variations in exhumation level and uplift rate along the obliqu slip alpine fault central southern alps new zealand we use geophysical and geological data from the southern alps to explore the relationship between plate motions and crustal structure on the geomorphology exhumation state and deformation style of rocks uplifted along amajor oblique slip fault a 50 km long segment of the southern alps has a higher uplift rate more relief deeper exhumation and a narrower width than surrounding regions there the delaminated east tilted crust of the pacific plate yields the youngest late cenozoic thermochronometric ages contours for fission track ar ar and k ar ages on several different minerals define an asymmetrically nested pattern of ages that increase away from the western side of the central southern alps eleven new 4 0 ar 3 9 ar samples of hornblende from the hanging wall of the alpine fault indicate that lower crustal rocks exhumed from 500 c in the late cenozoic are confined to a 20 km long culmination at the southern end of the central southern alps ages as low as 3 5 ma imply time integrated vertical exhumation rates as high as 6 9 mm yr this is the only part of this 5 8 ma range that may have achieved exhumational steady state remnant plugs of the original crustal hanging wall ramp are apparently preserved outside the central alps implying 70 km of fault convergence there 4 0 ar 3 9 ar age trends for hornblende near the alpine fault suggest that horizontal surfaces in the lower crust in the pacific plate have been overturned by reverse slip ductile shearing across a zone of distributed deformation that extends 2 km beyond the 1 km thick basal mylonite zone at the broadest orogen scale higher uplift rates throughout the central southern alps may be related to a rheologically controlled increase in the convergent velocity of points to the east of the alpine fault associated with a strengthening of the pacific crust at a more local scale maximum rates of uplift are inferred to occur near franz josef and fox glaciers because the alpine fault steepens at depth structural data suggests that its footwall ramp is curved and that the fault s dip steepens by 15 20 relative to its attitude farther to the south this 10 20 km long restraining bend may enhance local rates of rock uplift near franz josef and fox glaciers contemporary normal stress and shear resistance may also be increased on this part of the alpine fault helping to explain the central region s quiet historic seismicity and apparently strongly locked nature

modeling large scale fluvial erosion in geographic information systems variants of the stream power model have become standard for large scale erosion modeling in geographic information systems gis because they can be applied over broad areas without the need for detailed knowledge of stream characteristics gis based implementations of the shear stress stream power per unit length and stream power per unit area models are closely related to one another and related also to empirical sediment yield models derived from continental scale factor analyses based on a detailed examination of the implementation of stream power analyses at the scale of continental mountain ranges we demonstrate that 1 the careful selection of a digital elevation model dem projection can minimize length and area distortion when analyzing large portions of the earth such as the himalaya or andes in the two dimensional plane of a dem 2 the area discharge proxy frequently employed in gis based stream power studies may not be appropriate for rivers that flow through significant rain shadows or climatic zones 3 decreasing the resolution of a dem from 30 to the 900 m typical for studies of large extent decreased the mean slopes of 15 rivers in the olympic mountains by 65 increased the mean drainage basin size by 14 and caused a 17 reduction in median main stem channel length 4 the coefficients k m and n common to different versions of the stream power law are themselves sensitive to grid resolution when determined from an analysis of area slope plots 5 stream power per unit area decreased in the olympics mountains as grid resolution decreased d 2002 elsevier science b v all rights reserved

systematic variation of bedrock channel gradients in the central oregon coast range implications for rock uplift and shallow landsliding abstract in tectonically active regions bedrock channels play a critical role in dictating the pace of landscape evolution models of fluvial incision into bedrock provide a means of investigating relationships between gradients of bedrock channels and patterns of active deformation variations in lithology orographic precipitation sediment supply and erosional processes serve to complicate tectonic inferences derived from morphologic data yet most tectonically active landscapes are characterized by these complexities in contrast the central oregon coast range ocr which is situated above the cascadia subduction zone has experienced rock uplift for several million years did not experience pleistocene glaciation boasts a relatively uniform lithology and exhibits minor variations in precipitation although numerous process based geomorphic studies suggest that rates of erosion across the ocr are relatively constant it has not been demonstrated that bedrock channel gradients in the region exhibit spatially consistent values analysis of broadly distributed small drainage basins 5 20 km in the central ocr enables us to explore regional variability in bedrock channel gradients resulting from differential rock uplift or other sources consistent with previous studies that have documented local structural control of deformed fluvial terraces in the western portion of our study area our data reveal a roughly 20 km wide band of systematically elevated channel slopes roughly twice the background value roughly coincident with the strike of n s trending mapped folds although many factors could feasibly generate this pattern including variable rock strength precipitation gradients or temporal or spatial variations in forearc deformation the elevated bedrock channel slopes likely reflect differential rock uplift related to activity of local structures importantly our analysis suggests that rock uplift and erosion rates may vary systematically across the ocr although our calculations were focused on the fluvial dominated portion of study basins our results have implications for upstream areas including unchanneled valleys that often serve as source areas for long runout debris flows zero order basins or topographic hollows within the n s trending band of elevated channel slopes tend to be steeper than adjacent areas and may experience more frequent evacuation by shallow landsliding thus this region of the ocr may be highly sensitive to land use practices and high intensity rainstorms

