Erosional response of granular material in landscape models

Abstract

Abstract. Tectonics and erosion/sedimentation are the main processes responsible for shaping the earth surface. The link between these processes has strong influence on the evolution of landscapes. One of the tools we have for investigating coupled process models is analogue modeling. Here we contribute to the utility of this tool by presenting laboratory-scaled analogue models of erosion. We explore the erosional response of different materials to imposed boundary conditions, trying to find the composite material that best mimics the behaviour of the natural prototype. The models recreate conditions in which tectonic uplift is no longer active, but there is an imposed fixed slope. On this slope the erosion is triggered by precipitation and gravity, with the formation of channels in valleys and diffusion on hillslope that are function of the analogue material. Using Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and laser-scan correlation technique, we show model evolution and measure sediment discharge rates. We propose three main components of our analogue material (silica powder, glass microbeads and PVC powder) and we investigate how different proportions of these components affect the model evolution and the development of landscapes. We find that silica powder is the main responsible for creating a realistic landscape in laboratory. Furthermore, we find that varying the concentration of silica powder between 40 wt.% and 50 wt.% (with glass microbeads and PVC powder in the range 35–40 wt.% and 15–20 wt.%, respectively) results in metrics and morphologies that are comparable with those from natural prototypes.

Sediment Recycling and the Evolution of Analog Orogenic Wedges

“…The analog material used in the models consists of a water‐saturated mixture of granular materials able to reproduce both brittle deformation and surface processes (Garcia‐Estève et al., 2021; Graveleau & Dominguez, 2008; Graveleau et al., 2011; Guerit et al., 2016; Reitano et al., 2020; Mao et al., 2021; Strak et al., 2011). The mixture is comprised of 40 wt.% of Silica Powder (SP), 40 wt.% of Glass Microbeads (GM), and 20 wt.% of PolyVinyl Chloride powder (PVC).…”

“…(2020), the material is characterized by mean grain size of 83 μm, a particle density of 2,190 ± 1 kg m −3 , a porosity of 0.32, a permeability of 2.9 × 10 −13 m 2 , an angle of internal friction for peak and stable friction in the ranges 25–36° and 23–34°, respectively, and cohesion in the order of 1 kPa. Still, the cohesion of the material is strongly affected by its composition and its water content (Graveleau et al., 2011; Reitano et al., 2020). Moreover, shallow portions of the material undergoing surface runoff (few mm) quickly increase their water content and, in turn, decrease the cohesion.…”

Response of Surface Erosion to Crustal Shortening and its Influence on Tectonic Evolution in Fold‐and‐Thrust Belts: Implications From Sandbox Modeling on Tectonic Geomorphology

“…Traditional physical modeling experiments mainly use dry sand (Babault et al, 2005;Barrier et al, 2002;Bigi et al, 2010;Bonnet et al, 2007;Corrado et al, 1998;Cotton & Koyi, 2000;Dahlen et al, 1984;Davis et al, 1983;Deng et al, 2017;Persson et al, 2004;Pichot & Nalpas, 2009;Simoes et al, 2007;Sun et al, 2003Sun et al, , 2016Wu et al, 2014) and simulate syn-sedimentation by adding material to the sandbox via sifting (Barrier et al, 2013;Bonnet et al, 2007;Pichot & Nalpas, 2009) and erosion by removing material via a vacuum cleaner (Konstantinovskaya & Malavieille, 2011;Malavieille, 2010). In order to reproduce channels, alluvial fans, and other associated landform features, a kind of material was tested Graveleau et al, 2011;Reitano et al, 2020) to deeply investigate the mechanisms between structural deformation and surface processes under a mesoscale setting. This material can not only simulate erosion and deposition through channelization and diffusive processes but also model the structural deformation in compressional , extensional (Strak et al, 2011), and strike-slip settings (Chatton et al, 2012).…”

Monitoring Volcanic and Tectonic Sandbox Analogue Models Using the Kinect v2 Sensor

“…Otherwise, the possible use of the Kinect v2 device for monitoring topographic evolution of tectonic‐geomorphology experiments using water‐saturated granular materials (e.g., Graveleau et al., 2011, 2012) requires a more detailed exploration. In those experiments the uppermost 1–2 mm of the model surface needs to dry before the use of laser interfometer or laser scanner techniques, in order to avoid bright laser points that could affect DEM precision, which implies that the experiment must be stopped (Reitano et al., 2020; Viaplana‐Muzas et al., 2015). A detailed study comparing dry and water‐saturated granular materials response to the Kinect v2 measurements is therefore needed to check the suitability of the Kinect v2 for a dynamic monitoring (i.e., avoiding to stop the experiment) of this kind of models, which could be a very useful application of the Kinect v2.…”