This study focuses on lithological contrasts of headmost channel morphology of two mountainous areas underlain by chert or sandstone. The areas have contrasting runoff processes: subsurface storm flow predominates in the chert area, whereas groundwater flow recharges stable stream flow in the sandstone area. Manual field measurements from 84 sections of first-order streams revealed that channel steps develop along 26% of all sections in the chert area, while only along one section (3%) in the sandstone area. High-resolution analysis of long profiles using terrestrial laser scanning detected a weaker pattern of channel steps in a colluvial reach of the sandstone basin. The contrast in runoff processes, as well as grain-size distributions of weathering products between the two areas, influences dissimilar bed-load transport regimes and promotes spatial variations in channel profiles between headwater streams. These contrasting hydro-geomorphic processes affect channel-step morphology, indicating that lithology plays a key role in the formation of channel steps and in variations between headwater streams. [
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