geomorphic imprint of landslides on alpine river systems southwest new zealand an inventory of 846 mass movements mainly landslides in two alpine regions of southwest new zealand was created to explore the geomorphic impacts of slope failure processes on river channels and valley floors in total 213 i e 27 per cent of the slope failures descended to valley floors affecting the geomorphology of trunk channels catchment area ac 10 km2 and valley floors in recurring patterns a nominal classification system is introduced for characterizing a the physical contact nature between landslides and river channels and b the resulting geomorphic consequences for drainage although landslide area a is useful for estimating the length of channel directly impacted by debris it does not necessarily predict the direction of fluvial response or type of impact dominant persistent geomorphic imprints of bedrock landslides include channel occlusions and landslide dams in south westland and fiordland respectively differences in size distribution and geomorphic effects on river systems between the two study regions are attributed to bedrock geology tectonics and sediment flux although south westland rivers are more frequently affected by landslides disrupting long term effects such as blockage are more persistent in fiordland copyright 2005 john wiley sons ltd

sediment generation and delivery from large historic landslides in the southern alps new zealand abstract there is much variability of sediment yield in mountain river systems because it is influenced by both periodic e g snowmelt monsoonal circulation and episodic high intensity rainstorms earthquakes controls in the southern alps of new zealand landslides are dominant mechanisms of conveying large amounts of debris to river channels this paper attempts to quantify catastrophic modes of sediment delivery by presenting three recent examples of large landslides on the western slopes of the southern alps a combination of ground surveys dem based volume calculations and air photo interpretation attributes immediate postfailure sediment yields in excess of 70 000 t km 2 a 1 in the short term such landslide derived sediment pulses pose significant hazards to downstream settlements and infrastructure on alluvial fans where they cause massive aggradation increased flooding frequency and large scale channel avulsion in addition to intramontane valley floor obliteration or channel metamorphosis these geomorphic impacts may thus occur far beyond the initial locations of slope failure these catastrophic off site effects involve apparent net sediment delivery rates in the order of 10 5 10 6 m 3 a 1 the accurate quantification of the relative contribution of debris from the disturbing landslide to overall sediment flux is extremely difficult nonetheless are quantitative estimates of landslide derived sediment production and delivery important data to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the variability in alpine sediment flux such data are essential not only for use in hydraulic engineering or catchment management but also in gauging potential future impacts from rainstorm and earthquake induced landsliding in the southern alps

effects of orographic precipitation variations on the concavity of steady state river profiles the concavity or curvature of river profiles has long been taken to be a fundamental indicator of the underlying processes governing fluvial erosion and thereby of landscape evolution however erosion laws have generally been derived without accounting for the strong orographically driven gradients in precipitation typically found in mountainous regions in addition field measurements have found discrepancies between the form of measured stream profiles and theoretically derived values introducing a simple physically based feedback we find that orographically induced variations in precipitation strongly affect the curvature of steady state river profiles this feedback complicates efforts to infer the form of erosion laws from observed profile concavities but could help explain discrepancies between observations and theory our results demonstrate a strong feedback through which climate influences the form of river profiles and show how such climatic effects act to limit the relief of unglaciated mountain ranges

