Evolution Of Fluvial Systems Research Articles

Specifying the External Impact on Fluvial Lowland Evolution: The Last Glacial Tisza (Tisa) Catchment in Hungary and Serbia

External impact on the development of fluvial systems is generally exerted by changes in sea level, climate and tectonic movements. In this study, it is shown that a regional to local differentiation of fluvial response may be caused by semi-direct effects of climate change and tectonic movement; for example, vegetation cover, frozen soil, snow cover and longitudinal gradient. Such semi-direct effects may be responsible for specific fluvial activity resulting in specific drainage patterns, sedimentation series and erosion–accumulation rates. These conclusions are exemplified by the study of the fluvial archives of the Tis(z)a catchment in the Pannonian Basin in Hungary and Serbia from the middle of the last glacial to the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. Previous investigations in that catchment are supplemented here by new geomorphological–sedimentological data and OSL-dating. Specific characteristics of this catchment in comparison with other regions are the preponderance of meandering systems during the last glacial and the presence of very large meanders in given time intervals.

Mega-meander paleochannels of the southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA

Paleodischarge estimates based on the slope-area method and channel boundaries determined from stratigraphic cross-sections indicate that large, terminal Pleistocene meandering paleochannels (“mega-meanders”) in river valleys of the southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States represent bankfull flows that were at least double the magnitude of those on modern rivers. Correlation of radiocarbon- and luminescence-dated paleomeanders with previously reported pollen and eolian sedimentary records suggests that greater discharge was driven by seasonally wetter conditions resulting from dynamic changes to regional precipitation and runoff that occurred in association with global warming at the end of the Pleistocene. While reflecting larger channel-forming flows, the exceptionally large widths and radii of curvature of mega-meanders were nonetheless maintained by a relatively modest discharge magnitude that was between two and four times larger than modern bankfull flow and within the size range of the present two- to five-year flood. Despite their large planform, the paleochannels conveyed relatively modest bankfull discharges because a wide, shallow shape limited their cross-sectional area and hydraulic radius. Within the late Quaternary evolution of fluvial systems in the region, scrolled mega-meanders constitute a transitional meandering planform that remained influenced by large volumes of sandy bedload following the sand-bed braided channels of the late Wisconsin interval, circa 30–17 ka. In addition to greater discharge, the large planimetric dimensions of paleochannels reflect a lack of cohesive vertical accretion facies on paleomeander floodplains, a sediment regime that transported large quantities of bedload sand, and the influence of these factors on channel boundary composition, bank stability, and channel shape. Findings underscore the importance of reconstructing channel cross-sectional dimensions and slope when estimating discharge for infilled paleomeanders. This approach reduces uncertainties surrounding channel cross-sectional area, gradient, and boundary composition inherent to studies lacking subsurface data that rely upon meander geometry to retrodict discharge.

Geomorphological Evolution and Fluvial System Development during the Holocene: The Case of Vouraikos River Evolution in Kalavrita Plain, Northern Peloponnese, Greece

Fluvial geomorphology is affected by physical conditions which allow its adaptation due to high dynamics and environmental influences. Fluvial morphological changes are manifested as a result of tendency of the river system to maintain its physical balance. Our study area is the upper and middle flow part of Vouraikos river and surrounding area, near the NW border of Chelmos mountain in Northern Peloponnese, near the town of Kalavrita, at an altitude of 800 m. The area is part of the Skepasto basin, constituting of a graben with a general E-W direction that was developed NW of Kalavrita. The area comprises of Mesozoic, Upper Triassic-Jurassic limestone and dolomite of the Tripolitsa unit External Hellenides and Plio-Pleistocene fluvio-lacustrine sequences, while its tectonic structure is characterized mainly by normal faults. The geomorphological landscape is characterized by alluvial deposits and important geomorphological features including fluvial terraces, alluvial fans, fluvial scarps and their main rill washes. This area has been a place of major human activity as shown by the findings of many uncovered artifacts and a settlement. Through a paleographic reconstruction, detailed field investigations, in combination with the compilation of geomorphological maps using GIS software and archaeological evidence found in the area, we attempted to reconstruct the fluvial evolution of Vouraikos river and identify the major geomorphological factors that led to, and influenced it. Finally, the link between cultural activities and sedimentary processes is also studied. The recorded environmental variations had a great impact on the geomorphological shaping and instability of Kalavrita plain and Vouraikos river and are being reflected on the buried settlement. Sediment fluxes were high enough to form strath terraces, while local tectonics aided in the strath and fill terrace creation. Smaller and younger strath terraces, formed during increased sediment supply periods, when the valley was at a higher level.

