Articles | Volume 7, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-107-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-107-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Long-term erosion of the Nepal Himalayas by bedrock landsliding: the role of monsoons, earthquakes and giant landslides
École et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre – Institut de
Physique du Globe de Strasbourg, Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique UMR 7516, University of Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg
CEDEX, France
Robert Behling
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Center for Geosciences
(GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Christoff Andermann
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Center for Geosciences
(GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Jens M. Turowski
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Center for Geosciences
(GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Luc Illien
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Center for Geosciences
(GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Laboratoire de Géologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 Rue
Lhomond, 75000, Paris, France
Sigrid Roessner
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Center for Geosciences
(GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Niels Hovius
Helmholtz Centre Potsdam, German Research Center for Geosciences
(GFZ), Telegrafenberg, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Institute of Earth and Environmental Science, Potsdam
University, Potsdam, Germany
Related authors
Gregory A. Ruetenik, Ken L. Ferrier, and Odin Marc
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 863–881, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-863-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-863-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial sediment fluxes increased dramatically in Taiwan during Typhoon Morakot in 2009, which produced some of the heaviest landsliding on record. We analyzed fluvial discharge and suspended sediment concentration data at 87 gauging stations across Taiwan to quantify fluvial sediment responses since Morakot. In basins heavily impacted by landsliding, rating curve coefficients sharply increased during Morakot and then declined exponentially with a characteristic decay time of <10 years.
Luke A. McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Odin Marc, William Struble, and Katherine R. Barnhart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1117–1143, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Debris flows are mixtures of mud and rocks that can travel at high speeds across steep landscapes. Here, we propose a new model to describe how landscapes are shaped by debris flow erosion over long timescales. Model results demonstrate that the shapes of channel profiles are sensitive to uplift rate, meaning that it may be possible to use topographic data from steep channel networks to infer how erosion rates vary across a landscape.
Katy Burrows, Odin Marc, and Dominique Remy
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2637–2653, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2637-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2637-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The locations of triggered landslides following a rainfall event can be identified in optical satellite images. However cloud cover associated with the rainfall means that these images cannot be used to identify landslide timing. Timings of landslides triggered during long rainfall events are often unknown. Here we present methods of using Sentinel-1 satellite radar data, acquired every 12 d globally in all weather conditions, to better constrain the timings of rainfall-triggered landslides.
Robert Emberson, Dalia B. Kirschbaum, Pukar Amatya, Hakan Tanyas, and Odin Marc
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1129–1149, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1129-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1129-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding where landslides occur in mountainous areas is critical to support hazard analysis as well as understand landscape evolution. In this study, we present a large compilation of inventories of landslides triggered by rainfall, including several that are described here for the first time. We analyze the topographic characteristics of the landslides, finding consistent relationships for landslide source and deposition areas, despite differences in the inventories' locations.
Odin Marc, Jens M. Turowski, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 995–1011, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The size of grains delivered to rivers is an essential parameter for understanding erosion and sediment transport and their related hazards. In mountains, landslides deliver these rock fragments, but few studies have analyzed the landslide properties that control the resulting sizes. We present measurements on 17 landslides from Taiwan and show that their grain sizes depend on rock strength, landslide depth and drop height, thereby validating and updating a previous theory on fragmentation.
Claire Rault, Alexandra Robert, Odin Marc, Niels Hovius, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 829–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-829-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-829-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Large earthquakes trigger thousands of landslides in the area of their epicentre. For three earthquake cases, we have determined the position of these landslides along hillslopes. These co-seismic landslides tend to cluster at ridge crests and slope toes. We show that crest clustering is specific to seismic triggering. But although co-seismic landslides locate higher in the landscape than rainfall-induced landslides, geological features strongly modulate their position along the hillslopes.
Odin Marc, André Stumpf, Jean-Philippe Malet, Marielle Gosset, Taro Uchida, and Shou-Hao Chiang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 903–922, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-903-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-903-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall-induced landslides cause significant damage and fatality worldwide, but we have few datasets constraining the impact of individual storms. We present and analyze 8 landslide inventories, with >150 to >150 00 landslides, comprehensively representing the landslide population caused by 8 storms from Asia and the Americas. We found that the total storm rainfall is a major control on total landsliding, landslide size, and that storms trigger landslides on less steep slopes than earthquakes.
Odin Marc, Patrick Meunier, and Niels Hovius
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1159–1175, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1159-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1159-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present an analytical expression for the surface area of the region within which landslides induced by a given earthquake are distributed. The expression is based on seismological scaling laws. Without calibration the model predicts, within a factor of 2, up to 49 out of 83 cases reported in the literature and agrees with the smallest region around the fault containing 95 % of the total landslide area. This model may be used for hazard assessment based on early earthquake detection parameters.
Robert Emberson, Niels Hovius, Albert Galy, and Odin Marc
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 727–742, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-727-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-727-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Rapid dissolution of bedrock and regolith mobilised by landslides can be an important control on rates of overall chemical weathering in mountain ranges. In this study we analysed a number of landslides and rivers in Taiwan to better understand why this occurs. We find that sulfuric acid resulting from rapid oxidation of highly reactive sulfides in landslide deposits drives the intense weathering and can set catchment-scale solute budgets. This could be a CO2 source in fast-eroding mountains.
O. Marc and N. Hovius
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 723–733, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-723-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-723-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We present how amalgamation (i.e. the mapping of several adjacent landslides as a single polygon) can distort results derived from landslide mapping. Errors on the total landslide volume and power-law exponent of the area–frequency distribution, resulting from amalgamation, may be up to 200 and 50%, respectively. We present an algorithm based on image and DEM analysis, for automatic identification of amalgamated polygons, allowing one to check and correct landslide inventories faster.
Sophia Dosch, Niels Hovius, Marisa Repasch, Joel Scheingross, Jens M. Turowski, Stefanie Tofelde, Oliver Rach, and Dirk Sachse
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 907–927, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-907-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-907-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The transport of plant debris in rivers is an important part of the global carbon cycle and influences atmospheric carbon levels through time. We sampled plant debris at the bed of a lowland river and determined the sources as it is transported hundreds of kilometers. Plant debris can persist at the riverbed, but mechanical breakdown reduces its amount, and it is only a small fraction compared to the suspended load. This plant debris and transport patterns need further investigation globally.
Jens Martin Turowski, Fergus McNab, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2342, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2342, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Channel belts comprise the area that is affected by a river due to lateral migration and floods. As a landform, they affect local water resources, flood hazard, and often host unique ecological communities. Here, we develop a model describing the evolution of channel belt area over time. The model connects the behaviour of the river to the evolution of the channel belt over a timescale of centuries. A comparison to selected data from experiments and real river systems is favourable.
Gregory A. Ruetenik, Ken L. Ferrier, and Odin Marc
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 863–881, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-863-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-863-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial sediment fluxes increased dramatically in Taiwan during Typhoon Morakot in 2009, which produced some of the heaviest landsliding on record. We analyzed fluvial discharge and suspended sediment concentration data at 87 gauging stations across Taiwan to quantify fluvial sediment responses since Morakot. In basins heavily impacted by landsliding, rating curve coefficients sharply increased during Morakot and then declined exponentially with a characteristic decay time of <10 years.
Jens Martin Turowski, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 493–514, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, 2024
Short summary
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.
Chuanqi He, Ci-Jian Yang, Jens M. Turowski, Richard F. Ott, Jean Braun, Hui Tang, Shadi Ghantous, Xiaoping Yuan, and Gaia Stucky de Quay
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1151–1166, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1151-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1151-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The shape of drainage basins and rivers holds significant implications for landscape evolution processes and dynamics. We used a global 90 m resolution topography to obtain ~0.7 million drainage basins with sizes over 50 km2. Our dataset contains the spatial distribution of drainage systems and their morphological parameters, supporting fields such as geomorphology, climatology, biology, ecology, hydrology, and natural hazards.
Luke A. McGuire, Scott W. McCoy, Odin Marc, William Struble, and Katherine R. Barnhart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1117–1143, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1117-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Debris flows are mixtures of mud and rocks that can travel at high speeds across steep landscapes. Here, we propose a new model to describe how landscapes are shaped by debris flow erosion over long timescales. Model results demonstrate that the shapes of channel profiles are sensitive to uplift rate, meaning that it may be possible to use topographic data from steep channel networks to infer how erosion rates vary across a landscape.
Jens M. Turowski, Gunnar Pruß, Anne Voigtländer, Andreas Ludwig, Angela Landgraf, Florian Kober, and Audrey Bonnelye
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 979–994, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-979-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-979-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Rivers can cut into rocks, and their strength modulates the river's erosion rates. Yet, which properties of the rock control its response to erosive action is poorly understood. Here, we describe parallel experiments to measure rock erosion rates under fluvial impact erosion and the rock's geotechnical properties such as fracture strength, elasticity, and density. Erosion rates vary over a factor of a million between different rock types. We use the data to improve current theory.
Ci-Jian Yang, Pei-Hao Chen, Erica D. Erlanger, Jens M. Turowski, Sen Xu, Tse-Yang Teng, Jiun-Chuan Lin, and Jr-Chuang Huang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 475–486, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-475-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-475-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Observations of the interaction between extreme physical erosion and chemical weathering dynamics are limited. We presented major elements of stream water in the badland catchment at 3 h intervals during a 3 d typhoon. The excess sodium in the evaporite deposits causes material dispersion through deflocculation, which enhances the suspended sediment flux. Moreover, we observed a shift from predominantly evaporite weathering at peak precipitation to silicate weathering at peak discharge.