36cl in chloride rich rainwater israel eleven rainwater samples from israel have been analyzed for their isotopic36cl cl ratios and their soluble salt content the rains display a range of36cl cl ratios between1 8 10 15 and50 10 15 and chloride ion concentrations of between 0 3 and 4 2 meqcl l the ratios between the concentrations of na mg2 and cl in the samples demonstrate a clear marine origin for these ions in the rainwater although the stable35cl isotope in rainwater is marine in origin while the accompanying36cl radioisotope is non marine both are linearly and positively correlated in chloride rich 1meqcl l rains the36clcl seawater solute relationship may be explained as result of a mixing process between two chloride bearing sources a sea spray laden air with a low36cl cl ratio and b a cl rich mineral dust reservoir with a high36cl cl ratio both are introduced and admixed into the atmosphere during storms the possibility of a high36cl cl ratio stratospheric end member is rejected in view of the non marine nature of the chlorine therein

the source and age of groundwater brines in the dead sea area as deduced from 36cl and 14c 36cl and 14c analyses of saline groundwater in the dead sea area were performed in order to study the chloride source of the brines and their age similarity among the 36cl cl ratio in saline groundwater 7 15 10 15 dead sea water 12 8 10 15 and in an halite layer 11 10 15 indicates that they all have a similar chloride source the 36cl cl ratios also suggest a significant contribution of chloride from rain water it is postulated that groundwater brines are the result of direct infiltration of brines from a precursor dead sea lake such as lake lisan which covered the area in the past this lake underwent several evaporation stages precipitating halite and infiltrating brines of varying chemical composition 14c data 3 8 25 8 pmc indicate that the percolation of brines into the sediments took place more than 9 000 years ago

effects of the internal structure of a rock avalanche dam on the drainage mechanism of its impoundment flims sturzstrom and ilanz paleo lake swiss alps abstract the holocene sturzstrom of flims grisons switzerland mobilized 12 km3 of jurassic limestone making it one of the largest events of this kind on the earth the material dammed a 10 km long reach of the upper rhine river valley with thicknesses up to 400 m a 40 km long natural lake was formed upstream the body of the avalanche deposits displays a well preserved internal fabric five major sedimentary facies were identified related to the confinement of the deposits in a narrow valley that restricts the spreading of transported material in the deepest parts of the avalanche deposit a stratified facies attests that the movement was mainly non turbulent whereas a granular facies appears in the lateral and upper parts the relative position of these facies within the natural dam has played an important role in the way the water flow eroded the dam crest and emptied the lake as suggested by the present valley slope morphology ledges corresponding to the levels of the different facies on north and south slopes of the valley correspond to steps in the narrowing of the incision the outburst of the dam if it occurred only affected the upper part of the deposits that corresponds to the poorly cohesive granular facies one hundred kilometres downstream in lake konstanz bodensee lacustrine sediments the presence of two layers contrasting with the normal grey varved deposits and separated by six laminites are contemporaneous with the mass movement these layers which could correspond to the outburst of the dam point to not one but two major overflooding events

the distribution of meteoric cl 36 in precipitation across europe in spring 2007 abstract the cosmogenic isotope 36 cl is a valuable tool for understanding many earth system processes but an improved knowledge of its spatial distribution at the earth s surface is critical for several applications meteoric 36 cl fallout reflects complex interactions between atmospheric production transport and deposition processes and predictive models require experimental validation this study investigates for the first time in a systematic way the spatial distribution of meteoric 36 cl on a continental scale within the european landmass using precipitation samples collected during spring 2007 36 cl cl ratios increase with distance inland and the new data exhibit a strong exponential relationship with 18 o values of precipitation r s 0 75 yielding a useful predictive framework for future studies precipitation events in central european regions are characterised by high 36 cl cl ratios with a maximum measured in lyon france of 746 134 10 15 the new data confirm models for the dependence of 36 cl fallout on latitude with the highest mean springtime fallout 53 6 atoms m 2 s 1 occurring in the 40 50 n latitudinal band with sharp decreases in fallout in high latitude regions and more gradual decreases towards the lower latitudes the 36 cl bomb pulse introduced by thermonuclear weapon testing predominantly in the 1950 s has persisted in the environment for c 50 years but the new data indicate that 36 cl fallout has now essentially returned to natural pre bomb values

