Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface最新文献

{"title":"Exploring Future Ecogeomorphic State Transitions of an Undeveloped Barrier Island: Multidecadal Model Projections for North Core Banks, NC, USA","authors":"I. R. B. Reeves,&nbsp;E. E. Lentz,&nbsp;C. R. Sherwood,&nbsp;A. D. Ashton,&nbsp;S. L. Zeigler,&nbsp;D. L. Passeri","doi":"10.1029/2025JF009086","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JF009086","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ecogeomorphic state transitions in coastal barrier systems will be impacted and likely amplified by projected accelerated sea-level rise and enhanced storm intensity over the next several decades. When, where, and how these transitions will take place remain uncertain and complex, yet are of primary interest to coastal managers looking to prepare for future changes. Here, we apply the new Mesoscale Explicit Ecogeomorphic Barrier model to generate probabilistic projections of future ecogeomorphic state transitions up to year 2050 for the undeveloped North Core Banks (NCB), North Carolina, United States. In our full probabilistic projection, which accounts for stochasticity from uncertainty in sea-level rise and high-water event (HWE) projections, loss of barrier interior to passive sea-level rise submergence dominates ecogeomorphic state transitions, suggesting that the biggest threat to many undeveloped barriers in the next several decades will come from the back-barrier rather than ocean-side. Additionally, this projection suggests that dune and unvegetated interior states are most volatile, with the intensity of state transitions varying significantly alongshore. In projections simulating a range of deterministic sea-level rise rates, higher rates enhance: overwash frequency; loss of beach and dune states; and interior submergence. We also find that state transitions are less sensitive to HWE intensity than sea-level rise, and that more frequent, moderate HWEs—rather than the largest events—may be the principal drivers of mesoscale ecogeomorphic state change. Our projections highlight important future mesoscale trends of ecogeomorphic state transitions for NCB that are likely relevant to other stable, sediment-rich barrier systems of U.S. coastlines.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025JF009086","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Characterizing Permafrost Distribution Along the Hudson Bay Railway Using Temperature-Calibrated Electrical Resistivity Tomography","authors":"T. Herring,&nbsp;K. Ozeritskiy,&nbsp;E. L’Hérault,&nbsp;J. L. Hayley,&nbsp;P. Roy-Léveillée","doi":"10.1029/2026JF009333","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JF009333","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As the climate warms, understanding permafrost distribution along linear infrastructure is a key aspect of assessing, mitigating, and adapting to the risks associated with permafrost thaw. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) is becoming an increasingly common tool for evaluating permafrost distribution at the infrastructure scale. ERT yields a subsurface resistivity model which is influenced by the phase state of pore water, with frozen soils typically displaying substantially higher resistivity than unfrozen soils. However, the electrical properties of earth materials vary widely. Therefore, many studies use ERT in a mostly qualitative way, where general interpretations are made that do not incorporate additional ground truth or validation data to delineate permafrost boundaries. In order to quantitatively establish thresholds to identify frozen versus unfrozen ground, other data types must be incorporated. Here, we present a series of ERT surveys collected along the Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) where borehole temperatures were used to establish site-specific resistivity-temperature relationships and delineate permafrost bodies. We also examine the influence of the choice of inversion parameters (regularization parameter, error model, and starting model) on the ERT results to assess uncertainty in our interpreted boundaries. In our study region, ERT models reveal the relationships between permafrost extent and surface conditions, including vegetation cover, surface water, and the railway embankment. These efforts to delineate permafrost boundaries, their variability, and their uncertainty are an important step toward monitoring and modeling permafrost, predicting hazards, and maintaining resilient infrastructure along the HBR and in permafrost regions globally.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2026JF009333","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Tracking Slow-Moving Landslide Responses to the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquake With InSAR","authors":"Ashok Dahal,&nbsp;Hakan Tanyaş,&nbsp;Alexander L. Handwerger,&nbsp;Luigi Lombardo,&nbsp;Eric J. Fielding","doi":"10.1029/2026JF009117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JF009117","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Strong earthquakes can have a dual impact on the slow-moving landslide budget of a landscape by either triggering new actively deforming hillslopes or stabilizing existing ones. However, their regional-scale influence on hillslope processes remains poorly understood because of limited observational coverage and the masking effects of long-wavelength post-seismic signals. This knowledge gap constrains post-seismic landslide hazard assessment, particularly since actively deforming hillslopes may evolve into rapid failures, especially under the influence of meteorological factors following a major