The significantly lower erosion rates in the Plateau compared to west Alborz suggest a relatively stable plateau surface.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tectonics, Base‐Level Fluctuations, and Climate Impact on the Eocene to Present‐Day Erosional Pattern of the Arabia‐Eurasia Collision Zone (NNW Iranian Plateau and West Alborz Mountains)

et al. 2023

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“…Another possible explanation for the discrepancy between the escarpment position and the measured erosion rates is that the method used to convert erosion rates to horizontal divide migration rates is imperfect. Our simple geometric representation of a migrating divide (Equation 5; Figure 6a) is similar to the approach taken by several other recent studies (Beeson et al., 2017; Hu et al., 2021; Schildgen et al., 2022). Additionally, Braun (2018) uses numerical models of escarpment retreat to demonstrate the need to use an equation like ours (Equation 5) that considers hillslope geometry when converting measured erosion rates to divide migration rates.…”

Section: Interpretation Of Erosion Rates Using Topographic Analyses A...mentioning

confidence: 91%

“…where θ is the hillslope gradient on the Atlantic (ATL) or Mississippi (MIS) side (Beeson et al, 2017;Penck, 1924;Schildgen et al, 2022) (see Figure 6a). We used three methods to calculate θ (Figure S4 in Supporting Information S1).…”

Section: Topographic Analyses Of Divide Mobility Across the Pee Dee/n...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used erosion rates E from paired neighboring basins on opposite sides of the Pee Dee/New River divide (outlined in black in Figure 4a) to estimate rates of horizontal divide migration M ,

M=\frac{{E}_{\text{ATL}}-{E}_{\text{MIS}}}{\mathrm{tan}\,{\theta }_{\text{ATL}}+\mathrm{tan}\,{\theta }_{\text{MIS}}},

where θ is the hillslope gradient on the Atlantic (ATL) or Mississippi (MIS) side (Beeson et al., 2017; Penck, 1924; Schildgen et al., 2022) (see Figure 6a). We used three methods to calculate θ (Figure S4 in Supporting Information S1).…”

Section: Interpretation Of Erosion Rates Using Topographic Analyses A...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Erosional Signature of Drainage Divide Motion Along the Blue Ridge Escarpment

et al. 2023

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“…Precipitation has long been recognized as an important climate variable controlling erosion through its influence on river incision (Roe et al., 2003), surface runoff and associated sediment transport (Dadson et al., 2003), and landslide activity (Marc et al., 2018). The impact of precipitation is generally evaluated by comparing erosion or exhumation rates (over 10 0 –10 6 yr timescales) or landslide rates (over 10 0 –10 1 yr timescales) with measured precipitation rates or intensity (LaHusen et al., 2020; Moon et al., 2011; Schildgen et al., 2022). These data are often derived from a small number of weather stations that have recorded data over <10 2 yr, a timescale that is commonly shorter than the integration timescale of erosion‐rate estimates.…”

Section: Climate‐mediated Erosional Processes: Main Controlling Varia...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevation‐Dependent Periglacial and Paraglacial Processes Modulate Tectonically‐Controlled Erosion of the Western Southern Alps, New Zealand

Roda‐Boluda,

Schildgen,

Wittmann

et al. 2023

JGR Earth Surface

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Examining the links and potential feedbacks between tectonics and climate requires understanding the processes and variables controlling erosion. At the orogen scale, tectonics and climate are thought to be linked through the influence of mountain elevation on orographic precipitation and glaciation; the only documented erosional processes capable of balancing rapid rock‐uplift rates are glacial erosion or coupled river incision and landsliding. Our 20 new 10Be derived catchment‐averaged denudation rates from the Western Southern Alps of New Zealand generally range between 0.6 and 9 mm/yr, within the same order of magnitude as fault‐throw rates, exhumation rates, and erosion rates estimated from suspended sediment yields and landslide inventories. Combining our data with previously published 10Be denudation rates, we find that the proportion of catchment area in the 1,500–2,000 m elevation window is the variable that best explains denudation rate variability and the disparity between rock‐uplift rates and denudation rates. This correlation indicates that enhanced erosion likely occurs at 1,500–2,000 m above sea level, where periglacial and paraglacial processes have been proposed to be most active. We find that these temperature‐controlled erosional processes, which are also elevation‐dependent, can play a greater role in modulating erosion during interglacials than precipitation or glaciation. Our data suggest that temperature‐controlled peri‐ and paraglacial erosion could be efficient enough to balance some of the fastest rock‐uplift rates on Earth. Hence, temperature‐controlled erosion could contribute to limiting orogen elevations and modulating the erosion rates dictated by rock‐uplift, playing an essential role in linking tectonics and climate.

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Quantifying drainage-divide migration from orographic rainfall over geologic timescales: Sierra de Aconquija, southern Central Andes

Cited by 15 publications

References 50 publications

Tectonics, Base‐Level Fluctuations, and Climate Impact on the Eocene to Present‐Day Erosional Pattern of the Arabia‐Eurasia Collision Zone (NNW Iranian Plateau and West Alborz Mountains)

Tectonics, Base‐Level Fluctuations, and Climate Impact on the Eocene to Present‐Day Erosional Pattern of the Arabia‐Eurasia Collision Zone (NNW Iranian Plateau and West Alborz Mountains)

The Erosional Signature of Drainage Divide Motion Along the Blue Ridge Escarpment

Elevation‐Dependent Periglacial and Paraglacial Processes Modulate Tectonically‐Controlled Erosion of the Western Southern Alps, New Zealand

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