bedrock incision rock uplift and threshold hillslopes in the northwestern himalayas the topography of tectonically active mountain ranges reflects a poorly understood competition between bedrock uplift and erosion dating of abandoned river cut surfaces in the northwestern himalayas reveals that the indus river incises through the bedrock at extremely high rates 2 12 mm yr 1 in the surrounding mountains the average angles of hillslopes are steep and essentially independent of erosion rate suggesting control by a common threshold process in this rapidly deforming region an equilibrium is maintained between bedrock uplift and river incision with landsliding allowing hillslopes to adjust efficiently to rapid river down cutting

rock slope failure and the river long profile this study examines the geomorphic effects of large 10 6 m 3 rock slope failures on long profiles of rivers in the swiss alps and the new zealand southern alps regression of channel slope versus drainage basin area objectively highlights knickpoints separating incised from aggraded reaches that often correspond to locations of large rock slope failures for a fixed concavity index the highest values of the steepness index and erosion index along a given profile spatially coincide with breach channels cut into formerly river damming rockslide debris as old as 10 k y assuming that the knickpoints do not predate slope failure data show that high profile steepness and inferred specific stream power are not always the cause but often a result of large river blocking rock slope failure in mountain basins omission of rockslide data from slope area plots lowers the steepness index and increases the concavity index on average yet only in few cases more than one standard deviation

active deformation in the eastern swiss alps post glacial faults seismicity and surface uplift abstract post glacial tectonic faults in the eastern swiss alps occur as single lineaments clusters of faults or extensive fault zones consisting of several individual faults aligned along the same trend the orientation of the faults reflects the underlying lithology and the pre existing structures joints pervasive foliations within these lithologies most post glacially formed faults in the area around chur which undergoes active surface uplift of 1 6 mm year trend e w and cut across alpine and glacial features such as active screes and moraines additionally there are nnw and ene striking faults reactivating pervasive alpine foliations and shear zones based on a comparison with the nodal planes of recent earthquakes e w striking faults are interpreted as active faults because of very short rupture lengths and mismatches of fault location with earthquake distribution magnitude and abundance the faults are considered to be secondary faults due to earthquake shaking cumulative deformation in post or interseismic periods or creep and not primary earthquake related faults the maximum of recent surface uplift rates coincides with the youngest cooling of the rocks according to apatite fission track data and is therefore a long lived feature that extends well into pre glacial times isostatic rebound owing to overthickened crust or to melting of glacial overburden cannot explain the observed surface uplift pattern rather the faults earthquakes and surface uplift patterns suggest that the alps are deforming under active compression and that the aar massif basement uplift is still active in response to ongoing collision

impact of hillslope derived sediment supply on drainage basin development in small watersheds at the northern border of the central alps of switzerland abstract this paper explores the effects of hillslope mobility on the evolution of a 10 km 2 drainage basin located at the northern border of the swiss alps it uses geomorphologic maps and the results of numerical models that are based on the shear stress formulation for fluvial erosion and linear diffusion for hillslope processes the geomorphic data suggest the presence of landscapes with specific cross sectional geometries reflecting variations in the relationships between processes in channels and on hillslopes in the headwaters the landscape displays parabolic cross sectional geometries indicating that mass delivered to channels by hillslope processes is efficiently removed in the trunk stream portion the landscape is i v shaped if the downslope flux of mass is balanced by erosion in channels i e if mass delivered to channels by hillslope processes is efficiently removed and ii u shaped if in channel accumulation of hillslope derived material occurs this latter situation indicates a non balanced mass flux between processes in channels and on hillslopes information about the spatial pattern of the postglacial depth of erosion allows comparative estimates to be made about the erosional efficiency for the various landscapes that were mapped in the study area the data suggest that the erosional potential and sediment discharge are reduced for the situation of a non balanced mass flux between processes in channels and on hillslopes these findings are also supported by the numerical model indeed the model results show that high hillslope mobility tends to reduce the hillslope relief and to inhibit dissection and formation of channels in contrast stable hillslopes tend to promote fluvial incision and the hillslope relief increases the model results also show that very low erosional resistance of bedrock promotes backward erosion and steepening of channel profiles in headwaters beyond that the model reveals that sediment discharge generally increases with decreasing erosional resistance of bedrock but that this increase decays exponentially with increasing magnitudes of fluvial and hillslope mobilities very high hillslope diffusivities even tend to reduce the erosional potential of the whole watershed it appears that besides rates of base level lowering factors limiting sediment discharge might be the nonlinear relationships between processes in channels and on hillslopes

