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- Title
Local relief and the height of Mount Olympus
- Authors
Montgomery, David R.; Greenberg, Harvey M.
- Abstract
A three-dimensional assessment of the net volume of rock differentially eroded from below mountain tops to form valleys yields a range-wide constraint on feedback between valley development and the height of mountain peaks. The 'superelevation' of mountain peaks potentially attributable to differential removal of material from below peaks in the Olympic Mountains, Washington, was constrained by fitting a smoothed surface to the highest elevation points on a 30m grid digital elevation model of the range. High elevation areas separate into two primary areas: one centered on Mount Olympus in the core of the range and the other at the eastern end of the range. The largest valleys, andhence areas with the greatest volume of differentially eroded material, surround Mount Olympus. In contrast, the highest mean elevations concentrate in the eastern end of the range. Calculation of the isostatic rebound at Mount Olympus attributable to valley development ranges from 500 to 750m (21 to 32 per cent of its height) for a 5 to 10 km effective elastic thickness of the crust. Comparison of cross-rangetrends in mean and maximum elevation reveals that this calculated rebound for Mount Olympus corresponds well with its 'superelevation' above the general cross-range trend in mean elevation. It therefore appears that the location of the highest peak in the Olympics is controlled by the deep valleys excavated in the center of the range.
- Subjects
EROSION; MATHEMATICAL analysis; ISOSTASY; GEOMORPHOLOGY; GEOLOGY
- Publication
Earth Surface Processes & Landforms, 2000, Vol 25, Issue 4, p385
- ISSN
0197-9337
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(200004)25:4<385::AID-ESP61>3.0.CO;2-H