Relief-rejuvenation and topographic length scales in a fluvial drainage basin, Napf area, Central Switzerland

Schlunegger, Fritz; Schneider, Heinz

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2004.12.008

Cited by 30 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…The good correlations in the Molasse Basin can be explained by the prevailing hillslope-sediment transport regime. The hillslopes of the Molasse are soil-mantled (Schlunegger and Schneider 2005;Norton et al 2008), and erosion is controlled by sediment transport and thus by hillslope and channel gradients instead of rock strength alone (e.g., Montgomery 2001).…”

Section: Lithologic Controlsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cosmogenic 10Be-derived denudation rates of the Eastern and Southern European Alps

Norton

Blanckenburg

DiBiase

et al. 2011

Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)

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Denudation rates from cosmogenic 10 Be measured in quartz from recent river sediment have previously been used in the Central Alps to argue that rock uplift occurs through isostatic response to erosion in the absence of ongoing convergence. We present new basin-averaged denudation rates from large rivers in the Eastern and Southern European Alps together with a detailed topographic analysis in order to infer the forces driving erosion. Denudation rates in the Eastern and Southern Alps of 170-1,400 mm ky -1 are within a similar range to those in the Central Alps for similar lithologies. However, these denudation rates vary considerably with lithology, and their variability generally increases with steeper landscapes, where correlations with topographic metrics also become poorer. Tertiary igneous rocks are associated with steep hillslopes and channels and low denudation rates, whereas pre-Alpine gneisses usually exhibit steep hillslopes and higher denudation rates. Molasse, flysch, and schists display lower mean basin slopes and channel gradients, and, despite their high erodibility, low erosion rates. Exceptionally low denudation rates are also measured in Permian rhyolite, which has high mean basin slopes. We invoke geomorphic inheritance as a major factor controlling erosion, such that large erosive glaciers in the late Quaternary cold periods were more effective in priming landscapes in the Central Alps for erosion than in the interior Eastern Alps. However, the difference in tectonic evolution of the Eastern and Central Alps potentially adds to differences in their geomorphic response; their deep structures differ significantly and, unlike the Central Alps, the Eastern Alps are affected by ongoing tectonic influx due to the slow motion and rotation of Adria. The result is a complex pattern of high mountain erosion in the Eastern Alps, which has evolved from one confined to the narrow belt of the Tauern Window in late Tertiary time to one affecting the entire underthrust basement, orogenic lid, and parts of the Southern Alps today.

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Section: Lithologic Controlsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cosmogenic 10Be-derived denudation rates of the Eastern and Southern European Alps

Norton

Blanckenburg

DiBiase

et al. 2011

Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)

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“…On the hillslopes, sediment flux (q s ) is proportional to the local slope (S) and the hillslope diffusivity (j). Modified after Schlunegger and Hinderer (2003) in channels is supply-limited, i.e., that sediment flux is lower than the channel transport capacity (Schlunegger and Schneider 2005). In the case where sediment flux is transport-limited, however, hillslope processes potentially exert a substantial influence on the evolution of channel morphologies and mountainous landscapes in general (Hovius et al 1998).…”

Section: Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Channelized and hillslope sediment transport and the geomorphology of mountain belts

Schneider

Schwab

Schlunegger

2007

Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch)

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This paper uses the results of landscape evolution models and morphometric data from the Andes of northern Peru and the eastern Swiss Alps to illustrate how the ratio between sediment transport on hillslopes and in channels influences landscape and channel network morphologies and dynamics. The headwaters of fluvial-and debris-flow-dominated systems (channelized processes) are characterized by rough, high-relief, highly incised surfaces which contain a dense and hence a closely spaced channel network. Also, these systems tend to respond rapidly to modifications in external forcing (e.g., rock uplift and/ or precipitation). This is the case because the high channel density results in a high bulk diffusivity. In contrast, headwaters where landsliding is an important sediment source are characterized by a low channel density and by rather straight and unstable channels. In addition, the topographies are generally smooth. The low channel density then results in a relatively low bulk diffusivity. As a consequence, response times are greater in headwaters of landslide-dominated systems than in highly dissected drainages. The Peruvian and Swiss case studies show how regional differences in climate and the litho-tectonic architecture potentially exert contrasting controls on the relative importance of channelized versus hillslope processes and thus on the overall geomorphometry. Specifically, the Peruvian example illustrates to what extent the storminess of climate has influenced production and transport of sediment on hillslopes and in channels, and how these differences are seen in the morphometry of the landscape. The Swiss example shows how the bedding orientation of the bedrock drives channelized and hillslope processes to contrasting extents, and how these differences are mirrored in the landscape.

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“…The rerouting of the Kleine Emme near Wolhusen and Emme at Burgdorf resulted in base level drops of ∼ 80 m for the Fontanne and 20 m in the Trub system, respectively. While previous studies have identified the responses resulting from these changing boundary conditions (Mueller and Schluechter, 1997;Schlunegger and Schneider, 2005), the associated process rates are still unknown. This is the first study to use cosmogenic nuclides to quantify landscape response to the changing boundary conditions in ice proximal environments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cosmogenic nuclide-based investigation of spatial erosion and hillslope channel coupling in the transient foreland of the Swiss Alps

Norton¹,

Blanckenburg²,

Schlunegger³

et al. 2008

Geomorphology

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128

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Relief-rejuvenation and topographic length scales in a fluvial drainage basin, Napf area, Central Switzerland

Cited by 30 publications

References 21 publications

Cosmogenic 10Be-derived denudation rates of the Eastern and Southern European Alps

Cosmogenic 10Be-derived denudation rates of the Eastern and Southern European Alps

Channelized and hillslope sediment transport and the geomorphology of mountain belts

Cosmogenic nuclide-based investigation of spatial erosion and hillslope channel coupling in the transient foreland of the Swiss Alps

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