spatial coincidence of rapid inferred erosion with young metamorphic massifs in the himalayas a spatially distributed rate of erosion index ei based on models of bedrock river incision documents a strong spatial correspondence between areas of high erosion potential and young metamorphic massifs as well as structural highs throughout the himalayas the ei is derived from slopes and drainage areas calculated from a hydrologically cor rected digital elevation model gtopo30 combined with precipitation data iiasa to generate synthetic annual stream discharges these variables drive three generalized pro cess models to produce ei maps that while differing in detail provide an internally con sistent spatially continuous index of large scale erosion rates the large spatial variation in potential erosion rates in the himalayas suggested by the ei patterns contrasts with the uniform convergence of the indian subcontinent if these ei gradients persist through time they support the emerging view of a positive feedback between localized rapid ero sion and upward advection of lower crust

merapi central java indonesia an outline of the structural and magmatological evolution with a special emphasis to the major pyroclastic events abstract merapi volcano in the central part of java is regarded as the most active and most dangerous volcano in indonesia on the basis of field studies and geochronological data its history is divided into four periods ancient middle recent and modern merapi according to our preliminary age data the ancient period may have begun around 40 000 y bp and lasted until 14 000 y bp when the middle period begun the recent period begun around 2200 y bp and was replaced by the modern period after the eruption of 1786 during the middle merapi stage a mount st helens type edifice collapse occurred our data suggest that his event is younger than 6700 y bp and older than 2200 y bp during the recent merapi stage violent magmatic to phreatomagmatic eruptions twice interrupted the growth of the volcano the older gumuk phreatoplinian deposits cover the entire cone charcoal found within these deposits gave 14c ages of 2200 and 1470 y bp the overlying sambisari ash deposits were emplaced by violent pyroclastic surges directed towards the south i e to the present location of the town of yogyakarta they buried the shivaitic temple of sambisari at the start of the 15th century modern merapi is characterised by the persistent growth of a summit dome periodically interrupted by partial or total collapse of the dome to generate frequent merapi type nuees ardentes blocks and ash flows and associated surges or more exceptionally fall back st vincent type nuees ardentes scoria flows in contrast previous stages were characterised by effusion of long lava flows alternating with violent explosive phases generating essentially st vincent type nuees ardentes merapi lavas are calc alkaline with a compositional range between 49 5 and 60 5 wt sio2 moreover high k basaltic andesites represent about 90 of merapi lavas disequilibrium features are common in the mineralogical assemblage plagioclase orthopyroxene clinopyroxene olivine amphibole titanomagnetite scarce alkali feldspar macroscopic and microscopic textural heterogeneities are related to magma mixing that may have buffered the compositions of lavas and caused the restricted range of compositions our studies of past activity at merapi provide some insights into future activity and to related volcanic hazards it is clear that merapi has the potential of eruptions much more powerful than observed during the historic period

geologic constraints on bedrock river incision using the stream power law denudation rate in unextended terranes is limited by the rate of bedrock channel incision often modeled as work rate on the channel bed by water and sediment or stream power the latter can be generalized as ka m s n where k represents the channel bed s resistance to lowenng whose variation with lithology is unknown a is drainage area a surrogate for discharge s is local slope and m and n are exponents whose values are debated we address these uncertainties by simulating the lowering of ancient river profiles using the finite difference method we vary m n and k to match the evolved profile as closely as possible to the corresponding modern river profile over a time period constrained by the age of the mapped paleoprofiles we find at least two end member incision laws ka 0 3 0 5 s for australian rivers with stable base levels and k f a 0 1 0 2 s n for rivers in kauai subject to abrupt base level change the long term lowering rate on the latter expression is a function of the frequency and magnitude of knickpoint erosion characterized by k f incision patterns from japan and california could follow either expression if they follow the first expression with m 0 4 k varies from 10 7 10 6 m 0 2 yr for granite and metamorphic rocks to 10 5 10 4 m 0 2 yr for volcaniclastic rocks and 10 4 10 2 m 0 2 yr for mudstones this potentially large variation in k with lithology could drive strong variability in the rate of long term landscape change including denudation rate and sediment yield