Imaging and locating paleo-channels using geophysical data from meandering system of the Mun River, Khorat Plateau, Northeastern Thailand

AbstractThe Khorat Plateau from northeast Thailand, the upstream part of the Mun River flows through clastic sedimentary rocks. A massive amount of sand was transported. We aimed to understand the evolution of fluvial system and to discuss the advantages of two shallow geophysical methods for describing subsurface morphology of modern and paleo-channels. We applied Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) to characterize the lateral, vertical morphological and sedimentary structures of paleo-channels, floodplain and recent point bars. Both methods were interpreted together with on-sites boreholes to describe the physical properties of subsurface sediments. As a result, we concluded that four radar reflection patterns including reflection free, shingled, inclined and hummocky reflections were appropriated to apply as criteria to characterize lateral accretion, the meandering rivers with channel-filled sequence and floodplain were detected from ERT profiles. The changes in resistivity correspond well with differences in particle size and show relationship with ERT lithological classes. Clay, silt, sand, loam and bedrock were classified by the resistivity data. Geometry of paleo-channel embayment and lithological differences can be detected by ERT, whereas GPR provides detail subsurface facies for describing point bar sand deposit better than ERT.

Evolution of fluvial system during the Pleistocene warm stage (Marine Isotope Stage 7) – A case study from the Błądzikowo Formation, N Poland

This paper discusses successive changes in the evolution of the fluvial system observed throughout the Błądzikowo Formation at the Mrzezino key site in northern Poland. The study focuses on the development of fluvial sedimentation during Marine Isotope Stage 7. The sedimentary record of the Pleistocene at the study site shows a well-developed sequence that is over 30 m thick. The Błądzikowo Formation shows a quick evolution of the fluvial system from a high-energy sandy braided river, to a meandering sandy river and, finally, to a low-energy meandering/anastomosing river with significant suspension settling. This transition is explained as a decrease in flow energy, increase in aggradation ratio and expansion of accommodation space during deposition time. A change in the fluvial system has not been manifested in the variations of the plant cover. Palynological analysis indicates that climate conditions were generally stable, cool and humid (boreal). Sediment transport occurred towards the N-NW, through a valley with a NW-SE axis. Infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) dating shows the sequence formed from 225.6 ± 17.2 to 210.5 ± 16.6 ka. Well preserved fluvial cycles and 35 m of thickness suggest the intensive accumulation of the Błądzikowo Formation with decreasing ratio of lateral erosion. It suggests an increasing influence of base level rise on evolution of fluvial system, mostly during MIS 7.

Fluvial architecture in actively deforming salt basins: Chinle Formation, Paradox Basin, Utah

AbstractDetermining the response of fluvial systems to syn‐sedimentary halokinesis is important for reconstructing the palaeogeography of salt basins, determining the history of salt movement and predicting development and architecture of sandstone bodies for subsurface fluid extraction. To assess both the influence of salt movement on fluvial system development and the use of lithostratigraphic correlation schemes in salt basins we have analysed the Triassic Chinle Formation in the Paradox Basin, Utah. Results indicate that sandstone body development proximal to salt bodies should be considered at two scales: intra‐ (local) and inter‐ (regional) mini‐basin scale. At the intra‐mini basin or local scale, conformable packages of up to 12 m deep meandering fluvial channel deposits and associated overbank deposits are developed, which may thin, pinch‐out or become truncated towards salt highs. When traced down the axis of a mini‐basin, individual stories extend for a few hundred metres, and form part of amalgamated channel‐belt packages up to 60 m thick that can be traced for at least 25 km parallel to palaeoflow. Where salt movement outpaces sediment accumulation, progressive low angle unconformities are developed along the flanks of salt highs. Significantly, in mini‐basins with high sand supply, sandstone bodies are present across salt highs where they show increased amalgamation, decrease in thickness due to truncation and no change in internal sandstone body character. At inter mini‐basin or regional scale, spatial and temporal variations in accommodation space generated by differential salt movement strongly influence facies distributions and facies correlation lengths. Broad lithostratigraphic packages (5–50 m thick) can be correlated within mini‐basins, but correlation of these units between adjacent mini‐basins is problematic. Knowledge of fluvial system development at a regional scale is critical as, fluvial sediment distribution is focussed by topography generated by growing salt bodies, such that adjacent mini‐basins can have significant differences in sandstone body thickness, distribution and lateral extent. The observations from the Chinle Formation indicate that lithostratigraphic‐based correlation schemes can only be applied within mini‐basins and cannot be used to correlate between adjacent mini‐basins or across a salt mini‐basin province. The key to predicting sandstone body development is an understanding of the timing of salt movement and reconstructing fluvial drainage system development.

