Hillslopes Record the Growth and Decay of Landscapes

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1241791
• Publication Date: 2013-08-22T18:12:54Z
• Authors: Martin D. Hurst; Simon M. Mudd; Mikael Attal; George Hilley
• Keywords: GB; 13. Climate action; G1; GA; QE; 15. Life on land; 01 natural sciences; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

Earth's surface archives the combined history of tectonics and erosion, which tend to roughen landscapes, sediment transport deposition, smooth them. We analyzed hillslope morphology in tectonically active Dragon's Back Pressure Ridge California, United States, assess whether tectonic uplift can be reconstructed using measurable attributes features within landscapes. Hilltop curvature relief mirror measured rates vertical displacement caused by forcing, their relationships are consistent with those expected when idealizing as a nonlinear diffusion process. lags behind its response changing erosion rates, allowing growing landscapes distinguished from decaying Numerical modeling demonstrates that may used infer changes rates.