Global drainage patterns and the origins of topographic relief on Earth, Mars, and Titan

Black, B. A.; Perron, J. Taylor; Hemingway, D.; Bailey, Elizabeth; Nimmo, F.; Zebker, H. A.

doi:10.1126/science.aag0171

Cited by 47 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Although the tectonic and geomorphic evolution of the Martian dichotomy boundary is likely to be complex (e.g., Irwin & Watters, ; Nimmo, ; Watters, ), the initial development of the dichotomy boundary's topography predates the period of valley network activity (Irwin & Watters, ). Therefore, we suggest that significant, regional uplift during valley incision is unlikely to be important for the Licus Vallis system, consistent with recent work that suggests there was minimal regional tectonic activity during the incision of Martian valley networks (Black et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Incision of Licus Vallis, Mars, From Multiple Lake Overflow Floods

Goudge

Fassett

2018

JGR Planets

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Licus Vallis is a large valley (>350 km long, >2 km wide, and >150 m deep) that heads at the outlet breach of an ~30 km diameter impact crater. We present observations of the geomorphology and topography of this paleolake outlet valley and associated tributary valleys to constrain the history of incision of the Licus Vallis system. Licus Vallis has an abrupt increase in gradient by a factor of approximately 4 along its longitudinal profile, and a knickpoint that drops ~200 m over a reach of ~2 km approximately 12 km downstream from the valley head. We also describe a set of paired terraces within Licus Vallis, which are continuous for tens of kilometers and define an interior valley >2 km in width. We interpret the geomorphology of Licus Vallis as recording at least two discrete, major episodes of valley incision, both driven by lake overflow floods. The main portion of Licus Vallis formed by overflow flooding from a large (~103–104 km2) lake contained in an intercrater basin. Subsequently, overflow flooding from a lake within the ~30 km diameter impact crater reactivated Licus Vallis, forming a major knickpoint at the valley head and establishing the upstream section of the valley at a lower slope. Farther down the valley, this flood event incised an interior valley bounded by paired terraces. Regional tributary valleys that feed Licus Vallis also have prominent knickpoints, which have retreated farthest for downstream valleys. We conclude that these knickpoints record successive waves of incision that swept up Licus Vallis during lake overflow flooding, with erosion in the main trunk of the valley (from overflow floods) significantly outpacing erosion in the tributary valleys (from regional surface runoff). These observations of Licus Vallis illustrate how lake overflow floods may have provided an important control on the pace of landscape evolution on Mars.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Incision of Licus Vallis, Mars, From Multiple Lake Overflow Floods

Goudge

Fassett

2018

JGR Planets

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“…The datasets were pre-processed by splitting wherein each subswath was delineated and treated into a separate product to locate the 'IW' tile containing the study area (Black et al, 2017;Dwivedi, Narayan, Tiwari, Dikshit, & Singh, 2016;Keydel, 2007). Thereafter the products are deburst since each subswath contains a series of bursts where each burst is trated as a separate SLC (Single Look Complex) product (Zhou, Chang, & Li, 2009).…”

Section: Pre-processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilization of Spaceborne C-Band Sar Data for Analysis of Flood Impact on Agriculture and Its Management

Tripathi

Tiwari

2019

Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci.

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<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> North India, since time immemorial remained the cradle of agricultural development. Every year during the monsoons, there is a high upsurge in the river Rapti. This leads to heavy flooding in the area and takes a toll on life and property besides submerging acres of precious agricultural land. Till now, such floods have been mapped using satellite data from optical sensors, but in monsoons due to cloud cover the task becomes difficult. Spaceborne SAR (Synthetic Aperture RADAR) data solves this problem by offering all-weather availability. This study aims to utilize the potential of C-band dual PolSAR data from Sentinel-1A for flood mapping and analysis of its impact on agriculture along with suggesting mitigation measures. Sentinel-1A data of January and September 2018 was taken and pre-processed. Thereafter, an interferogram was prepared and was phase filtered using modified Goldstein phase filter to remove phase distortions and a DEM (Digital Elevation Model) was prepared. The phase maps generated were analyzed for phase variations after removing the topographic phase and it was found that there was very less phase variation from urban and agricultural lands surrounding the river which clearly indicated heavy flooding and submergence of land in water. Using the DEM map generated, hydrological processing was done to delineate flow lines and calculation of catchment area at point of maximum submergence of agricultural land. This was followed by the generation of contours in the area and finally, the flood impact analysis was done by calculating the water volume in watershed during the flood.</p>

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“…In both tectonically active and decaying orogens, there are curious examples of where the continental divide is not co‐located with the highest mountain peaks (Hack, , ; D'Agostino et al ., ) but rather follows the regionally highest‐standing topography, defined by a topographic sub‐envelope map (Hack, ), which a recent study coins as ‘drainage conformity to topography’ (Black et al ., ). An excellent example of this drainage conformity to topography at the continental scale is illustrated by the drainage of the Rocky Mountains in the American west superimposed on a low‐pass filtered rendering of the topography (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Exogenic forcing and autogenic processes on continental divide location and mobility

2017

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The position and mobility of drainage divides is an expression of exogenic landscape forcing and autogenic channel network processes integrated across a range of scales. At the large scale, represented by major rivers and continental drainage divides, the organization of drainage patterns and divide migration reflects the long-wavelength gradients of the topography, which are exogenically influenced by tectonics, isostasy, and/or dynamic topography. This analysis utilizes long-wavelength topography synthesized by a low-pass filter, which provides a novel framework for predicting the direction of divide movement as well as an estimate of the ultimate divide location that is complementary to recent studies that have focused on the v channel metric. The Gibraltar Arc active plate boundary and Appalachian stable plate interior, two tectonically diverse settings with ongoing drainage system reorganization, are chosen to explore the length scales of exogenic forcings that influence continental drainage divide location and migration. The major watersheds draining both the active-and decay-phase orogens studied here are organized by topographic gradients that are expressed in long-wavelength low-pass filtered topography (k ≥ 100 km). In contrast, the river network and divide location is insensitive to topographic gradients measured over filtered wavelengths <100 km that are set by local crustal structures and rock type. The lag time between exogenic forcing and geomorphic response and feedbacks cause divide migration to be unsteady, and occur through pulses of drainage capture and drainage network reorganization that are recorded in sedimentological, geomorphic, or denudation data.

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Global drainage patterns and the origins of topographic relief on Earth, Mars, and Titan

Cited by 47 publications

References 51 publications

Incision of Licus Vallis, Mars, From Multiple Lake Overflow Floods

Incision of Licus Vallis, Mars, From Multiple Lake Overflow Floods

Utilization of Spaceborne C-Band Sar Data for Analysis of Flood Impact on Agriculture and Its Management

Exogenic forcing and autogenic processes on continental divide location and mobility

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