Local efficiency in fluvial systems: Lessons from Icicle Bend

Development of fluvial systems is often described and modeled in terms of principles related to maxima, minima, or optima of various hydraulic or energy parameters that can generally be encompassed by a principle of efficiency selection (more efficient flow routes tend to be preferentially selected and enhanced). However, efficiency selection is highly localized, and the cumulative effects of these local events may or may not produce more efficient pathways at a broader scale. This is illustrated by the case of Icicle Bend on Shawnee Run, a limestone bedrock stream in central Kentucky. Field evidence indicates that a paleochannel was abandoned during downcutting of the stream, and the relocation was analyzed using a flow partitioning model. The bend represents abandonment of a steeper, straighter, more efficient channel at the reach scale in favor of a longer, currently less steep and less efficient flow path. This apparently occurred owing to capture of Shawnee Run flow by a subsurface karst flow path that was subsequently exhumed. The development of Icicle Bend illustrates the local nature of efficiency selection and the role of historical contingency in geomorphic evolution.

Evolution of fluvial system and reconstruction of paleohydrology of late Cenozoic Siwalik Group, related to tectonic uplift of Himalaya and climatic change, Kankai River section, east Nepal Himalaya

This paper focuses on evolution of the fluvial system in the late Cenozoic Siwalik Group along the Kankai River section of East Nepal. The Siwalik Group lies on the southern flank of the Himalaya and composed of molasse sediments, which were derived from upheaval of the Himalaya. On the basis of lithology, assemblage of sedimentary structures and sediment body architectures, seven facies associations (FA1 to FA7) are recognized in the Kankai River section, East Nepal Himalaya. These recognized facies associations are closely related to each lithostratigraphic units of the area (Ulak 2009). The lower and upper members of the Lower Siwaliks are the products of the fine-grained meandering and flood flow-dominated meandering systems, respectively. The lower, middle and upper members of the Middle Siwaliks are interpreted as the deposits of the sandy meandering, deep sandy braided and shallow braided systems, respectively whereas the lower and upper members of the Upper Siwaliks are the products of the gravelly braided and debris flow-dominated braided systems, respectively. Paleohydrological characteristics and its evolutional changes of the group have been estimated by using grain diameter and thickness of fining upward fluvial successions. The paleohydrology suggests an increase in of flow velocity, channel slope gradient, and discharge of the fluvial system. Paleovelocity varies from 0.19 m/s to 5.31 m/s paleochannel gradient and paleodischarge changes from 6.67x10-5 to 2.97x10-4 m/m and 101 to 104 m3/s, respectively in stratigraphic upward. The progressively changes in the paleohydrology reflect the southward propagation of thrust activities, caused upheaval of the Himalaya.

Paleosols and associated channel-belt sand bodies from a continuously subsiding late Quaternary system (Po Basin, Italy): New insights into continental sequence stratigraphy

Research Article| March 01, 2017 Paleosols and associated channel-belt sand bodies from a continuously subsiding late Quaternary system (Po Basin, Italy): New insights into continental sequence stratigraphy Alessandro Amorosi; Alessandro Amorosi † 1Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, 40126 Bologna, Italy †alessandro.amorosi@unibo.it Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Luigi Bruno; Luigi Bruno 1Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, 40126 Bologna, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David M. Cleveland; David M. Cleveland 2ExxonMobil Development Company, 22777 Springwoods Village Parkway, Spring, Texas 77389, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Agnese Morelli; Agnese Morelli 1Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, 40126 Bologna, Italy Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Wan Hong Wan Hong 3KIGAM Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, 92 Gwahangro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon Metropolitan City, Korea Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Alessandro Amorosi † 1Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, 40126 Bologna, Italy Luigi Bruno 1Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, 40126 Bologna, Italy David M. Cleveland 2ExxonMobil Development Company, 22777 Springwoods Village Parkway, Spring, Texas 77389, USA Agnese Morelli 1Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, Via Zamboni 67, 40126 Bologna, Italy Wan Hong 3KIGAM Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, 92 Gwahangro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon Metropolitan City, Korea †alessandro.amorosi@unibo.it Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 17 May 2015 Revision Received: 22 Aug 2016 Accepted: 07 Oct 2016 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online Issn: 1943-2674 Print Issn: 0016-7606 © 2016 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2017) 129 (3-4): 449–463. https://doi.org/10.1130/B31575.1 Article history Received: 17 May 2015 Revision Received: 22 Aug 2016 Accepted: 07 Oct 2016 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Alessandro Amorosi, Luigi Bruno, David M. Cleveland, Agnese Morelli, Wan Hong; Paleosols and associated channel-belt sand bodies from a continuously subsiding late Quaternary system (Po Basin, Italy): New insights into continental sequence stratigraphy. GSA Bulletin 2017;; 129 (3-4): 449–463. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B31575.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Previous sequence-stratigraphic work has emphasized the key role of paleosols and associated sand-dominated fluvial bodies as key features for interpreting alluvial architecture. The temporal resolution of the ancient record is, however, insufficient to fully explain the complex relationship between soil formation and the evolution of fluvial systems under changing sea-level and climate conditions. In this paper, we present a detailed record of paleosol–channel belt relationships reconstructed from the subsurface of a rapidly subsiding region (Po Plain, Italy) that spans almost all of the last glacial-interglacial cycle (∼120 k.y.). The studied succession preserves a systematic bipartite zonation into a thick paleosol-bearing segment close to the basin margin and a sand-dominated interval, with vertically amalgamated channel belts, in an axial position. Individual paleosols are weakly developed and represent key stratigraphic markers that can be traced basinwide into adjacent, essentially contemporaneous, unconfined channel-belt deposits. Unlike conventional models of late Quaternary alluvial–coastal plain systems, no persistent incised valley was established in the Po system during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. Continuous accommodation was the key depositional control on alluvial stratigraphy during the prolonged (∼90 k.y.) phase of late Pleistocene sea-level fall, which led to the deposition of a thick, dominantly aggradational alluvial succession. The development of shallowly incised, short-lived valley systems took place only at the transition to glacial stages associated with substantial sea-level drop (marine oxygen isotope stage [MIS] 3-2 transition, and possibly MIS 5-4 transition). This study shows that in rapidly subsiding settings with high rates of sedimentation, incised valley systems may be replaced by aggradationally stacked, essentially nonincised fluvial bodies. In these cases, overbank packages bounded by immature paleosols represent the most likely alternative to the highly weathered interfluve paleosol predicted by classic sequence-stratigraphic models. Fourth-order sequence boundaries and lower-rank erosional surfaces may be easily confused at the ∼100 k.y. scale, and transgressive surfaces, defining the onset of retrogradation, may become the most readily identifiable sequence-stratigraphic surfaces. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Beaver ponds' impact on fluvial processes (Beskid Niski Mts., SE Poland)