Katy Burrows, Odin Marc, and Dominique Remy
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2637–2653, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2637-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2637-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The locations of triggered landslides following a rainfall event can be identified in optical satellite images. However cloud cover associated with the rainfall means that these images cannot be used to identify landslide timing. Timings of landslides triggered during long rainfall events are often unknown. Here we present methods of using Sentinel-1 satellite radar data, acquired every 12 d globally in all weather conditions, to better constrain the timings of rainfall-triggered landslides.
Aaron Bufe, Kristen L. Cook, Albert Galy, Hella Wittmann, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 513–530, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-513-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-513-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Erosion modulates Earth's carbon cycle by exposing a variety of lithologies to chemical weathering. We measured water chemistry in streams on the eastern Tibetan Plateau that drain either metasedimentary or granitoid rocks. With increasing erosion, weathering shifts from being a CO2 sink to being a CO2 source for both lithologies. However, metasedimentary rocks typically weather 2–10 times faster than granitoids, with implications for the role of lithology in modulating the carbon cycle.
Michael Dietze, Rainer Bell, Ugur Ozturk, Kristen L. Cook, Christoff Andermann, Alexander R. Beer, Bodo Damm, Ana Lucia, Felix S. Fauer, Katrin M. Nissen, Tobias Sieg, and Annegret H. Thieken
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1845–1856, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1845-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1845-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The flood that hit Europe in July 2021, specifically the Eifel, Germany, was more than a lot of fast-flowing water. The heavy rain that fell during the 3 d before also caused the slope to fail, recruited tree trunks that clogged bridges, and routed debris across the landscape. Especially in the upper parts of the catchments the flood was able to gain momentum. Here, we discuss how different landscape elements interacted and highlight the challenges of holistic future flood anticipation.
Robert Emberson, Dalia B. Kirschbaum, Pukar Amatya, Hakan Tanyas, and Odin Marc
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 1129–1149, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1129-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-1129-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding where landslides occur in mountainous areas is critical to support hazard analysis as well as understand landscape evolution. In this study, we present a large compilation of inventories of landslides triggered by rainfall, including several that are described here for the first time. We analyze the topographic characteristics of the landslides, finding consistent relationships for landslide source and deposition areas, despite differences in the inventories' locations.
Odin Marc, Jens M. Turowski, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 995–1011, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-995-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The size of grains delivered to rivers is an essential parameter for understanding erosion and sediment transport and their related hazards. In mountains, landslides deliver these rock fragments, but few studies have analyzed the landslide properties that control the resulting sizes. We present measurements on 17 landslides from Taiwan and show that their grain sizes depend on rock strength, landslide depth and drop height, thereby validating and updating a previous theory on fragmentation.
Jens Martin Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 103–122, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-103-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-103-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Bedrock channels are the conveyor belts of mountain regions, evacuating sediment produced by erosion. Bedrock channel morphology and dynamics affect sediment transport rates and local erosion and set the base level for hillslope response. Here, using mechanistic considerations of the processes of fluvial erosion and transport, and considerations of the mass balance of sediment and bedrock, I discuss the principles governing steady-state channel morphology and the dynamic paths to achieve it.
Claire Rault, Alexandra Robert, Odin Marc, Niels Hovius, and Patrick Meunier
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 829–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-829-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-829-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Large earthquakes trigger thousands of landslides in the area of their epicentre. For three earthquake cases, we have determined the position of these landslides along hillslopes. These co-seismic landslides tend to cluster at ridge crests and slope toes. We show that crest clustering is specific to seismic triggering. But although co-seismic landslides locate higher in the landscape than rainfall-induced landslides, geological features strongly modulate their position along the hillslopes.
Mitch K. D'Arcy, Taylor F. Schildgen, Jens M. Turowski, and Pedro DiNezio
Earth Surf. Dynam., 7, 755–771, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-755-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-755-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The age of formation of sedimentary deposits is often interpreted to record information about past environmental changes. Here, we show that the timing of abandonment of surfaces also provides valuable information. We derive a new set of equations that can be used to estimate when a sedimentary surface was abandoned based on what is known about its activity from surface dating. Estimates of abandonment age can benefit a variety of geomorphic analyses, which we illustrate with a case study.
Odin Marc, André Stumpf, Jean-Philippe Malet, Marielle Gosset, Taro Uchida, and Shou-Hao Chiang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 903–922, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-903-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-903-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Rainfall-induced landslides cause significant damage and fatality worldwide, but we have few datasets constraining the impact of individual storms. We present and analyze 8 landslide inventories, with >150 to >150 00 landslides, comprehensively representing the landslide population caused by 8 storms from Asia and the Americas. We found that the total storm rainfall is a major control on total landsliding, landslide size, and that storms trigger landslides on less steep slopes than earthquakes.
Anne Schöpa, Wei-An Chao, Bradley P. Lipovsky, Niels Hovius, Robert S. White, Robert G. Green, and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 467–485, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-467-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-467-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
On 21 July 2014, a voluminous landslide entered the caldera lake at Askja, Iceland, and created tsunami waves inundating famous tourist spots. The high hazard potential of the site motivated our study in which we analysed seismic data and found a precursory tremor signal intensifying in the 30 min before the landslide. Our paper shows the potential of seismic monitoring techniques to detect precursory activity before a big landslide that could be used for an early-warning system.
Jens Martin Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 29–48, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-29-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-29-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Bedrock channels are a key component of mountainous landscapes. Here, a new model of the steady-state morphology, including channel width, slope and sinuosity, is derived from process physics considerations. The model compares favourably to observed scaling relations.
Michael Dietze, Jens M. Turowski, Kristen L. Cook, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 757–779, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-757-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-757-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Rockfall is an essential geomorphic process and a hazard in steep landscapes which is hard to constrain with traditional approaches. Seismic methods allow for the detection, location, characterisation and linking of events to triggers by lag times. This new technique reveals 49 rockfalls in 6 months with seasonally varying locations. Freeze–thaw action accounts for only 5 events, whereas 19 rockfalls were caused by rain with a 1 h peak lag time, and 17 events were due to diurnal thermal forcing.
Albrecht von Boetticher, Jens M. Turowski, Brian W. McArdell, Dieter Rickenmann, Marcel Hürlimann, Christian Scheidl, and James W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev., 10, 3963–3978, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3963-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-10-3963-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The open-source fluid dynamic solver presented in v. Boetticher et al. (2016) combines a Coulomb viscosplastic rheological model with a Herschel–Bulkley model based on material properties for 3-D debris flow simulations. Here, we validate the solver and illustrate the model sensitivity to water content, channel curvature, content of fine material and channel bed roughness. We simulate both laboratory-scale and large-scale debris-flow experiments, using only one of the two calibration parameters.
Michael Dietze, Solmaz Mohadjer, Jens M. Turowski, Todd A. Ehlers, and Niels Hovius
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 653–668, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-653-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-653-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We use a seismometer network to detect and locate rockfalls, a key process shaping steep mountain landscapes. When tested against laser scan surveys, all seismically detected events could be located with an average deviation of 81 m. Seismic monitoring provides insight to the dynamics of individual rockfalls, which can be as small as 0.0053 m3. Thus, seismic methods provide unprecedented temporal, spatial and kinematic details about this important process.
Antonius Golly and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 557–570, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-557-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-557-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Researchers of fluvial geomorphology require reliable information on channel width and its change in space and time. For example, to study bank erosion rates we need the local position of channel banks before and after a high flood event. Although deriving these metrics seems simple, researchers often use manual or arbitrary approaches that are not objective and reproducible. Here, we present an open-source software tool
cmgo(R package) that meets the requirements of academic research.
Odin Marc, Patrick Meunier, and Niels Hovius
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1159–1175, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1159-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1159-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present an analytical expression for the surface area of the region within which landslides induced by a given earthquake are distributed. The expression is based on seismological scaling laws. Without calibration the model predicts, within a factor of 2, up to 49 out of 83 cases reported in the literature and agrees with the smallest region around the fault containing 95 % of the total landslide area. This model may be used for hazard assessment based on early earthquake detection parameters.
Fabian Walter, Arnaud Burtin, Brian W. McArdell, Niels Hovius, Bianca Weder, and Jens M. Turowski
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 939–955, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-939-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-939-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Debris flows are naturally occuring mass motion events, which mobilize loose material in steep Alpine torrents. The destructive potential of debris flows is well known and demands early warning. Here we apply the amplitude source location (ASL) method to seismic ground vibrations induced by a debris flow event in Switzerland. The method efficiently detects the initiation of the event and traces its front propagation down the torrent channel.
Jens M. Turowski and Rebecca Hodge
Earth Surf. Dynam., 5, 311–330, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-311-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-5-311-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Bedrock incision by rivers is driven by the impacts of sediment particles moved by the water flow. Sediment residing on the bed can protect the rock from impacts, thereby reducing erosion rates, a phenomenon known as the cover effect. The cover effect has been shown to be important in many field and laboratory experiments. Here, we develop a mathematical framework to describe the cover effect which can be used to compare data and to predict the extent of cover in streams.
Alexander R. Beer, James W. Kirchner, and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 885–894, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-885-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-885-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Spatial bedrock erosion data from stream channels are important for engineering issues and landscape evolution model assessment. However, acquiring such data is challenging and only few data sets exist. Detecting changes in repeated photographs of painted bedrock surfaces easily allows for semi-quantitative conclusions on the spatial distribution of sediment transport and its effects: abrasion on surfaces facing the streamflow and shielding of surfaces by abundant sediment.
Robert Emberson, Niels Hovius, Albert Galy, and Odin Marc
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 727–742, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-727-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-727-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Rapid dissolution of bedrock and regolith mobilised by landslides can be an important control on rates of overall chemical weathering in mountain ranges. In this study we analysed a number of landslides and rivers in Taiwan to better understand why this occurs. We find that sulfuric acid resulting from rapid oxidation of highly reactive sulfides in landslide deposits drives the intense weathering and can set catchment-scale solute budgets. This could be a CO2 source in fast-eroding mountains.
