Earth Surface Processes and Landforms最新文献

{"title":"Rheology of debris flows: Insights from experiments with coarse-grained matrix","authors":"Taiqiang Yang,&nbsp;Yong Li,&nbsp;Xiaojun Guo,&nbsp;Kun Wang,&nbsp;Jun Zhang,&nbsp;Junyao Luo,&nbsp;Jingjing Liu","doi":"10.1002/esp.6069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.6069","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Debris flow is characterized by a heterogeneous mixture of water and sediment with varying rheology. The granular effects on rheology are usually attributed to the bulk concentration of solids without considering the variability of granular configuration, as signified in the grain size distribution (GSD). In this work, the GSD effects on debris flow rheological properties were explored using the parameters <i>μ</i> and <i>D</i>_c derived from a unified GSD function, <i>P</i>(<i>D</i>) ~ <i>D</i>^<i>-μ</i> exp(-<i>D</i>/<i>D</i>_c), that are widely applicable for debris flow materials. Compared with other experiments using artificial fine-grained slurry (with grain size &lt;2 mm) at a given solid volume concentration (<i>C</i>_v), the realistic coarse-grained matrix (up to 10 mm) of fresh debris flows was used for the experimentation, under shear rate up to 40 (s⁻¹) as in natural conditions. The results show that the flow can be categorized as Herschel-Bulkley (HB) fluid, with an average consistency index of 0.45, signifying the shear thinning effect. The yield stress and effective viscosity exhibit a power-law with <i>μ</i> and an exponential relationship with <i>D</i>_c, revealing the interlock between fine and coarse grains. Then, a modified HB model was proposed using the GSD parameters to specify the granular effects and explain the velocity fluctuation of debris flow surges. This work represents the first attempt to express rheological properties as a function of the unified GSD parameters and is potentially instrumental in formulating debris flow dynamics incorporating granular effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143581777","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Grid independence studies applied to a field-scale computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model using the detached eddy simulation (DES) technique along a reach of the Colorado River in Marble Canyon","authors":"Rosa E. España,&nbsp;Laura V. Alvarez,&nbsp;Jayanga T. Samarasinghe","doi":"10.1002/esp.70030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70030","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Grid independence studies have emerged as essential methodological frameworks for comprehending the impact of domain resolution on simulating anisotropic turbulence at the river-reach scale using large eddy simulation models. This study proposes a methodology to assess the loss of information in turbulent flow patterns when coarsening the computational domain, examined in a 1-km transect of the Colorado River along Marble Canyon. Seven computational domain resolutions are explored to analyse the sensitivity of turbulent flow to spatial resolution changes, utilizing the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) spectrum technique and spatiotemporal analysis of eddy structures via statistical metrics such as root mean square error (RMSE), Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence, Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE), wavelet power spectrum and grid convergence index (GCI). Based on physical principles and statistics, these metrics quantify information loss and assess domain resolutions. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model is developed by employing the detached eddy simulation (DES) technique, with boundary condition (BC) integrating the rough wall extension of the Spallart-Allmaras model in cells near the bed. Evaluation of domain resolutions aims to identify grid cell sizes capturing flow behaviour and hydraulic characteristics, including primary and secondary flows, return currents, shear layers and primary and secondary eddies. The study observes an increase in data representation of the TKE spectrum with finer spatial domain resolution. Additionally, surface analysis, conducted via RMSE, KL and NSE metrics, identifies specific areas within the flow field showing high sensitivity to refining the grid cell sizes.