Book ChapterDOI
Tectonics from topography: Procedures, promise, and pitfalls
Cameron Wobus,Kelin X. Whipple,Eric Kirby,Noah P. Snyder,Joel P. L. Johnson,Katerina Spyropolou,Benjamin T. Crosby,Daniel Sheehan +7 more
- Vol. 398, pp 55-74
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TLDR
In this article, a method for extracting topographic indices of longitudinal profi le shape and character from digital topographic data is described, which can then be used to delineate breaks in scaling that may be associated with tectonic boundaries.Abstract:
Empirical observations from fl uvial systems across the globe reveal a consistent power-law scaling between channel slope and contributing drainage area. Theoretical arguments for both detachmentand transport-limited erosion regimes suggest that rock uplift rate should exert fi rst-order control on this scaling. Here we describe in detail a method for exploiting this relationship, in which topographic indices of longitudinal profi le shape and character are derived from digital topographic data. The stream profi le data can then be used to delineate breaks in scaling that may be associated with tectonic boundaries. The description of the method is followed by three case studies from varied tectonic settings. The case studies illustrate the power of stream profi le analysis in delineating spatial patterns of, and in some cases, temporal changes in, rock uplift rate. Owing to an incomplete understanding of river response to rock uplift, the method remains primarily a qualitative tool for neotectonic investigations; we conclude with a discussion of research needs that must be met before we can extract quantitative information about tectonics directly from topography.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Expression of active tectonics in erosional landscapes
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide an overview of the analysis and interpretation of channel profiles in erosional mountain ranges and show that existing data support theoretical expectations of positive, monotonic relationships between channel steepness index, a measure of channel gradient normalized for downstream increases in drainage area, and erosion rate at equilibrium, and that the transient response to perturbations away from equilibrium engenders specific spatial patterns in channel profiles that can be used to infer the forcing.
TopoToolbox 2 – MATLAB-based software for topographic analysis and modeling in Earth surface sciences
TL;DR: The introduction of a novel technique to store flow directions as topologically ordered vectors of indices enables calculation of flow-related attributes such as flow accumulation ∼20 times faster than conventional algorithms while at the same time reducing memory overhead to 33% of that required by the previous version.
Journal ArticleDOI
Short Communication: TopoToolbox 2 – MATLAB-based software for topographic analysis and modeling in Earth surface sciences
TL;DR: TopoToolbox as discussed by the authors is a MATLAB program for the analysis of digital elevation models (DEMs) that adopts an object-oriented programming (OOP) approach to work with gridded DEMs and derived data such as flow directions and stream networks.
Journal ArticleDOI
An integral approach to bedrock river profile analysis
J. Taylor Perron,Leigh H. Royden +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a method to solve the problem of geomorphology and land-use dynamics with a geomorphological and landuse dynamics program award EAR-0951672.
Journal ArticleDOI
Knickpoint initiation and distribution within fluvial networks: 236 waterfalls in the Waipaoa River, North Island, New Zealand
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the response of an entire fluvial network, as recorded by 236 active knickpoints distributed within the Waipaoa River on the North Island of New Zealand.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Dynamics of the stream‐power river incision model: Implications for height limits of mountain ranges, landscape response timescales, and research needs
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the stream power erosion model in an effort to elucidate its consequences in terms of large-scale topographic (fluvial) relief and its sensitivity to tectonic and climatic forcing.
Journal ArticleDOI
A detachment-limited model of drainage basin evolution
TL;DR: In this article, a drainage basin simulation model incorporating creep and threshold slumping and both detachment-and transport-limited fluvial processes is introduced, and it is argued that fluvial erosion of natural slopes and headwater channels is dominantly detachment-limited.
Journal ArticleDOI
Bedrock incision, rock uplift and threshold hillslopes in the northwestern Himalayas
Douglas W. Burbank,John Leland,Eric J. Fielding,Robert S. Anderson,Nicholas Brozovic,Mary R. Reid,Chris Duncan +6 more
TL;DR: The topography of tectonically active mountain ranges reflects a poorly understood competition between bedrock uplift and erosion as mentioned in this paper, and the Indus river incises through the bedrock at extremely high rates (2-12 mm yr-1).
Journal ArticleDOI
Bedrock rivers and the geomorphology of active orogens
TL;DR: The results of intense research in the past decade are reviewed in this article, with the aim of highlighting remaining unknowns and suggesting fruitful avenues for further research, including the role of climate-driven denudation in the evolution of orogens.