Albrecht von Boetticher, Jens M. Turowski, Brian W. McArdell, Dieter Rickenmann, and James W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev., 9, 2909–2923, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-2909-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-9-2909-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Debris flows are characterized by unsteady flows of water with different content of clay, silt, sand, gravel, and large particles, resulting in a dense moving mixture mass. Here we present a three-dimensional fluid dynamic solver that simulates the flow as a mixture of a pressure-dependent rheology model of the gravel mixed with a Herschel–Bulkley rheology of the fine material suspension. We link rheological parameters to the material composition. The user must specify two free model parameters.
Arnaud Burtin, Niels Hovius, and Jens M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 4, 285–307, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-285-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-4-285-2016, 2016
M. C. Fuchs, R. Gloaguen, S. Merchel, E. Pohl, V. A. Sulaymonova, C. Andermann, and G. Rugel
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 423–439, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-423-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-423-2015, 2015
A. von Boetticher, J. M. Turowski, B. W. McArdell, D. Rickenmann, M. Hürlimann, C. Scheidl, and J. W. Kirchner
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-8-6379-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmdd-8-6379-2015, 2015
Preprint withdrawn
E. Pohl, M. Knoche, R. Gloaguen, C. Andermann, and P. Krause
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 333–362, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-333-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-333-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
A semi-distributed hydrological model is used to analyse the hydrological cycle of a glaciated high-mountain catchment in the Pamirs.
We overcome data scarcity by utilising various raster data sets as meteorological input. Temperature in combination with the amount of snow provided in winter play the key role in the annual cycle.
This implies that expected Earth surface processes along precipitation and altitude gradients differ substantially.
M. Jochner, J. M. Turowski, A. Badoux, M. Stoffel, and C. Rickli
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 311–320, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-311-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-311-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The export of coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) from mountain catchments seems to be strongly linked to rising discharge, but the mechanism leading to this is unclear. We show that log jams in a steep headwater stream are an effective barrier for CPOM export. Exceptional discharge events play a dual role: First, they destroy existing jams, releasing stored material. Second, they intensify channel--hillslope coupling, thereby recruiting logs to the channel, around which new jams can form.
A. R. Beer and J. M. Turowski
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 291–309, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-291-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-291-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We applied a spatiotemporally highly resolved dataset of discharge, sediment transport and bedrock erosion data to assess the validity of landscape evolution models at the process scale (resolution of square meters and minutes). The tools effect is found to be the dominant driver of erosion and an easy model is able to predict measured erosion. For larger scales common discharge-dependend modeling with a discharge threshold is adequate to regive the overal trend of the erosion signal.
O. Marc and N. Hovius
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 723–733, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-723-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-723-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We present how amalgamation (i.e. the mapping of several adjacent landslides as a single polygon) can distort results derived from landslide mapping. Errors on the total landslide volume and power-law exponent of the area–frequency distribution, resulting from amalgamation, may be up to 200 and 50%, respectively. We present an algorithm based on image and DEM analysis, for automatic identification of amalgamated polygons, allowing one to check and correct landslide inventories faster.
A. Burtin, N. Hovius, B. W. McArdell, J. M. Turowski, and J. Vergne
Earth Surf. Dynam., 2, 21–33, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-21-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-21-2014, 2014
J. M. Turowski, A. Badoux, K. Bunte, C. Rickli, N. Federspiel, and M. Jochner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 1, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-1-1-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-1-1-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Physical: Geomorphology (including all aspects of fluvial, coastal, aeolian, hillslope and glacial geomorphology)
Testing floc settling velocity models in rivers and freshwater wetlands
River suspended-sand flux computation with uncertainty estimation using water samples and high-resolution ADCP measurements
Barchan swarm dynamics from a Two-Flank Agent-Based Model
A landslide runout model for sediment transport, landscape evolution, and hazard assessment applications
Tracking slow-moving landslides with PlanetScope data: new perspectives on the satellite's perspective
Topographic metrics for unveiling fault segmentation and tectono-geomorphic evolution with insights into the impact of inherited topography, Ulsan Fault Zone, South Korea
Acceleration of coastal-retreat rates for high-Arctic rock cliffs on Brøggerhalvøya, Svalbard, over the past decade
The impact of bedrock meander cutoffs on 50 kyr scale incision rates, San Juan River, Utah
How water, temperature, and seismicity control the preconditioning of massive rock slope failure (Hochvogel)
Large structure simulation for landscape evolution models
Terrace formation linked to outburst floods at the Diexi palaeo-landslide dam, upper Minjiang River, eastern Tibetan Plateau
Width evolution of channel belts as a random walk
Pliocene shorelines and the epeirogenic motion of continental margins: a target dataset for dynamic topography models
Decadal-scale decay of landslide-derived fluvial suspended sediment after Typhoon Morakot
Role of the forcing sources in morphodynamic modelling of an embayed beach
Equilibrium distance from long-range dune interactions
A machine learning approach to the geomorphometric detection of ribbed moraines in Norway
Overdeepening or tunnel valley of the Aare glacier on the northern margin of the European Alps: Basins, riegels, and slot canyons
Stream hydrology controls on ice cliff evolution and survival on debris-covered glaciers
Time-varying drainage basin development and erosion on volcanic edifices
Geomorphic risk maps for river migration using probabilistic modeling – a framework
Evolution of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans: insights from geomorphic experiments and morphodynamic models
Riverine sediment response to deforestation in the Amazon basin
Physical modeling of ice-sheet-induced salt movements using the example of northern Germany
Geometric constraints on tributary fluvial network junction angles
A new dunetracking tool to support input parameter selection and uncertainty analyses using a Monte Carlo approach
Downstream rounding rate of pebbles in the Himalaya
Automatic detection of instream large wood in videos using deep learning
Post-fire Variability in Sediment Transport by Ravel in the Diablo Range
Landscape response to tectonic deformation and cyclic climate change since ca. 800 ka in the southern Central Andes
Examination of Analytical Shear Stress Predictions for Coastal Dune Evolution
A physics-based model for fluvial valley width
Implications for the resilience of modern coastal systems derived from mesoscale barrier dynamics at Fire Island, New York
Quantifying the migration rate of drainage divides from high-resolution topographic data
Long-term monitoring (1953–2019) of geomorphologically active sections of Little Ice Age lateral moraines in the context of changing meteorological conditions
Coevolving edge rounding and shape of glacial erratics: the case of Shap granite, UK
A simple model for faceted topographies at normal faults based on an extended stream-power law
Dimensionless argument: a narrow grain size range near 2 mm plays a special role in river sediment transport and morphodynamics
Path length and sediment transport estimation from DEMs of difference: a signal processing approach
A numerical model for duricrust formation by water table fluctuations
Influence of cohesive clay on wave–current ripple dynamics captured in a 3D phase diagram
Statistical characterization of erosion and sediment transport mechanics in shallow tidal environments – Part 1: Erosion dynamics
Statistical characterization of erosion and sediment transport mechanics in shallow tidal environments – Part 2: Suspended sediment dynamics
Geomorphological and hydrological controls on sediment export in earthquake-affected catchments in the Nepal Himalaya
Optimization of passive acoustic bedload monitoring in rivers by signal inversion
Stochastic properties of coastal flooding events – Part 2: Probabilistic analysis
Field monitoring of pore water pressure in fully and partly saturated debris flows at Ohya landslide scar, Japan
Analysis of autogenic bifurcation processes resulting in river avulsion
Evidence of slow millennial cliff retreat rates using cosmogenic nuclides in coastal colluvium
Bedload transport fluctuations, flow conditions, and disequilibrium ratio at the Swiss Erlenbach stream: results from 27 years of high-resolution temporal measurements
Justin A. Nghiem, Gen K. Li, Joshua P. Harringmeyer, Gerard Salter, Cédric G. Fichot, Luca Cortese, and Michael P. Lamb
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1267–1294, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1267-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1267-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fine sediment grains in freshwater can cohere into faster-settling particles called flocs, but floc settling velocity theory has not been fully validated. Combining three data sources in novel ways in the Wax Lake Delta, we verified a semi-empirical model relying on turbulence and geochemical factors. For a physics-based model, we showed that the representative grain diameter within flocs relies on floc structure and that heterogeneous flow paths inside flocs increase floc settling velocity.
Jessica Marggraf, Guillaume Dramais, Jérôme Le Coz, Blaise Calmel, Benoît Camenen, David J. Topping, William Santini, Gilles Pierrefeu, and François Lauters
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1243–1266, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1243-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1243-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Suspended-sand fluxes in rivers vary with time and space, complicating their measurement. The proposed method captures the vertical and lateral variations of suspended-sand concentration throughout a river cross-section. It merges water samples taken at various positions throughout the cross-section with high-resolution acoustic velocity measurements. This is the first method that includes a fully applicable uncertainty estimation; it can easily be applied to any other study sites.
Dominic T. Robson and Andreas C. W. Baas
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1205–1226, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1205-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1205-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Barchans are fast-moving sand dunes which form large populations (swarms) on Earth and Mars. We show that a small range of model parameters produces swarms in which dune size does not vary downwind – something that is observed in nature but not when using earlier models. We also show how the shape of dunes and the spatial patterns they form are affected by wind direction. This work furthers our understanding of the interplay between environmental drivers, dune interactions, and swarm properties.
Jeffrey Keck, Erkan Istanbulluoglu, Benjamin Campforts, Gregory Tucker, and Alexander Horner-Devine
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1165–1191, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1165-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1165-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
MassWastingRunout (MWR) is a new landslide runout model designed for sediment transport, landscape evolution, and hazard assessment applications. MWR is written in Python and includes a calibration utility that automatically determines best-fit parameters for a site and empirical probability density functions of each parameter for probabilistic model implementation. MWR and Jupyter Notebook tutorials are available as part of the Landlab package at https://github.com/landlab/landlab.