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143581444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integration of RUSLE model with remotely sensed data over Google Earth Engine to evaluate soil erosion in Central Indus Basin","authors":"Shah Fahd,&nbsp;Muhammad Waqas,&nbsp;Zeeshan Zafar,&nbsp;Walid Soufan,&nbsp;Khalid F. Almutairi,&nbsp;Aqil Tariq","doi":"10.1002/esp.70019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Soil erosion presents a substantial environmental obstacle for farmers, especially in the plains of the Indus Basin, which are characterised by rainfall scarcity. This study utilised remotely sensed data on Google Earth Engine (GEE) to estimate the yearly soil erosion by implementing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model in the Central Indus Basin. The study's primary objective was to determine the order of importance and execute conservation strategies. The input datasets were processed on GEE to produce essential factors, including soil erosivity (<i>R</i>), soil erodibility (<i>K</i>), slope length and steepness (<i>LS</i>), land cover (<i>C</i>) and land management techniques (<i>P</i>), which are required for the model. The yearly soil erosion in the study area varied from 1 to 26.2 t ha ⁻¹year⁻¹. The combined area of regions with low, moderate, high, and extremely high rates amounted to 1 445 397 ha. More precisely, 8670 (0.6%), 263 062 (18.2%) and 468 310 ha (32.4%) were allocated as first, second and third-class priority areas, respectively. These areas were geographically dispersed across the northwest and eastern regions of the basin, including sandy dunes and infrequent agricultural cultivation. This study highlighted the usability of remotely sensed data on GEE for reliable soil erosion estimation on a large scale. This methodology amplifies the effectiveness of planning and conservation endeavours.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143565198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Empirical modeling of streambed hydraulic conductivity in ephemeral rivers: Insights from sediment characteristics in arid environments","authors":"Ehsan Karrabi,&nbsp;Mohammad Reza Majdzadeh Tabatabai","doi":"10.1002/esp.70005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70005","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study presents a pioneering investigation into the relationships between vertical hydraulic conductivity (<i>K</i>_<i>v</i>) and sediment properties through an extensive field measurement of 15 ephemeral sandy-bed rivers in Razavi Khorasan province, Iran. A robust dataset comprising 300 <i>in situ K</i>_<i>v</i> measurements and grain size analyses was collected from 2019 to 2022, including both main channel and bar morphological units. Statistical analyses, such as coefficient of variation and skewness, revealed significant deviations from normality in the data distributions, particularly pronounced for bar samples, emphasizing the limitations of conventional statistical frameworks based on normality assumptions. Applying nonparametric techniques of Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney, the study uncovered strong interdependencies between <i>K</i>_<i>v</i> and key sediment descriptors, including armor ratio, mud percentage, and grain size (<i>d</i>₁₀). Notably, main channel data indicated a stronger tendency towards normality relative to the bar data, reflecting the inherent disparities in sediment dynamics and hydrologic regimes across these various morphological units. The data samples were randomly split into two groups: 70% for calibration and 30% for validation to develop a novel empirical model, explicitly incorporating the interdependent effects of armor ratio, mud percentage, and <i>d</i>₁₀ on <i>K</i>_<i>v</i>. On the 70% calibration set, <i>R</i>² and RMSE were calculated to evaluate model fit. On the 30% validation set, RMSE was calculated to evaluate predictive accuracy. Thereafter, the validated data were used to assess performance of the adopted model. The model is meant for a specific range of sediment characteristics, including uniformity coefficients (5.2 &lt; <i>U</i>_<i>c</i> &lt; 141), characteristic grain sizes (0.05 mm &lt; <i>d</i>₁₀ &lt; 0.62 mm), mud percentages (0.01 &lt; <i>m</i>_<i>p</i> &lt; 7.2), and armor ratios (0.9 &lt; <i>A</i>_<i>r</i> &lt; 6.2), which are particularly relevant in ephemeral rivers. Finally, the proposed model yielded results outperform those of several widely adopted empirical models, reflecting the effect of mud percentage and armor ratio to provide accurate prediction of the <i>K</i>_<i>v</i> within the scope of this study.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143565142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Integrating sediment connectivity and stream power index with RUSLE for modelling soil erosion dynamics in a large Himalayan basin under modern and future climate scenarios","authors":"Shobhit Singh,&nbsp;Somil Swarnkar,&nbsp;Rajiv Sinha","doi":"10.1002/esp.70032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70032","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Soil erosion in mountainous catchments is one of the most serious problems and, combined with monsoonal rainfall, triggers several disasters such as landslides, flash floods, debris flows and siltation in river channels. The Himalayan basins are particularly susceptible