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- Title
The Significance of Ancient Buried Landscapes as Natural Geomorphic Experiments.
- Authors
Conway‐Jones, B. W.; White, N. J.
- Abstract
There is considerable interest in developing quantitative methods for analyzing present‐day fluvial landscapes with a view to extracting information about tectonic forcing and drainage evolution, together with the influence of lithologic substrates and of paleoclimatic variations. In view of the multifactorial nature of this complex problem, it has previously been proposed that natural geomorphic experiments could play a significant role in developing a quantitative understanding of landscape growth and decay. Here, we describe and analyze a stacked sequence of five buried transient landscapes that punctuate marine strata along the fringes of the North Atlantic Ocean. We propose that these landscapes constitute a suite of natural experiments, which illuminate significant aspects of quantitative fluvial geomorphology. Our preliminary analysis of four of these buried landscapes suggests that the amplitude of external tectonic forcing plays a significant role in fluvial landscape evolution. In future, we hope that this suite of natural experiments will be further exploited by the fluvial community with a view to identifying the most appropriate analytical techniques. Plain Language Summary: Uplifting surfaces of the Earth are sculpted by erosion which is controlled by river drainage processes. Understanding exactly how these processes operate is difficult because so many different factors can vary. For example, the rock surface can be hard or soft, the rate at which water flows along river channels depends upon changing climate, and landscapes are strongly affected by up‐and‐down movements caused by hot and cold currents within the Earth's interior. Recently, we have discovered spectacular ancient landscapes that lie buried deep beneath the Earth's surface. These hidden landscapes were spotted using a sophisticated form of echo sounding and they show that ancient drainage patterns are strikingly similar to present‐day patterns. These uniquely preserved landscapes are large‐scale natural experiments, which can help us to understand how modern landscapes evolve. Key Points: Stacked sequence of five buried landscapes is described and analyzedLongitudinal river profiles are extracted and successfully matched by inverse modeling based upon generalized version of stream power lawThese natural geomorphic experiments will aid studies of fluvial processes
- Subjects
GEOMORPHOLOGY; RIVER channels; INTERNAL structure of the Earth; FLUVIAL geomorphology; ECHO sounding; SURFACE of the earth; EARTH currents
- Publication
Journal of Geophysical Research. Earth Surface, 2024, Vol 129, Issue 5, p1
- ISSN
2169-9003
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2023JF007519