Ariane Mueting and Bodo Bookhagen
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1121–1143, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1121-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1121-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the use of optical PlanetScope data for offset tracking of the Earth's surface movement. We found that co-registration accuracy is locally degraded when outdated elevation models are used for orthorectification. To mitigate this bias, we propose to only correlate scenes acquired from common perspectives or base orthorectification on more up-to-date elevation models generated from PlanetScope data alone. This enables a more detailed analysis of landslide dynamics.
Cho-Hee Lee, Yeong Bae Seong, John Weber, Sangmin Ha, Dong-Eun Kim, and Byung Yong Yu
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1091–1120, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1091-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1091-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Topographic metrics were used to understand changes due to tectonic activity. We evaluated the relative tectonic activity along the Ulsan Fault Zone (UFZ), one of the most active fault zones in South Korea. We divided the UFZ into five segments, based on the spatial variation in activity. We modeled the landscape evolution of the study area and interpreted tectono-geomorphic history during which the northern part of the UFZ experienced asymmetric uplift, while the southern part did not.
Juditha Aga, Livia Piermattei, Luc Girod, Kristoffer Aalstad, Trond Eiken, Andreas Kääb, and Sebastian Westermann
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1049–1070, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1049-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1049-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Coastal rock cliffs on Svalbard are considered to be fairly stable; however, long-term trends in coastal-retreat rates remain unknown. This study examines changes in the coastline position along Brøggerhalvøya, Svalbard, using aerial images from 1970, 1990, 2010, and 2021. Our analysis shows that coastal-retreat rates accelerate during the period 2010–2021, which coincides with increasing storminess and retreating sea ice.
Aaron T. Steelquist, Gustav B. Seixas, Mary L. Gillam, Sourav Saha, Seulgi Moon, and George E. Hilley
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1071–1089, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1071-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1071-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The rates at which rivers erode their bed can be used to interpret the geologic history of a region. However, these rates depend significantly on the time window over which you measure. We use multiple dating methods to determine an incision rate for the San Juan River and compare it to regional rates with longer timescales. We demonstrate how specific geologic events, such as cutoffs of bedrock meander bends, are likely to preserve material we can date but also bias the rates we measure.
Johannes Leinauer, Michael Dietze, Sibylle Knapp, Riccardo Scandroglio, Maximilian Jokel, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1027–1048, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1027-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1027-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Massive rock slope failures are a significant alpine hazard and change the Earth's surface. Therefore, we must understand what controls the preparation of such events. By correlating 4 years of slope displacements with meteorological and seismic data, we found that water from rain and snowmelt is the most important driver. Our approach is applicable to similar sites and indicates where future climatic changes, e.g. in rain intensity and frequency, may alter the preparation of slope failure.
Julien Coatléven and Benoit Chauveau
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 995–1026, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-995-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-995-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The aim of this paper is to explain how to incorporate classical water flow routines into landscape evolution models while keeping numerical errors under control. The key idea is to adapt filtering strategies to eliminate anomalous numerical errors and mesh dependencies, as confirmed by convergence tests with analytic solutions. The emergence of complex geomorphic structures is now driven exclusively by nonlinear heterogeneous physical processes rather than by random numerical artifacts.
Jingjuan Li, John D. Jansen, Xuanmei Fan, Zhiyong Ding, Shugang Kang, and Marco Lovati
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 953–971, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-953-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-953-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we investigated the geomorphology, sedimentology, and chronology of Tuanjie (seven terraces) and Taiping (three terraces) terraces in Diexi, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Results highlight that two damming and three outburst events occurred in the area during the late Pleistocene, and the outburst floods have been a major factor in the formation of tectonically active mountainous river terraces. Tectonic activity and climatic changes play a minor role.
Jens Martin Turowski, Fergus McNab, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2342, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2342, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Channel belts comprise the area that is affected by a river due to lateral migration and floods. As a landform, they affect local water resources, flood hazard, and often host unique ecological communities. Here, we develop a model describing the evolution of channel belt area over time. The model connects the behaviour of the river to the evolution of the channel belt over a timescale of centuries. A comparison to selected data from experiments and real river systems is favourable.
Andrew Hollyday, Maureen E. Raymo, Jacqueline Austermann, Fred Richards, Mark Hoggard, and Alessio Rovere
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 883–905, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-883-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-883-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Sea level was significantly higher during the Pliocene epoch, around 3 million years ago. The present-day elevations of shorelines that formed in the past provide a data constraint on the extent of ice sheet melt and the global sea level response under warm Pliocene conditions. In this study, we identify 10 escarpments that formed from wave-cut erosion during Pliocene times and compare their elevations with model predictions of solid Earth deformation processes to estimate past sea level.
Gregory A. Ruetenik, Ken L. Ferrier, and Odin Marc
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 863–881, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-863-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-863-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial sediment fluxes increased dramatically in Taiwan during Typhoon Morakot in 2009, which produced some of the heaviest landsliding on record. We analyzed fluvial discharge and suspended sediment concentration data at 87 gauging stations across Taiwan to quantify fluvial sediment responses since Morakot. In basins heavily impacted by landsliding, rating curve coefficients sharply increased during Morakot and then declined exponentially with a characteristic decay time of <10 years.
Nil Carrion-Bertran, Albert Falqués, Francesca Ribas, Daniel Calvete, Rinse de Swart, Ruth Durán, Candela Marco-Peretó, Marta Marcos, Angel Amores, Tim Toomey, Àngels Fernández-Mora, and Jorge Guillén
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 819–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-819-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-819-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The sensitivity to the wave and sea-level forcing sources in predicting a 6-month embayed beach evolution is assessed using two different morphodynamic models. After a successful model calibration using in situ data, other sources are applied. The wave source choice is critical: hindcast data provide wrong results due to an angle bias, whilst the correct dynamics are recovered with the wave conditions from an offshore buoy. The use of different sea-level sources gives no significant differences.
Jean Vérité, Clément Narteau, Olivier Rozier, Jeanne Alkalla, Laurie Barrier, and Sylvain Courrech du Pont
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1634, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1634, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using a numerical model in 2D, we study how two identical dunes interact with each other when exposed to reversing winds. Depending on the distance between the dunes, they either repel or attract each other until they reach an equilibrium distance, which is controlled by the wind strength, wind reversal frequency and dune size. This process is controlled by the modification of wind flow over dunes of various shape, influencing the sediment transport downstream.
Thomas J. Barnes, Thomas V. Schuler, Simon Filhol, and Karianne S. Lilleøren
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 801–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-801-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-801-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we use machine learning to automatically outline landforms based on their characteristics. We test several methods to identify the most accurate and then proceed to develop the most accurate to improve its accuracy further. We manage to outline landforms with 65 %–75 % accuracy, at a resolution of 10 m, thanks to high-quality/high-resolution elevation data. We find that it is possible to run this method at a country scale to quickly produce landform inventories for future studies.
Fritz Schlunegger, Edi Kissling, Dimitri Tibo Bandou, Guilhem Amin Douillet, David Mair, Urs Marti, Regina Reber, Patrick Fabian Schläfli, and Michael Alfred Schwenk
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-683, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-683, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Overdeepenings are bedrock depressions filled with sediment. We combine the results of a gravity survey with drilling data to explore the morphology of such a depression beneath the city of Bern. We find that the target overdeepening comprises two basins >200 m deep. They are separated by a bedrock riegel that itself is cut by narrow canyons up to 150 m deep. We postulate that these structures formed underneath a glacier, where erosion by subglacial meltwater caused the formation of the canyons.
Eric Petersen, Regine Hock, and Michael G. Loso
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 727–745, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-727-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-727-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ice cliffs are melt hot spots that increase melt rates on debris-covered glaciers which otherwise see a reduction in melt rates. In this study, we show how surface runoff streams contribute to the generation, evolution, and survival of ice cliffs by carving into the glacier and transporting rocky debris. On Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, 33 % of ice cliffs are actively influenced by streams, while nearly half are within 10 m of streams.
Daniel O'Hara, Liran Goren, Roos M. J. van Wees, Benjamin Campforts, Pablo Grosse, Pierre Lahitte, Gabor Kereszturi, and Matthieu Kervyn
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 709–726, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-709-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-709-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how volcanic edifices develop drainage basins remains unexplored in landscape evolution. Using digital evolution models of volcanoes with varying ages, we quantify the geometries of their edifices and associated drainage basins through time. We find that these metrics correlate with edifice age and are thus useful indicators of a volcano’s history. We then develop a generalized model for how volcano basins develop and compare our results to basin evolution in other settings.
Brayden Noh, Omar Wani, Kieran B. J. Dunne, and Michael P. Lamb
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 691–708, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-691-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-691-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we propose a framework for generating risk maps that provide the probabilities of erosion due to river migration. This framework uses concepts from probability theory to learn the river migration model's parameter values from satellite data while taking into account parameter uncertainty. Our analysis shows that such geomorphic risk estimation is more reliable than models that do not explicitly consider various sources of variability and uncertainty.
Steven Y. J. Lai, David Amblas, Aaron Micallef, and Hervé Capart
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 621–640, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-621-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-621-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores the creation of submarine canyons and hanging-wall fans on active faults, which can be defined by gravity-dominated breaching and underflow-dominated diffusion processes. The study reveals the self-similarity in canyon–fan long profiles, uncovers Hack’s scaling relationship and proposes a formula to estimate fan volume using canyon length. This is validated by global data from source-to-sink systems, providing insights into deep-water sedimentary processes.