earthquake. This study addresses this gap by analyzing slope instability across approximately 66,800 km² of southeastern Türkiye following the 6 February 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence using Sentinel-1 InSAR time series. We cross-validated these locations using high-resolution optical imagery, manually delineated and validated the polygons, and assigned confidence levels based on observable surface features indicative of slow-moving landslides. Our results show that the total area affected by slow-moving landslides increased from 12.36 km² before the earthquakes to 159.39 km² afterward, a 12.9-fold increase. We identified that newly activated slopes were primarily associated with steeper terrain across a broad range of ground shaking, whereas stabilized slopes were preferentially linked to very high shaking levels on intermediate slopes. Slopes that were already moving were largely influenced by intermediate shaking intensities and gentler topographic gradients. These results demonstrate that earthquake-induced changes in slow-moving landslides depend on both the pre-event activity state and the combination of seismic, topographic, and geological conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2026JF009117","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205685","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Spatial and Temporal Variations of Suspended Sediment Dynamics on a Lowland Meandering River Floodplain","authors":"Chelsy R. Salas,&nbsp;Bruce L. Rhoads","doi":"10.1029/2026JF009097","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JF009097","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The sediment dynamics of meandering-river floodplains depend on floodplain-channel hydrologic connectivity and on spatial variation in floodplain geomorphic features. Despite recognition of the importance of these factors, few past studies have characterized the sediment content of floodwater on floodplains. This study documents spatial and temporal variations in suspended sediment concentrations (SSCs) on the floodplain of a lowland meandering river and relates floodplain SSCs to patterns of floodplain deposition and to SSCs in the main river channel for three flood events. Results show that, when matched by time, the SSCs of floodplain samples are about 55%–60% of the SSCs of river-channel samples, confirming that the sediment content of floodwater diminishes as it moves onto the floodplain. Within the floodplain, the mean SSC for secondary channels is 30% greater than the mean SSC for the floodplain surface. Although secondary channels exhibit a higher mean SSC than the floodplain surface, local SSCs for secondary channels can be less than those for the floodplain surface, with variability reflecting disparities in the timing of inundation and in ponding of water within these geomorphic environments. Event-integrated floodplain deposition per sampling location has the highest correlation with inundation duration compared to rising-stage SSC and distance from the main channel, but the correlation with inundation is modest (<i>R</i>² = 0.45). Overall, the results suggest that spatial and temporal variability in floodplain sediment dynamics is influenced by hydrologic connectivity with the main channel, local geomorphic setting, and duration of inundation.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2026JF009097","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Evaluating the Effect of Aeolian Saltation on Air Flows Using a Sedimentological Richardson Number","authors":"Lukas F. Meldau,&nbsp;Bailiang Li,&nbsp;Cheryl McKenna Neuman","doi":"10.1029/2026JF009102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JF009102","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Aeolian saltation alters the turbulent airflow that drives it, a feedback typically ascribed to either sedimentological stratification or sediment–fluid coupling. In this study, we introduce an integrated aeolian Richardson number (<i>Ri</i>_<i>s</i>) that captures both stratification and coupling effects, and evaluate its applicability through controlled wind-tunnel experiments under thermally neutral, high-Stokes-number, two-way-coupled conditions. Across 107 airflow profiles, higher <i>Ri</i>_<i>s</i> correlated with reduced streamwise velocity, steeper velocity profiles, enhanced apparent roughness, and increased normalized shear velocity. Additionally, as <i>Ri</i>_<i>s</i> increases, the apparent von Kármán parameter decreases linearly relative to clear-air values, while turbulence intensity and dimensionless Reynolds stress increase. Relationships between <i>Ri</i>_<i>s</i> and airflow parameters show significantly greater consistency across the two tested grain-size data sets than relationships based on total transport rate. These findings demonstrate that sedimentological stratification in aeolian transport is not a direct analog of stable thermal stratification, and that <i>Ri</i>_<i>s</i> provides a unified metric for comparing saltation-induced airflow modifications across diverse sediment conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Multi-Year Subglacial Lake Activity and Hydrological Connectivity Beneath the Mid-to-Upper Reaches of David Glacier, East Antarctica, Inferred From DInSAR and Altimetry","authors":"Taewook Kim,&nbsp;Hyangsun Han","doi":"10.1029/2026JF009247","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JF009247","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sentinel-1 time-series differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) and Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) altimetry were integrated to detect