to erosion because of their unique geological, topographic and geomorphological settings. Human-induced perturbances such as road construction, tunnelling, dams, reservoirs and other infrastructure projects have further increased soil erosion, impacting millions of people in these regions. The Tawi River in the western Himalayas is an important tributary of the Indus River system. It is characterized by a large mountainous catchment prone to severe erosion and a relatively smaller alluvial part that is prone to flooding. We have used an integrated approach of soil erosion modelling (RUSLE) and geomorphic analysis, including sediment connectivity and stream power distribution to compute sediment transport potential (STP). We then combine soil erosion modelling and STP results to compute the Soil Erosion and Transport Index (SETI) for assessing soil erosion dynamics in the Tawi basin. The SETI shows a strong correlation with sediment yield estimates, confirming its reliability in assessing sediment transport dynamics in the study area. In this novel approach implemented in a GIS framework, we have further investigated the impact of climate change on soil erosion and its dynamics. Our results show that the Tawi basin is extremely diverse in terms of erosion and sediment yield owing to variable topographic, geomorphic and landcover characteristics of the subbasins. Topographic steepness (LS factor) has the highest contribution towards soil erosion followed by crop and management (CP) factor in most subbasins. Further, we show that soil erosion rates will be accelerated under future warming climates by 6–67% compared to modern rates for the mountainous and transitional subbasins, whereas the alluvial subbasins will not be impacted much. Accordingly, soil erosion dynamics and associated hazards are likely to be intensified in the mountainous and transitional basins. The alluvial basins will remain unaffected in terms of soil erosion dynamics, but the flood risk is likely to be increased manifold because of accelerated sediment flux and channel aggradation.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143565141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of anthropogenic topographic changes on geomorphological processes in the city of Rome (Italy): A case study of the Malagrotta area","authors":"Michele Delchiaro,&nbsp;Francesca Vergari,&nbsp;Carlo Esposito,&nbsp;Maurizio Del Monte","doi":"10.1002/esp.70033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70033","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Rome's urban landscape presents a clear urban–rural gradient, with diminishing human influence from the historic city center to the surrounding outskirts and peri-urban areas. Millennial urban growth resulted in drastic changes of natural landscapes, making it an invaluable case study for examining human impact on natural geomorphological processes. Despite the importance of understanding these interactions for managing geomorphological risks, the role of human activity along the urban–rural gradient remains poorly understood. This study explores human-induced geomorphic changes in Rome's Malagrotta quarrying and dumping area established in the 1980s, focusing on erosion, transport and sedimentation processes that challenge sustainable land use. Using the slope–area relationship, applied on digital elevation models across different time periods (1894, 2002 and 2023), we identify local process domains to better understand how human activity influenced landscape dynamics over time. Results reveal that extensive quarrying and excavation activities between 1894 and 2002 removed nearly 3 × 10⁷ m³ of material, while the period from 2002 to 2023 saw the removal of 7 × 10⁶ m³. Dumping and ancient quarry and valley filling added approximately 2.6 × 10⁷ m³ of material, compared with 1.4 × 10⁷ m³ in the later period. Regions with convergent morphological deviations are generally linked to excavation and quarrying activities while divergent patterns align with filled depressions. High slopes from quarry escarpments are prone to erosion and landslides. While stream power and topographic wetness index shifts suggested increased flood risks and altered hydrological patterns. These findings underscore the need for geomorphologically informed urban planning to mitigate erosion, landslides and flood hazards in urbanizing landscapes globally.