Anuska Narayanan, Sagy Cohen, and John R. Gardner
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 581–599, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-581-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-581-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the profound impact of deforestation in the Amazon on sediment dynamics. Novel remote sensing data and statistical analyses reveal significant changes, especially in heavily deforested regions, with rapid effects within a year. In less disturbed areas, a 1- to 2-year lag occurs, influenced by natural sediment shifts and human activities. These findings highlight the need to understand the consequences of human activity for our planet's future.
Jacob Hardt, Tim P. Dooley, and Michael R. Hudec
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 559–579, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-559-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-559-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the reaction of salt structures on ice sheet transgressions. We used a series of sandbox models that enabled us to experiment with scaled-down versions of salt bodies from northern Germany. The strongest reactions occurred when large salt pillows were partly covered by the ice load. Subsurface salt structures may play an important role in the energy transition, e.g., as energy storage. Thus, it is important to understand all processes that affect their stability.
Jon D. Pelletier, Robert G. Hayes, Olivia Hoch, Brendan Fenerty, and Luke A. McGuire
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1153, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1153, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
On the gently sloping landscapes next to mountain fronts, junction angles tend to be lower (more acute), while in bedrock landscapes where the initial landscape or tectonic forcing is likely more spatially variable, junction angles tend to be larger (more obtuse). We demonstrate this using an analysis of ~20 million junction angles for the U.S.A., augmented by analyses of the Loess Plateau, China, and synthetic landscapes.
Julius Reich and Axel Winterscheid
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-579, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-579, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Analysing the geometry and the dynamics of riverine bedforms (so-called dunetracking) is important for various fields of application and contributes to a sound and efficient river and sediment management. We developed a new tool, which enables a robust estimation of bedform characteristics and with which comprehensive sensitivity analyses can be carried out. Using a test dataset, we show that the selection of input parameters of dunetracking tools can have a significant impact on the results.
Prakash Pokhrel, Mikael Attal, Hugh D. Sinclair, Simon M. Mudd, and Mark Naylor
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 515–536, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-515-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-515-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Pebbles become increasingly rounded during downstream transport in rivers due to abrasion. This study quantifies pebble roundness along the length of two Himalayan rivers. We demonstrate that roundness increases with downstream distance and that the rates are dependent on rock type. We apply this to reconstructing travel distances and hence the size of ancient Himalaya. Results show that the ancient river network was larger than the modern one, indicating that there has been river capture.
Janbert Aarnink, Tom Beucler, Marceline Vuaridel, and Virginia Ruiz-Villanueva
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-792, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-792, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a novel CNN approach for detecting instream large wood in rivers, addressing the need for flexible monitoring methods that can be used on a variety of data sources. Leveraging a database of 15,228 fully labeled images, our model achieved a 67 % weighted mean average precision. Fine-tuning parameters and sampling techniques offer potential for further performance enhancement of more than 10 % in certain cases, promising valuable insights for ecosystem management.
Hayden L. Jacobson, Danica L. Roth, Gabriel Walton, Margaret Zimmer, and Kerri Johnson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2694, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2694, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Loose grains travel farther after a fire because no vegetation is left to stop them. This matters since loose grains at the base of a slope can turn into a debris flow if it rains. To find if grass growing back after a fire had different impacts on grains of different sizes on slopes of different steepness, we dropped thousands of natural grains and measured how far they went. Large grains went farther 7 months after the fire than 11 months after, and small grain movement didn’t change much.
Elizabeth Orr, Taylor Schildgen, Stefanie Tofelde, Hella Wittmann, and Ricardo Alonso
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-784, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-784, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Fluvial terraces and alluvial fans in the Toro Basin, NW Argentina record river evolution and global climate cycles over time. Landform dating reveals lower-frequency climate cycles (100-kyr) preserved downstream and higher-frequency cycles (21/40-kyr) upstream, supporting theoretical predications that longer rivers filter out higher-frequency climate signals. This finding improves our understanding of the spatial distribution of sedimentary paleoclimate records within landscapes.
Orie Cecil, Nicholas Cohn, Matthew Farthing, Sourav Dutta, and Andrew Trautz
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-855, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-855, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using computational fluid dynamics, we analyze the error trends of an analytical shear stress distribution model used to drive aeolian transport for coastal dunes which are an important line of defense against storm related flooding hazards. We find that compared to numerical simulations, the analytical model results in a net overprediction of the landward migration rate. Additionally, two data-driven approaches are proposed for reducing the error while maintaining computational efficiency.
Jens Martin Turowski, Aaron Bufe, and Stefanie Tofelde
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 493–514, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-493-2024, 2024
Short summary
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.
Daniel J. Ciarletta, Jennifer L. Miselis, Julie C. Bernier, and Arnell S. Forde
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 449–475, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-449-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-449-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We reconstructed the evolution of Fire Island, a barrier island in New York, USA, to identify drivers of landscape change. Results reveal Fire Island was once divided into multiple inlet-separated islands with distinct features. Later, inlets closed, and Fire Island’s landscape became more uniform as human activities intensified. The island is now less mobile and less likely to resist and recover from storm impacts and sea level rise. This vulnerability may exist for other stabilized barriers.
Chao Zhou, Xibin Tan, Yiduo Liu, and Feng Shi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 433–448, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-433-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-433-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The drainage-divide stability provides new insights into both the river network evolution and the tectonic and/or climatic changes. Several methods have been proposed to determine the direction of drainage-divide migration. However, how to quantify the migration rate of drainage divides remains challenging. In this paper, we propose a new method to calculate the migration rate of drainage divides from high-resolution topographic data.
Moritz Altmann, Madlene Pfeiffer, Florian Haas, Jakob Rom, Fabian Fleischer, Tobias Heckmann, Livia Piermattei, Michael Wimmer, Lukas Braun, Manuel Stark, Sarah Betz-Nutz, and Michael Becht
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 399–431, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-399-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-399-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We show a long-term erosion monitoring of several sections on Little Ice Age lateral moraines with derived sediment yield from historical and current digital elevation modelling (DEM)-based differences. The first study period shows a clearly higher range of variability of sediment yield within the sites than the later periods. In most cases, a decreasing trend of geomorphic activity was observed.
Paul A. Carling
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 381–397, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-381-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-381-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Edge rounding in Shap granite glacial erratics is an irregular function of distance from the source outcrop in northern England, UK. Block shape is conservative, evolving according to block fracture mechanics – stochastic and silver ratio models – towards either of two attractor states. Progressive reduction in size occurs for blocks transported at the sole of the ice mass where the blocks are subject to compressive and tensile forces of the ice acting against a bedrock or till surface.
Stefan Hergarten
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-336, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-336, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Faceted topographies are impressing footprints of active tectonics in geomorphology. This paper investigates the evolution of faceted topographies at normal faults and its interaction with the river network theoretically and numerically. As a main result beyond several relations for the the geometry of facets, the horizontal displacement associated to normal faults is crucial for the dissection of initially polygonal facets into triangular facets bounded by almost parallel rivers.
Gary Parker, Chenge An, Michael P. Lamb, Marcelo H. Garcia, Elizabeth H. Dingle, and Jeremy G. Venditti
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 367–380, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-367-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-367-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
River morphology has traditionally been divided by the size 2 mm. We use dimensionless arguments to show that particles in the 1–5 mm range (i) are the finest range not easily suspended by alluvial flood flows, (ii) are transported preferentially over coarser gravel, and (iii), within limits, are also transported preferentially over sand. We show how fluid viscosity mediates the special status of sediment in this range.
Lindsay Marie Capito, Enrico Pandrin, Walter Bertoldi, Nicola Surian, and Simone Bizzi
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 321–345, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-321-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-321-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We propose that the pattern of erosion and deposition from repeat topographic surveys can be a proxy for path length in gravel-bed rivers. With laboratory and field data, we applied tools from signal processing to quantify this periodicity and used these path length estimates to calculate sediment transport using the morphological method. Our results highlight the potential to expand the use of the morphological method using only remotely sensed data as well as its limitations.
Caroline Fenske, Jean Braun, François Guillocheau, and Cécile Robin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-160, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-160, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We have developed a new numerical model to represent the formation of ferricretes which are iron-rich, hard layers found in soils and at the surface of the Earth. We assume that the formation mechanism implies variations in the height of the water table and that the hardening rate is proportional to precipitation. The model allows us to quantify the potential feedbacks they generate on the surface topography and the thickness of the regolith/soil layer.
Xuxu Wu, Jonathan Malarkey, Roberto Fernández, Jaco H. Baas, Ellen Pollard, and Daniel R. Parsons
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 231–247, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-231-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-231-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The seabed changes from flat to rippled in response to the frictional influence of waves and currents. This experimental study has shown that the speed of this change, the size of ripples that result and even whether ripples appear also depend on the amount of sticky mud present. This new classification on the basis of initial mud content should lead to improvements in models of seabed change in present environments by engineers and the interpretation of past environments by geologists.
Andrea D'Alpaos, Davide Tognin, Laura Tommasini, Luigi D'Alpaos, Andrea Rinaldo, and Luca Carniello
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 181–199, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-181-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-181-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Sediment erosion induced by wind waves is one of the main drivers of the morphological evolution of shallow tidal environments. However, a reliable description of erosion events for the long-term morphodynamic modelling of tidal systems is still lacking. By statistically characterizing sediment erosion dynamics in the Venice Lagoon over the last 4 centuries, we set up a novel framework for a synthetic, yet reliable, description of erosion events in tidal systems.
Davide Tognin, Andrea D'Alpaos, Luigi D'Alpaos, Andrea Rinaldo, and Luca Carniello
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 201–218, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-201-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-201-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Reliable quantification of sediment transport processes is necessary to understand the fate of shallow tidal environments. Here we present a framework for the description of suspended sediment dynamics to quantify deposition in the long-term modelling of shallow tidal systems. This characterization, together with that of erosion events, allows one to set up synthetic, yet reliable, models for the long-term evolution of tidal landscapes.