active subglacial lakes in the mid-to-upper reaches of David Glacier, East Antarctica, estimate lake-scale changes in subglacial water volume, and assess hydrological connectivity. By confirming recurring closed bull's-eye fringe patterns in DInSAR interferograms and co-located ice-surface elevation changes from ICESat-2, we identified 16 active subglacial lakes, including 11 newly reported in this study. Relative ice-surface elevation time series from DInSAR displacement integration closely matched ICESat-2 observations, with a correlation coefficient of 0.99, supporting the reliability of DInSAR-based monitoring of lake-driven surface deformation. The areas of the 16 subglacial lakes ranged from 19.7 to 388.8 km². DInSAR-derived volume changes indicate a first-order apparent cumulative net storage increase of 1.029 km³ during 2017–2024, dominated by sustained filling of David₂ and David₃. The remaining subglacial lakes showed smaller changes ranging from −0.165 to 0.051 km³. The estimated volume change patterns, hydraulic settings, and recharge estimates support an interconnected regional-scale hydrological network in which David₂ and David₃ act as major multi-year storage reservoirs, while the remaining subglacial lakes serve as transient or secondary storage sites.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fluvially Sourced Sediment Supply and Climate Modulate Morphodynamics and State Transitions in Bistable Aeolian Dunefields","authors":"Joshua Caster,&nbsp;Joel B. Sankey,&nbsp;Temuulen Sankey,&nbsp;Taylor Joyal,&nbsp;Matthew A. Bowker","doi":"10.1029/2025JF009087","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JF009087","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Alternative stable state theory in aeolian geomorphology describes the occurrence of bare and vegetated aeolian dunes in response to long-term climatic and ecological drivers. Transitions between states, as well as their co-occurrence (bistability), can arise from perturbations to drivers, disturbance, and associated biophysical feedbacks. Here, we examine the role of upwind fluvial sediment disturbance as a driver of aeolian state transitions. We analyze 24 source-bordering aeolian dunefields along 400 km of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, USA, where active and inactive aeolian dune states occur downwind of fluvial sediment sources. Four decades of topographic change detection following upstream dam emplacement revealed that active aeolian dunes—which had indicators of recent aeolian transport—experienced four times more surface change than inactive dunes lacking such indicators of recent aeolian transport. Persistent aeolian activity occurred where bare upwind fluvial sandbars were maintained as sediment sources, whereas transitions toward inactivity accompanied the loss of bare sandbars and resulted in 50% less topographic change. Contrary to theory, the transition to aeolian inactivity did not correspond to significant reductions in erosion, despite decreased topographic changes. These results broadly demonstrate the effects of biophysical feedbacks within fluvially sourced aeolian environments. Specifically, they show that reductions in aeolian activity are not synonymous with geomorphic quiescence, as other sedimentary processes may become dominant agents of change within these coupled sedimentary systems that are ubiquitous throughout dryland regions on Earth.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2025JF009087","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Coseismic Shallow Landslide Distributions Reveal Patterns of Regolith Thickness in High Mountains","authors":"Suryodoy Ghoshal,&nbsp;Sarah J. Boulton,&nbsp;Tristram C. Hales,&nbsp;Georgina Bennett,&nbsp;Amy Beswick,&nbsp;Joshua N. Jones,&nbsp;Shaun Lewin,&nbsp;Zoë K. Mildon,&nbsp;Martin Stokes,&nbsp;Michael R. Z. Whitworth,&nbsp;Benjamin Campforts","doi":"10.1029/2026JF009250","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JF009250","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Earthquake-triggered landslides are a major source of sediment mobilization in steep mountain landscapes, yet the controls that organize regional patterns of coseismic shallow failure remain incompletely understood. Because shallow landslides occur within regolith, their initiation and magnitude depend strongly on near-surface material thickness, which is rarely measured directly in mountainous terrain. Here we introduce <i>ShallowLandslider</i>, a hybrid physical–statistical framework that combines critical-acceleration slope-stability calculations with stochastic realization of discrete landslide populations. We apply the model to two geomorphically distinct subregions affected by the 2015 <span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <msub>\u0000 <mi>M</mi>\u0000 <mi>w</mi>\u0000 </msub>\u0000 <mspace></mspace>\u0000 <mn>7.8</mn>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> ${M}_{w}hspace*{.5em}7.8$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math> Gorkha earthquake in Nepal and compare modeled and observed distributions of landslide area, elevation, slope, and aspect. Parameterizations incorporating spatially variable regolith thickness consistently outperform a uniform-thickness baseline, and model performance is highest for moderate cohesion values (<span></span><math>\u0000 <semantics>\u0000 <mrow>\u0000 <msup>\u0000 <mi>c</mi>\u0000 <mo>′</mo>\u0000 </msup>\u0000 <mo>≈</mo>\u0000 <mn>10</mn>\u0000 </mrow>\u0000 <annotation> ${c}^{prime }approx 10$</annotation>\u0000 </semantics></math>–15 kPa), characteristic of shallow colluvium. The two subregions favor contrasting regolith-organization