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/esp.70033","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143554754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of multiple time scale rainfall erosivity models: A case study of subtropical regions in Central China","authors":"Yaodong Ping,&nbsp;Pei Tian,&nbsp;Haijun Wang,&nbsp;Tinghui Jia,&nbsp;Yang Yang,&nbsp;Yuyan Fan","doi":"10.1002/esp.70029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Rainfall erosivity is an essential factor affecting soil erosion, which is expected to change under global climate change. Despite the existence of numerous rainfall erosivity models, there remains a scarcity of research focusing on the accuracy of multi-time scale models. In this study, the subtropical regions of central China (Hubei Province) were selected, where the simulation performance of six widely employed rainfall erosivity models was investigated using daily precipitation data from 70 meteorological stations spanning from 2000 to 2020. Using the optimal model, Kriging interpolation and the Mann–Kendall test revealed significant temporal and spatial variations in rainfall erosivity and density. The results show that: (1) the daily rainfall erosivity model was more suitable for simulating rainfall erosivity in Hubei Province. (2) The mean annual rainfall erosivity in Hubei Province was 5894.25 MJ·mm·ha⁻¹·h⁻¹·a⁻¹, with large variations across regions. (3) Rainfall erosivity and erosivity density showed significant differences between different seasons, and soil erosion was most likely to occur in summer (June, July and August). (4) The spatial distribution pattern of rainfall erosivity and erosivity density was highly consistent: the long-term high levels of rainfall erosivity and erosivity density were in Xianning City, southeastern Hubei Province, and the soil erosion risk was high. The findings of this study offer valuable insights into the selection of rainfall erosivity models in subtropical mountainous and hilly areas and provide a reference for assessing soil erosion risk and formulating control measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143535807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Rare earth element characteristics of Holocene sediments at the southern margin of the Gurbantunggut Desert and their implications for provenance","authors":"Yunqiang Ma,&nbsp;Zhizhong Li,&nbsp;Dianjia Tan,&nbsp;Xiaojun Zou,&nbsp;Tonglian Tao","doi":"10.1002/esp.70022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70022","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The identification of Holocene sediment provenance at the southern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert is of great significance for understanding the interaction processes of regional wind and water forces, the evolution of river-dune landform patterns and the atmospheric circulation change in the Junggar Basin. In this study, three aeolian-alluvial stratigraphic profiles in the desert-oasis transition zone at the southern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert and different types of surface sediments in surrounding areas were taken as the research objects. Based on the chronological framework established by OSL dating, we analysed the REE characteristics, combined with grain size, quartz sand morphology and surface micro-texture features to explore the provenance change of Holocene sediments in the study area. The results indicated that there was no significant provenance change during the Holocene for alluvial deposits at the southern edge of the desert, which were mainly composed of detritus eroded and weathered by glaciers in the Tianshan Mountains. However, the aeolian sand may have undergone provenance change. From early to middle Holocene, detritus from the Western Junggar Mountains served as the sand provenance for dune development in the southwestern desert, with fine-grained components potentially being transported by westerlies, contributing to aeolian sand in the southeastern desert. During the middle to late Holocene, lacustrine sediments in the desert-oasis transition zone at the southern edge of the desert may have become an important source of aeolian sand. In the modern era, the Western Junggar Mountains continue to supply sand for dune development in the southwestern desert, while fine-grained components in the northern desert sand, transported southward by northwest wind, have, to some extent, influenced dune formation in the southeastern desert. However, Due to the limited transport capacity of the wind, we believed that only silt and finer components participated in and influenced the provenance change of the Holocene aeolian deposits at the southern edge of the desert. The results can provide a reference for studying the formation and evolution of the Gurbantunggut desert and preventing desertification in the future.