Emma L. S. Graf, Hugh D. Sinclair, Mikaël Attal, Boris Gailleton, Basanta Raj Adhikari, and Bishnu Raj Baral
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 135–161, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-135-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-135-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using satellite images, we show that, unlike other examples of earthquake-affected rivers, the rivers of central Nepal experienced little increase in sedimentation following the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. Instead, a catastrophic flood occurred in 2021 that buried towns and agricultural land under up to 10 m of sediment. We show that intense storms remobilised glacial sediment from high elevations causing much a greater impact than flushing of earthquake-induced landslides.
Mohamad Nasr, Adele Johannot, Thomas Geay, Sebastien Zanker, Jules Le Guern, and Alain Recking
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 117–134, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-117-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-117-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Hydrophones are used to monitor sediment transport in the river by listening to the acoustic noise generated by particle impacts on the riverbed. However, this acoustic noise is modified by the river flow and can cause misleading information about sediment transport. This article proposes a model that corrects the measured acoustic signal. Testing the model showed that the corrected signal is better correlated with bedload flux in the river.
Byungho Kang, Rusty A. Feagin, Thomas Huff, and Orencio Durán Vinent
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 105–115, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-105-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-105-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We provide a detailed characterization of the frequency, intensity and duration of flooding events at a site along the Texas coast. Our analysis demonstrates the suitability of relatively simple wave run-up models to estimate the frequency and intensity of coastal flooding. Our results validate and expand a probabilistic model of coastal flooding driven by wave run-up that can then be used in coastal risk management in response to sea level rise.
Shunsuke Oya, Fumitoshi Imaizumi, and Shoki Takayama
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 67–86, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-67-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-67-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The monitoring of pore water pressure in fully and partly saturated debris flows was performed at Ohya landslide scar, central Japan. The pore water pressure in some partly saturated flows greatly exceeded the hydrostatic pressure. The depth gradient of the pore water pressure in the lower part of the flow was generally higher than the upper part of the flow. We conclude that excess pore water pressure is present in many debris flow surges and is an important mechanism in debris flow behavior.
Gabriele Barile, Marco Redolfi, and Marco Tubino
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 87–103, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-87-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-87-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
River bifurcations often show the closure of one branch (avulsion), whose causes are still poorly understood. Our model shows that when one branch stops transporting sediments, the other considerably erodes and captures much more flow, resulting in a self-sustaining process. This phenomenon intensifies when increasing the length of the branches, eventually leading to branch closure. This work may help to understand when avulsions occur and thus to design sustainable river restoration projects.
Rémi Bossis, Vincent Regard, Sébastien Carretier, and Sandrine Choy
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3020, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The erosion of rocky coasts occurs episodically through wave action and landslides, constituting a major natural hazard. Documenting the factors that control the coastal retreat rate over millennia is fundamental to evidencing any change in time. However, the known rates to date are essentially representative of the last few decades. Here, we present a new method using the concentration of an isotope, 10Be in sediment eroded from the cliff to quantify its retreat rate averaged over millennia.
Dieter Rickenmann
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 11–34, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-11-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-11-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Field measurements of the bedload flux with a high temporal resolution in a steep mountain stream were used to analyse the transport fluctuations as a function of the flow conditions. The disequilibrium ratio, a proxy for the solid particle concentration in the flow, was found to influence the sediment transport behaviour, and above-average disequilibrium conditions – associated with a larger sediment availability on the streambed – substantially affect subsequent transport conditions.
Cited articles
Abrahami, R., van der Beek, P., Huyghe, P., Hardwick, E., and Carcaillet, J.:
Decoupling of long-term exhumation and short-term erosion rates in the
Sikkim Himalaya, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 433, 76–88,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2015.10.039, 2016.
Ali, K. F. and De Boer, D. H.: Spatial patterns and variation of sus-pended
sediment yield in the upper Indus River basin, northern Pakistan, J. Hydrol.,
334, 368–387, 2007.
Andermann, C., Crave, A., Gloaguen, R., Davy, P., and Bonnet, S.: Connecting
source and transport: Suspended sediments in the Nepal Himalayas, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 351–352, 158–170, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.06.059, 2012.
Avouac, J.-P.: From Geodetic Imaging of Seismic and Aseismic Fault Slip to
Dynamic Modeling of the Seismic Cycle, Annu. Rev. Earth Pl. Sc., 43, 233–271, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-earth-060614-105302, 2015.
Avouac, J.-P., Meng, L., Wei, S., Wang, T., and Ampuero, J.-P.: Lower edge of
locked Main Himalayan Thrust unzipped by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Nat.
Geosci., 8, p. 708, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2518, 2015.
Behling, R., Roessner, S., Kaufmann, H., and Kleinschmit, B.: Automated
Spatiotemporal Landslide Mapping over Large Areas Using RapidEye Time Series
Data, Remote Sens., 6, 8026–8055, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs6098026,
2014.
Behling, R., Roessner, S., Golovko, D., and Kleinschmit, B.: Derivation of
long-term spatiotemporal landslide activity – A multi-sensor time series
approach, Remote Sens. Environ., 186, 88–104, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2016.07.017, 2016.
Blodgett, T. A. and Isacks, B. L.: Landslide Erosion Rate in the Eastern
Cordillera of Northern Bolivia, Earth Interact., 11, 1–30,
https://doi.org/10.1175/2007EI222.1, 2007.
Blöthe, J. H. and Korup, O.: Millennial lag times in the Himalayan
sediment routing system, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 382, 38–46,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.08.044, 2013.
Bollinger, L., Sapkota, S. N., Tapponnier, P., Klinger, Y., Rizza, M., Van
der Woerd, J., Tiwari, D. R., Pandey, R., Bitri, A., and Bes de Berc, S.:
Estimating the return times of great Himalayan earthquakes in eastern Nepal:
Evidence from the Patu and Bardibas strands of the Main Frontal Thrust, J.
Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 119, 7123–7163, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JB010970, 2014.
Bollinger, L., Tapponnier, P., Sapkota, S. N., and Klinger, Y.: Slip deficit
in central Nepal: omen for a repeat of the 1344 AD earthquake?, Earth Planets
Space, 68, p. 12, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-016-0389-1, 2016.
Burbank, D. W., Leland, J., Fielding, E., Anderson, R. S., Brozovic, N.,
Reid, M. R., and Duncan, C.: Bedrock incision, rock uplift and threshold
hillslopes in the northwestern Himalayas, Nature, 379, 505–510,
https://doi.org/10.1038/379505a0, 1996.
Burbank, D. W., Blythe, A. E., Putkonen, J., Pratt-Sitaula, B., Gabet, E.,
Oskin, M., Barros, A., and Ojha, T. P.: Decoupling of erosion and
precipitation in the Himalayas, Nature, 426, 652–655, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02187, 2003.
Burtin, A., Hovius, N., Milodowski, D. T., Chen, Y.-G., Wu, Y.-M., Lin,
C.-W., Chen, H., Emberson, R., and Leu, P.-L.: Continuous catchment-scale
monitoring of geomorphic processes with a 2-D seismological array, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 1956–1974, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrf.20137, 2013.
Causse, M. and Song, S. G.: Are stress drop and rupture velocity of
earthquakes independent? Insight from observed ground motion variability,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 7383–7389, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL064793, 2015.
Cenderelli, D. A. and Wohl, E. E.: Sedimentology and Clast Orientation of
Deposits, produced by Glacial-Lake Outburst Floods in the Mount Everest
Region, Nepal, in: Geomorphological Hazards in High Mountain Areas, edited
by: Kalvoda, J. and Rosenfeld, C. L., 1–26, Springer Netherlands, Dordrecht,
1998.
Chakraborty, I., Ghosh, D. S., Bhattacharya, D., and Bora, A.: Earthquake
induced landslides in the Sikkim-Darjeeling Himalayas – An aftermath of the
18 September 2011 Sikkim earthquake, Report of Geological Survey of India,
Kolkata, 2011.
Chen, Y.-C., Chang, K., Chiu, Y.-J., Lau, S.-M., and Lee, H.-Y.: Quantifying
rainfall controls on catchment-scale landslide erosion in Taiwan, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 38, 372–382, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3284, 2013.
Clauset, A., Shalizi, C., and Newman, M.: Power-Law Distributions in Empirical
Data, SIAM Rev., 51, 661–703, https://doi.org/10.1137/070710111, 2009.
Cook, K. L., Andermann, C., Gimbert, F., Adhikari, B. R., and Hovius, N.:
Glacial lake outburst floods as drivers of fluvial erosion in the Himalaya,
Science, 362, 53–57, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aat4981, 2018.
Croissant, T., Lague, D., Steer, P., and Davy, P.: Rapid post-seismic
landslide evacuation boosted by dynamic river width, Nat. Geosci., 10, 680,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo3005, 2017.
Dahal, R. K. and Hasegawa, S.: Representative rainfall thresholds for
landslides in the Nepal Himalaya, Geomorphology, 100, 429–443,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.01.014, 2008.
Dingle, E. H., Sinclair, H. D., Attal, M., Rodés, Á., and Singh, V.:
Temporal variability in detrital 10Be concentrations in a large
Himalayan catchment, Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 611–635,
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-611-2018, 2018.
Domej, G., Bourdeau, C., and Lenti, L.: Mean Landslide Geometries Inferred
from a Global Database of Earthquake- and Non-Earthquake-Triggered
Landslides, Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment, 17,
87–107, https://doi.org/10.4408/IJEGE.2017-02.O-05, 2017.
Fort, M.: Two large late Quaternary rock slope failures and their geomorphic
significance, Annapurna Himalayas (Nepal), Geogr. Fis. Din. Quat., 34, 5–14, 2011.
