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- Title
Plan‐Form Evolution of Drainage Basins in Response to Tectonic Changes: Insights From Experimental and Numerical Landscapes.
- Authors
Habousha, K.; Goren, L.; Nativ, R.; Gruber, C.
- Abstract
Spatial gradients in rock uplift control the relief and slope distribution in uplifted terrains. Relief and slopes, in turn, promote channelization and fluvial incision. Consequently, the geometry of drainage basins is linked to the spatial pattern of uplift. When the uplift pattern changes, basin geometry is expected to change by migrating water divides. However, the relations between drainage pattern and changing uplift patterns remain elusive. The current study investigates the plan‐view evolution of drainage basins and the reorganization of drainage networks in response to changes in the spatial pattern of uplift, focusing on basin interactions that produce globally observed geometrical scaling relations. We combine landscape evolution experiments and simulations to explore a double‐stage scenario: the emergence of a fluvial network under block uplift conditions followed by tilting that forces drainage reorganization. We find that the globally observed basin spacing ratio and Hack's parameters emerge early in the basin formation and are maintained by differential basin growth. In response to the tilting, main divide migration induces basin size changes. However, basins' scaling relations are mostly preserved within a narrow range of values, assisted by incorporation and disconnection of basins to and from the migrating main divide. Lastly, owing to similarities in landscape dynamics and response rate to uplift pattern changes between experiments and simulations, we conclude that the stream power incision model can represent fluvial erosion processes operating in experimental settings. Plain Language Summary: Mountainous landscapes develop in response to rock uplift that generates high slopes and promotes erosion in river channels. Channels are organized in drainage basins, whose geometry is defined by surrounding water divides. A surprising feature of drainage basins is that in many cases they show similar geometric properties despite the significant variability in the rock uplift pattern that drives basin evolution. The relationship between this regularity and changing rock uplift settings remains little explored. In the current study, we explore trends and processes of changes in basin geometry in response to changes in uplift patterns. We use a novel approach for landscape evolution experiments capable of inducing spatial gradients in the uplift rate, combined with landscape evolution simulations. We explore a scenario in which basins form under uniform uplift conditions and then respond to a change in the uplift pattern. We find that the globally observed geometric features are fundamental in juvenile basins. Basin geometry is largely preserved during changes in uplift patterns, assisted by incorporation and disconnection of basins to and from the main water divide. Moreover, similarities between basin evolution in physical and numerical models indicate that simple mathematical river erosion models can well represent processes acting on experimental fluvial landscapes. Key Points: A new experimental apparatus is used to study the plan‐form evolution of drainage basins in response to tectonic changesBasin geometrical regularity is a fundamental feature of juvenile basins formed by plateau incision and is preserved during reorganizationTectonic tilting triggers reorganization that changes basin size but maintains geometrical scaling relations within a narrow range
- Subjects
WATERSHEDS; FLUVIAL geomorphology; RIVER channels; LANDSCAPES; WATER-pipes; MORPHOTECTONICS
- Publication
Journal of Geophysical Research. Earth Surface, 2023, Vol 128, Issue 3, p1
- ISSN
2169-9003
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2022JF006876