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143489702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relative role of rock erodibility and sediment load in setting channel slope of mountain rivers","authors":"Naoya O. Takahashi","doi":"10.1002/esp.70017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70017","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Rock strength influences channel slope by altering substrate erodibility and the size of sediments supplied to the channels. Although the frequent presence of knickpoints at lithological boundaries indicates that rock erodibility significantly determines channel morphology, a growing body of field evidence suggests that the coarse sediment supply from less erodible rock units is a primary factor in channel steepening. To assess the relative effects of rock erodibility and imposed sediment load on channel slope, I studied five rivers in Tsugaru, northern Japan. These rivers flow through alternating volcanic rock and sedimentary rock. The minimum channel slope required to transport both in situ sediments and those supplied from upstream was calculated using slope component analysis. The findings suggest that sediment effects largely account for the observed variations in channel slope across both volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The proportion of channel slope not explained by the imposed sediment load was slightly higher in volcanic rock reaches than in sedimentary rock reaches, which can be attributed to the lower erodibility of volcanic rock. Based on the grain size distributions of volcanic and sedimentary rock particles and the calculated impacts of sediment load, I conclude that the coarse sediment supply from volcanic rock is the primary cause of the difference in channel steepness between the rock types in Tsugaru. Although this conclusion holds generally true across Tsugaru, certain reaches with locally high channel steepness exhibit more extensive bedrock exposure than adjacent gentler reaches, suggesting that contrasts in erodibility also play a significant role in determining the channel slope. Therefore, examining what factors alter the relative significance of rock erodibility and sediment load can enhance our understanding of how rock properties influence longitudinal stream profiles.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/esp.70017","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143446806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comprehensive temporal and spatial analysis of Early Pleistocene drainage patterns on the Swiss Alpine foreland","authors":"Ewelina Broś,&nbsp;Susan Ivy-Ochs,&nbsp;Thomas Pollhammer,&nbsp;Florian Kober,&nbsp;Reto Grischott,&nbsp;Bernhard Salcher,&nbsp;Jesper Nørgaard,&nbsp;Mads F. Knudsen,&nbsp;Christof Vockenhuber,&nbsp;Marcus Christl,&nbsp;Philip Gautschi,&nbsp;Colin Maden,&nbsp;Lotta Ylä-Mella,&nbsp;John D. Jansen,&nbsp;Angela Landgraf,&nbsp;Hans-Arno Synal","doi":"10.1002/esp.70000","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.70000","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Deckenschotter are glaciofluvial gravels that cap isolated bedrock plateaus and are largely disconnected from today's local drainage. They were deposited when glaciers from the Alps were first extensive enough to reach the northern Swiss foreland, thus providing a unique record of the foreland landscape and its evolution during the earliest Quaternary glaciations. To decipher this record, we employ two robust methodologies: cosmogenic ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be burial dating and GIS-based topographic analysis. ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be burial ages from both new and published sites are calculated using a consistent procedure with the P-PINI code. Detailed swath projected and local 360° profiles were generated with GIS data in an R-toolset developed specifically for this study. Integrating results from both methodologies with outcrop sedimentological data, we interpret three main periods of Deckenschotter deposition: 1.3–1.2, 1.1–1.0 and ~0.8 Ma. The interpreted age ranges indicate glaciers must have reached the forelands in response to intensifying climatic cooling across the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (1.25–0.75 Ma). Deckenschotter outcrops provide a disjointed image of past topography from which we piece together glacial meltwater pathways in each time interval. Between the glacial phases, stepwise incision of 50–100 m occurred as depicted in the projection profiles, with some spatial variability in magnitude of incision. Incision was driven by decreasing sediment supply during glacial terminations, set against a backdrop of minor foreland uplift. While the path of the Aare River has changed little since the Early Pleistocene, the Rhine River has radically altered its path. Initially a tributary of the Danube River with northward flow, glacial modification to topography led to its re-routing to the west into the lower base-level Aare River-Upper Rhine Graben system. Based on our analysis, we estimate this event occurred after ~0.8 Ma.</p>","PeriodicalId":11408,"journal":{"name":"Earth Surface Processes and Landforms","volume":"50 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143438776","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}