Fox, M., Herman, F., Willett, S. D., and Schmid, S. M.: The Exhumation history
of the European Alps inferred from linear inversion of thermochronometric
data, Am. J. Sci., 316, 505–541, https://doi.org/10.2475/06.2016.01, 2016.
Frattini, P. and Crosta, G. B.: The role of material properties and landscape
morphology on landslide size distributions, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 361,
310–319, 2013
Gabet, E. J., Burbank, D. W., Putkonen, J. K., Pratt-Sitaula, B. A., and Ojha,
T.: Rainfall thresholds for landsliding in the Himalayas of Nepal,
Geomorphology, 63, 131–143, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2004.03.011, 2004.
Gabet, E. J., Burbank, D. W., Pratt-Sitaula, B., Putkonen, J., and Bookhagen,
B.: Modern erosion rates in the High Himalayas of Nepal, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 267, 482–494, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2007.11.059, 2008.
Gallo, F. and Lavé, J.: Evolution of a large landslide in the High
Himalaya of central Nepal during the last half-century, Geomorphology, 223,
20–32, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.06.021, 2014.
Godard, V., Burbank, D. W., Bourlès, D. L., Bookhagen, B., Braucher, R.,
and Fisher, G. B.: Impact of glacial erosion on 10Be concentrations
in fluvial sediments of the Marsyandi catchment, central Nepal, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 117, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JF002230, 2012.
Godard, V., Bourlès, D. L., Spinabella, F., Burbank, D. W., Bookhagen,
B., Fisher, G. B., Moulin, A., and Léanni, L.: Dominance of tectonics over
climate in Himalayan denudation, Geology, 42, 243–246, https://doi.org/10.1130/G35342.1, 2014.
Heimsath, A. M. and McGlynn, R.: Quantifying periglacial erosion in the Nepal
high Himalaya, Geomorphology, 97, 5–23,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.02.046, 2008.
Herman, F., Copeland, P., Avouac, J.-P., Bollinger, L., Mahéo, G., Le
Fort, P., Rai, S., Foster, D., Pêcher, A., Stüwe, K., and Henry, P.:
Exhumation, crustal deformation, and thermal structure of the Nepal Himalaya
derived from the inversion of thermochronological and thermobarometric data
and modeling of the topography, J. Geophys. Res., 115,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JB006126, 2010.
Hovius, N., Stark, C. P., and Allen, P. A.: Sediment flux from a mountain belt
derived by landslide mapping, Geology, 25, 231–234, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1997)025<0231:SFFAMB>2.3.CO;2,
1997.
Hovius, N., Stark, C. P., Chu H.-T., and Lin J.-C.: Supply and Removal of
Sediment in a Landslide-Dominated Mountain Belt: Central Range, Taiwan, J.
Geol., 108, 73–89, https://doi.org/10.1086/jg.2000.108.issue-1, 2000.
Iverson, R. M.: Landslide triggering by rain infiltration, Water Resour.
Res., 36, 1897–1910, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000WR900090, 2000.
Keefer, D. K.: Landslides caused by earthquakes, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 95,
397–405, 1984.
Kirchner, J. W., Finkel, R. C., Riebe, C. S., Granger, D. E., Clayton, J. L., King, J. G., and Megahan, W. F.:
Mountain erosion over 10 yr, 10 ky, and 10 my time scales, Geology, 29,
591–594, 2001.
Korup, O., Clague, J. J., Hermanns, R. L., Hewitt, K., Strom, A. L., and
Weidinger, J. T.: Giant landslides, topography, and erosion, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 261, 578–589, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2007.07.025, 2007.
Kubota, T., Shige, S., Hashizume, H., Ushio, T., Aonashi, K., Kachi, M., and
Okamoto, K.: Global Precipitation Map using Satelliteborne Microwave
Radiometers by the GSMaP Project?: Production and Validation, in 2006 IEEE
MicroRad, 290–295, 2006.
Lacroix, P. and Amitrano, D.: Long-term dynamics of rockslides and damage
propagation inferred from mechanical modeling: Long-term dynamics of
rockslides, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118,
2292–2307, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JF002766, 2013.
Landry, K. R., Coutand, I., Whipp, D. M., Grujic, D., and Hourigan, J. K.:
Late Neogene tectonically driven crustal exhumation of the Sikkim Himalaya:
Insights from inversion of multithermochronologic data, Tectonics, 35, 831–857, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015TC004102, 2016.
Larsen, I. J., Montgomery, D. R., and Korup, O.: Landslide erosion controlled
by hillslope material, Nat. Geosci., 3, 247–251, 2010.
Lave, J., Lénard, S., and Lanord, C. F.: Giant landslide deposits and the
modalities of their removal by ?uvial sediment export in the central
Himalayas, vol. 19, EGU2017-13537, Vienna, 2017.
Li, Gen and West, A Joshua and Densmore, Alexander L and Jin, Zhangdong and Zhang, Fei and Wang, Jin and Clark, Marin and Hilton, Robert
G.: Earthquakes drive focused denudation along a tectonically active mountain
front, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 472, 253–265, 2017.
Lupker, M., Blard, P.-H., Lavé, J., France-Lanord, C., Leanni, L., Puchol,
N., Charreau, J., and Bourlès, D.: 10Be-derived Himalayan
denudation rates and sediment budgets in the Ganga basin, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 333–334, 146–156, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.04.020, 2012.
Malamud, B. D., Turcotte, D. L., Guzzetti, F., and Reichenbach, P.: Landslide
inventories and their statistical properties, Earth Surf. Proc. Land.,
29, 687–711, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1064, 2004.
Marc, O. and Hovius, N.: Amalgamation in landslide maps: effects and
automatic detection, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 15, 723–733,
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-15-723-2015, 2015.
Marc, O., Hovius, N., Meunier, P., Uchida, T., and Hayashi, S.: Transient
changes of landslide rates after earthquakes, Geology, 43, 883–886,
https://doi.org/10.1130/G36961.1, 2015.
Marc, O., Hovius, N., Meunier, P., Gorum, T., and Uchida, T.: A
seismologically consistent expression for the total area and volume of
earthquake-triggered landsliding, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 121, 640–663,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003732, 2016a.
Marc, O., Hovius, N., and Meunier, P.: The mass balance of earthquakes and
earthquake sequences, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 3708–3716,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068333, 2016b.
Marc, O., Meunier, P., and Hovius, N.: Prediction of the area affected by
earthquake-induced landsliding based on seismological parameters, Nat.
Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1159–1175,
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-17-1159-2017, 2017.
Marc, O., Stumpf, A., Malet, J.-P., Gosset, M., Uchida, T., and Chiang,
S.-H.: Initial insights from a global database of rainfall-induced landslide
inventories: the weak influence of slope and strong influence of total storm
rainfall, Earth Surf. Dynam., 6, 903–922, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-6-903-2018,
2018.
Martha, T. R., Roy, P., Mazumdar, R., Govindharaj, K. B., and Kumar, K. V.:
Spatial characteristics of landslides triggered by the 2015
Mw 7.8 (Gorkha) and Mw 7.3 (Dolakha) earthquakes in
Nepal, Landslides, 14, 697–704, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-016-0763-x, 2016.
Mathur, L.: Assam Earthquake of 15 August 1950, a short note on factual
observations, in A compilation of papers on the Assam earthquake of August,
15, 1950, vol. 1, 56–60, The Central Board of Geophysical Publisher,
National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, India, 1953.
Meunier, P., Hovius, N., and Haines, A. J.: Regional patterns of
earthquake-triggered landslides and their relation to ground motion, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 34, L20408, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031337, 2007.
Meunier, P., Uchida, T., and Hovius, N.: Landslide patterns reveal the sources
of large earthquakes, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 363, 27–33,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.12.018, 2013.
Milledge, David G. and Bellugi, Dino and McKean, Jim A. and Densmore, Alexander L. and Dietrich, William
E.: A multidimensional stability model for predicting shallow landslide size and shape across
landscapes, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 119,
2481–2504, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JF003135, 2014.
Morin, G., Lavé, J., France-Lanord, C., Rigaudier, T., Gajurel, A. P.,
and Sinha, R.: Annual sediment transport dynamics in the Narayani basin,
Central Nepal: assessing the impacts of erosion processes in the annual
sediment budget, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123, 2341–2376,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004460, 2018.
Mugnier, J.-L., Gajurel, A., Huyghe, P., Jayangondaperumal, R., Jouanne, F.,
and Upreti, B.: Structural interpretation of the great earthquakes of the
last millennium in the central Himalaya, Earth-Sci. Rev., 127, 30–47,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.09.003, 2013.
Niemi, N. A., Oskin, M., Burbank, D. W., Heimsath, A. M., and Gabet, E. J.:
Effects of bedrock landslides on cosmogenically determined erosion rates,
Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 237, 480–498, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2005.07.009, 2005.
Portenga, E. W., Bierman, P. R., Duncan, C., Corbett, L. B., Kehrwald, N. M.,
and Rood, D. H.: Erosion rates of the Bhutanese Himalaya determined using in
situ-produced 10Be, Geomorphology, 233, 112–126,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.09.027, 2015.
Pratt, B., Burbank, D. W., Heimsath, A., and Ojha, T.: Impulsive alluviation
during early Holocene strengthened monsoons, central Nepal Himalaya, Geology,
30, 911–914,
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0911:IADEHS>2.0.CO;2,
2002.
Pratt-Sitaula, B., Burbank, D. W., Heimsath, A., and Ojha, T.: Landscape
disequilibrium on 1000–10 000 year scales Marsyandi River, Nepal, central
Himalaya, Geomorphology, 58, 223–241, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2003.07.002,
2004.