hypotheses. In the high-relief, bedrock-dominated terrain of Subregion 1, landslide occurrence is reproduced most successfully by parameterizations that impose broad elevation-dependent thinning of regolith while landslide magnitude frequencies are best represented through a curvature-informed representation. In the lower-relief, more extensively regolith-mantled terrain of Subregion 2, curvature-informed parameterizations that represent local topographic convergence provide the closest agreement with the mapped inventory. These results indicate that landscape-scale organization of regolith thickness exerts a strong influence on coseismic shallow-landslide populations within the tested model framework. More broadly, they demonstrate how landslide inventories can be used to evaluate competing hypotheses of regolith distribution where direct observations remain sparse.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2026JF009250","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Influence of Source-Area Rock Mass Structure on the Dynamic Evolution of Rock Avalanches With Ejection-Dominated Initiation","authors":"Haifeng Ding,&nbsp;Xiaodong Fu,&nbsp;Yongqiang Zhou,&nbsp;Jingyu Kang,&nbsp;Lei Zhu,&nbsp;Yunfeng Ge","doi":"10.1029/2026JF009137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JF009137","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Rock avalanches with ejection-dominated initiation exhibit high hazard intensity, extensive cascading effects, and complex dynamic evolution. Their post-initiation motion, including launch, aerial motion, impact-induced fragmentation, and deposition, involves the transition from an initially coherent rock mass to interacting fragmented blocks. To systematically characterize material transport and energy transformation during rock avalanche motion, this study develops a continuous–discontinuous numerical framework in which prescribed horizontal and vertical initial velocities are applied to the sliding mass. The model combines cohesive fracture representation with inter-block contact mechanics. The effects of ejection velocity and joint density on deposit distribution, fragmentation degree, and kinetic energy evolution are quantitatively investigated. The results show that vertical ejection velocity strongly affects free-flight duration, impact intensity, and depositional extent. Increasing vertical velocity leads to longer centroid displacement and runout distance, greater maximum deposit thickness and volume, and stronger impact-induced fragmentation. Increasing joint density in the source area enhances fracture connectivity and block disintegration, producing finer debris and resulting in thinner but more widely distributed deposits. Ejection velocity enhances early-stage kinetic energy by delaying collisions, whereas higher joint density promotes energy dissipation through fractures, collisions, and sliding, leading to smoother kinetic-energy attenuation and prolonged late-stage rearrangement. The deposits exhibit distinct sorting structures, including inverse grading structure, jigsaw structure, and overhead structure. These findings clarify how ejection velocity and source-area rock mass structure jointly regulate fragmentation, transport, and deposition in earthquake-triggered rock avalanches.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dissecting the Low-Relief Surfaces in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau via Slow Divide Migration and Episodic River Capture","authors":"Yangyang Li,&nbsp;Rong Yang,&nbsp;Yanyan Wang,&nbsp;Shunlin Zhu,&nbsp;Chenchao Xu,&nbsp;Xianjun Fang,&nbsp;Marcus Christl","doi":"10.1029/2026JF009236","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JF009236","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The mechanisms controlling the long-term preservation of widespread high-elevation, low-relief surfaces in active orogens remain poorly constrained. This is epitomized in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, where extensive high-elevation, low-relief surfaces persist adjacent to deeply incised gorges despite intense fluvial incision. To decode their preservation and dissection, we quantify drainage-divide migration along the margins of a representative high-elevation low-relief surface located near Yajiang by combining geomorphic analysis with newly acquired cosmogenic ¹⁰Be-derived erosion rates. Our results demonstrate that while drainage divides are actively migrating and dissecting the landscape, migration proceeds at slow rates (∼30–60 m/Myr) that effectively limit overall degradation and enable the long-term persistence of low-relief topography. In contrast, river capture can trigger rapid dissection through erosional wave propagation at rates exceeding those of divide migration, producing diachronous and piecemeal dissection across high-elevation, low-relief surfaces due to the stochastic occurrence of capture events. Numerical simulations further confirm that gradual divide migration remains slow over geologic timescales, whereas spontaneous river capture can rapidly accelerate high-elevation, low-relief surface degradation. Together, we propose that heterogeneous divide migration rates and divide jumps caused by river capture contribute to the irregular geometry of surviving high-elevation, low-relief surface remnants in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.</p>","PeriodicalId":15887,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface","volume":"131 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.1,"publicationDate":"2026-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149205544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}