Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024
Research article
 | 
28 Mar 2024
Research article |  | 28 Mar 2024

A physics-based model for fluvial valley width

Jens Martin Turowski, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Fluvial valleys are ubiquitous landforms, and understanding their formation and evolution affects a wide range of disciplines from archaeology and geology to fish biology. Here, we develop a model to predict the width of fluvial valleys for a wide range of geographic conditions. In the model, fluvial valley width is controlled by the two competing factors of lateral channel mobility and uplift. The model complies with available data and yields a broad range of quantitative predictions.