catastrophic landslides and their effects on the upper indus streams karakoram himalaya northern pakistan abstract the paper examines the nature and geomorphic influences of deposits from rock avalanches that obstruct rivers most of the 115 rockslide rock avalanche events identified in the karakoram himalaya straddled one or more stream valleys at least 73 of these landslides formerly dammed the indus or its tributaries upstream of the barriers remnants exist of once very extensive lacustrine deposits the stability and long term survival of dams from large rock avalanches is addressed and the reasons for the gradual or phased rather than catastrophic and sudden breaching case histories emphasise the erosional and depositional forms associated with the barriers they are reconstructed in terms of the emplacement and properties of the deposits from rock avalanches and the response of the river to interruption by them these barriers have exerted a substantial control over stream response and development for most of the holocene at least today they are associated with distinctive features of channel form and thalweg river terrace systems intermontane sediment sinks and sources and local erosional forms in bedrock more broadly the landslide barriers have created a naturally fragmented river system deposition and erosion in the lower few tens or hundreds of meters of the upper indus stream valleys have been dominated by epicycles of aggradation trenching and downcutting that mainly reflect the scale timing and history of each barrier the landforms involved are only indirectly related to the late glacial and paraglacial conditions that have hitherto been regarded as the main explanation

landslide induced river channel avulsions in mountain catchments of southwest new zealand pulsed or chronic supply of landslide debris to valley floors has historically caused substantial aggradation and channel instability in several alpine catchments of sw new zealand in this regional investigation of landslide impacts on river morphology three types of landslide induced channel avulsion are discerned i upstream backwater avulsions ii contact avulsions and iii downstream loading avulsions the basis for this qualitative geomorphic process response framework is the principal direction of fluvial response with respect to its position relative to the causative landslide emplacement site downstream avulsions have the highest damage potential to land use and infrastructure on unconfined mountain fringe alluvial fans in the wake of such events catastrophic aggradation may obliterate up to several km2 of mature floodplain forests by burial under several metres within a few decades estimates of mean aggradation rates are high 220 mm year 1 and exceed long term 103 year trends of fluvial degradation by an order of magnitude future potential avulsion routeways may be detected by geomorphic mapping of abandoned channels which are preferentially reactivated in the wake of landslide induced sediment waves

distribution of active rock uplift along the eastern margin of the tibetan plateau inferences from bedrock channel longitudinal profiles 1 current models of long term river incision into bedrock suggest that the local rate of differential rock uplift should exert a primary control on the gradient of channel longitudinal profiles however discrimination of this effect from the influence of variations in substrate erodibility sediment flux precipitation and transient changes in profile shape has proved difficult in practice here we investigate the controls on the spatial distribution of bedrock channel gradients adjacent to the sichuan basin in an effort to assess the degree and nature of active deformation along this margin of the tibetan plateau analysis of river longitudinal profiles utilizing a channel steepness index a measure of profile gradient normalized for drainage area reveals a zone of anomalously steep channels adjacent to the topographic front of the plateau margin channel profiles are systematically less steep in their headwater reaches on the plateau and in their lower reaches east of the plateau margin comparison of steepness indices to mapped lithologic variations reveals that lithology has only a limited influence on channel gradient in this field area we observe no systematic relationship between steepness indices and upstream drainage area channels of all size are steeper near the plateau margin we argue that these systematic changes are not readily explained as a consequence of increased sediment flux or of orographic precipitation we are led to conclude that steep channel profiles along the topographic front of the plateau reflect active differential rock uplift between this region and the foreland

landslide induced river bed uplift in the tal valley of garhwal himalaya india a large scale landslide occurred in the tal valley of garhwal himalaya in late january 1990 the most interesting feature associated with this slide was the 4 m uplift of a 200 m long and 25 m wide part of the river bed at an average rate of 13 8 cm day between 28 january and 25 february 1990 studies revealed that the slide occurred because of complex slope processes consisting of rotation and slump movement attributable to the accumulation of pore water pressure in extremely shattered and pulverized rocks during prolonged surface moistening the process of movement was triggered by the gravitational force exerted upon the sheared material which dislocated a block at the upper part of the slide along a slip plane which terminated below the river bed counter resistance was provided by the rocks below the river bed to subdue the further movement of the slide this indicates that uplift of the river bed and formation of terraces is also related to the nature of the slide and the volume of slumped material