Pratt-Sitaula, B., Garde, M., Burbank, D. W., Oskin, M., Heimsath, A., and Gabet, E.:
Bedload-to-suspended load ratio and rapid bedrock incision from Himalayan landslide-dam lake record, Quaternary Res., 68, 111–120,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2007.03.005, 2007.
Rao, S. V. N., Rao, M. V., and Ramasasitri, K. S.: A Study of Sedimentation
in Chenab Basin in Western Himalayas, Nord. Hydrol., 28, 201–216, 1997.
RGI Consortium: Randolph glacier inventory (RGI) – a dataset of global
glacier outlines: version 6.0, Global Land Ice Measurements from Space,
Boulder, https://doi.org/10.7265/N5-RGI-60, 2017.
Riva, F., Agliardi, F., Amitrano, D., and Crosta, G. B.: Damage-Based
Time-Dependent Modeling of Paraglacial to Postglacial Progressive Failure of
Large Rock Slopes, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123, 124–141,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JF004423, 2018.
Roback, K., Clark, M. K., West, A. J., Zekkos, D., Li, G., Gallen, S. F.,
Chamlagain, D., and Godt, J. W.: The size, distribution, and mobility of
landslides caused by the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha earthquake, Nepal,
Geomorphology, 301, 121–138, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.01.030, 2018.
Ruhl, K. W. and Hodges, K. V.: The use of detrital mineral cooling ages to
evaluate steady state assumptions in active orogens: An example from the
central Nepalese Himalaya, Tectonics, 24, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004TC001712, 2005.
Saito, H., Korup, O., Uchida, T., Hayashi, S., and Oguchi, T.: Rainfall
conditions, typhoon frequency, and contemporary landslide erosion in Japan,
Geology, 42, 999–1002, https://doi.org/10.1130/G35680.1, 2014.
Sato, H. P., Hasegawa, H., Fujiwara, S., Tobita, M., Koarai, M., Une, H., and
Iwahashi, J.: Interpretation of landslide distribution triggered by the 2005
Northern Pakistan earthquake using SPOT 5 imagery, Landslides, 4, 113–122,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-006-0069-5, 2007.
Scherler, D., Bookhagen, B., and Strecker, M. R.: Tectonic control on
10Be-derived erosion rates in the Garhwal Himalaya, India, J.
Geophys. Res.-Earth, 119, 83–105, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JF002955, 2014.
Schildgen, T. F., Beek, P. A., van der, Sinclair, H. D., and Thiede, R. C.:
Spatial correlation bias in late-Cenozoic erosion histories derived from
thermochronology, Nature, 559, 89–93, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0260-6, 2018.
Schwanghart, W., Bernhardt, A., Stolle, A., Hoelzmann, P., Adhikari, B. R.,
Andermann, C., Tofelde, S., Merchel, S., Rugel, G., Fort, M., and Korup, O.:
Repeated catastrophic valley infill following medieval earthquakes in the
Nepal Himalaya, Science, 351, 147–150, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aac9865, 2016.
Stark, C. P. and Guzzetti, F.: Landslide rupture and the probability
distribution of mobilized debris volumes, J. Geophys. Res., 114, F00A02,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JF001008, 2009.
Stark, C. P. and Hovius, N.: The characterization of landslide size
distributions, Geophys. Res. Lett., 28, 1091–1094, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000GL008527,
2001.
Stevens, V. L. and Avouac, J.-P.: Millenary Mw > 9.0
earthquakes required by geodetic strain in the Himalaya, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
43, 1118–1123, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL067336, 2016.
Stolle, A., Bernhardt, A., Schwanghart, W., Hoelzmann, P., Adhikari, B. R.,
Fort, M., and Korup, O.: Catastrophic valley fills record large Himalayan
earthquakes, Pokhara, Nepal, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 177, 88–103,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2017.10.015, 2017.
Stolle, A., Schwanghart, W., Andermann, C., Bernhardt, A., Fort, M., Jansen, J. D.,
Wittmann, H., Merchel, S., Rugel, G., Adhikari, B. R., and Korup, O.: Protracted
river response to medieval earthquakes, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 44, 331–341,
https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4517, 2019.
Struck, M., Andermann, C., Hovius, N., Korup, O., Turowski, J. M., Bista, R.,
Pandit, H. P., and Dahal, R. K.: Monsoonal hillslope processes determine
grain size-specific suspended sediment fluxes in a trans-Himalayan river:
Mass wasting determines sediment caliber, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42,
2302–2308, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL063360, 2015.
Tanyaş, H., van Westen, C. J., Allstadt, K. E., Anna Nowicki Jessee, M.,
Görüm, T., Jibson, R. W., Godt, J. W., Sato, H. P., Schmitt, R. G.,
Marc, O., and Hovius, N.: Presentation and Analysis of a Worldwide Database
of Earthquake-Induced Landslide Inventories, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 122,
1991–2015, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JF004236, 2017.
Thiede, R. C. and Ehlers, T. A.: Large spatial and temporal variations in
Himalayan denudation, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 371–372, 278–293,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.03.004, 2013.
Ushio, T., Sasashige, K., Kubota, T., Shige, S., Okamoto, K., Aonashi, K.,
Inoue, T., Takahashi, N., Iguchi, T., Kachi, M., Oki, R., Morimoto, T., and
Kawasaki, Z.-I.: A Kalman Filter Approach to the Global Satellite Mapping of
Precipitation (GSMaP) from Combined Passive Microwave and Infrared
Radiometric Data, J. Meteorol. Soc. Jpn., 87A, 137–151,
https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.87A.137, 2009.
Van Asch, T. W. J., Buma, J., and Van Beek, L. P. H.: A view on some
hydrological triggering systems in landslides, Geomorphology, 30, 25–32,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-555X(99)00042-2, 1999.
Vance, D., Bickle, M., Ivy-Ochs, S., and Kubik, P. W.: Erosion and exhumation
in the Himalaya from cosmogenic isotope inventories of river sediments,
Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 206, 273–288, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(02)01102-0, 2003.
Valagussa, A., Marc, O., Frattini, P., and Crosta, G. B.: Seismic and
geological controls on earthquake-induced landslide size, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 506, 268–281, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.11.005, 2019.
Weidinger, J. T.: Predesign, failure and displacement mechanisms of large
rockslides in the Annapurna Himalayas, Nepal, Eng. Geol., 83, 201–216,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2005.06.032, 2006.
Weidinger, J. T.: Stability and Life Span of Landslide Dams in the Himalayas
(India, Nepal) and the Qin Ling Mountains (China), in: Natural and Artificial
Rockslide Dams, edited by: Evans, S. G., Hermanns, R. L., Strom, A., and
Scarascia-Mugnozza, G., 243–277, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin,
Heidelberg, 2011.
Weidinger, J. T. and Korup, O.: Frictionite as evidence for a large Late
Quaternary rockslide near Kanchenjunga, Sikkim Himalayas, India –
Implications for extreme events in mountain relief destruction,
Geomorphology, 103, 57–65, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.10.021, 2009.
Weidinger, J. T., Schramm, J.-M., and Nuschej, F.: Ore mineralization causing
slope failure in a high-altitude mountain crest – on the collapse of an
8000 m peak in Nepal, J. Asian Earth Sci., 21, 295–306,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1367-9120(02)00080-9, 2002.
Whipp, D. M., Ehlers, T. A., Blythe, A. E., Huntington, K. W., Hodges, K. V.,
and Burbank, D. W.: Plio-Quaternary exhumation history of the central
Nepalese Himalaya: 2. Thermokinematic and thermochronometer age prediction
model, Tectonics, 26, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006TC001991, 2007.
Wobus, C., Heimsath, A., Whipple, K., and Hodges, K.: Active out-of-sequence
thrust faulting in the central Nepalese Himalaya, Nature, 434, 1008–1011,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03499, 2005.
Wobus, C. W., Whipple, K. X., and Hodges, K. V.: Neotectonics of the central
Nepalese Himalaya: Constraints from geomorphology, detrital
40Ar∕39Ar thermochronology, and thermal modeling, Tectonics, 25,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005TC001935, 2006.
Wulf, H., Bookhagen, B., and Scherler, D.: Climatic and geologic controls on
suspended sediment flux in the Sutlej River Valley, western Himalaya, Hydrol.
Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 2193–2217, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-2193-2012,
2012.
Yanites, B. J., Tucker, G. E., and Anderson, R. S.: Numerical and analytical
models of cosmogenic radionuclide dynamics in landslide-dominated drainage
basins, J. Geophys. Res., 114, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JF001088, 2009.
Yatagai, A., Kamiguchi, K., Arakawa, O., Hamada, A., Yasutomi, N., and
Kitoh, A.: APHRODITE: Constructing a Long-Term Daily Gridded Precipitation
Dataset for Asia Based on a Dense Network of Rain Gauges, B. Am.
Meteorol.
Soc., 93, 1401–1415, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00122.1,
2012
Zech, R., Zech, M., Kubik, P. W., Kharki, K., and Zech, W.: Deglaciation and
landscape history around Annapurna, Nepal, based on 10Be surface
exposure dating, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 28, 1106–1118,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.11.013, 2009.
Short summary
We mapped eight monsoon-related (> 100 m2) and large (> 0.1 km2) landslides in the Nepal Himalayas since 1970. Adding inventories of Holocene landslides, giant landslides (> 1 km3), and landslides from the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, we constrain the size–frequency distribution of monsoon- and earthquake-induced landslides. Both contribute ~50 % to a long-term (> 10 kyr) total erosion of ~2 mm yr-1, matching the long-term exhumation rate. Large landslides rarer than 10Be sampling time drive erosion.
We mapped eight monsoon-related ( 100 m2) and large ( 0.1 km2) landslides in the Nepal Himalayas...