Beaver (Castor sp.) can change the riverine environment through dam-building and other activities. The European beaver (Castor fiber) was extirpated in Poland by the nineteenth century, but populations are again present as a result of reintroductions that began in 1974. The goal of this paper is to assess the impact of beaver activity on montane fluvial system development by identifying and analysing changes in channel and valley morphology following expansion of beaver into a 7.5km-long headwater reach of the upper Wisłoka River in southeast Poland. We document the distribution of beaver in the reach, the change in river profile, sedimentation type and storage in beaver ponds, and assess how beaver dams and ponds have altered channel and valley bottom morphology. The upper Wisłoka River fluvial system underwent a series of anthropogenic disturbances during the last few centuries. The rapid spread of C. fiber in the upper Wisłoka River valley was promoted by the valley's morphology, including a low-gradient channel and silty-sand deposits in the valley bottom. At the time of our survey (2011), beaver ponds occupied 17% of the length of the study reach channel. Two types of beaver dams were noted: in-channel dams and valley-wide dams. The primary effect of dams, investigated in an intensively studied 300-m long subreach (Radocyna Pond), was a change in the longitudinal profile from smooth to stepped, a local reduction of the water surface slope, and an increase in the variability of both the thalweg profile and surface water depths. We estimate the current rate of sedimentation in beaver ponds to be about 14cm per year. A three-stage scheme of fluvial processes in the longitudinal and transverse profile of the river channel is proposed. C. fiber reintroduction may be considered as another important stage of the upper Wisłoka fluvial system development.

Contrasting fluvial styles across the mid-Pleistocene climate transition in the northern shelf of the South China Sea: Evidence from 3D seismic data

Multiple successions of buried fluvial channel systems were identified in the Quaternary section of the mid-shelf region of the northern South China Sea, providing a new case study for understanding the interplay between sea level variations and climate change. Using three commercial 3D seismic surveys, accompanied by several 2D lines and a few shallow boreholes, the sequence stratigraphy, seismic geomorphology and stratal architecture of these fluvial channels were carefully investigated. Based on their origin, dimensions, planform geometries and infill architectures, six classes of channel systems, from Class 1 to Class 6, were recognized within five sequences of Quaternary section (SQ1 to SQ5). Three types of fluvial systems among them are incised in their nature, including the trunk incised valleys (Class 1), medium incised valleys (Class 2) and incised tributaries (Class 3). The other three types are unincised, which comprise the trunk channels (Class 4), lateral migrating channels (Class 5) and the stable channels (Class 6). The trunk channels and/or the major valleys that contain braided channels at their base are hypothesized to be a product of deposition from the “big rivers” that have puzzled the sedimentologists for the last decade, providing evidence for the existence of such rivers in the ancient record.Absolute age dates from a few shallow boreholes indicate that the landscapes that were associated with these fluvial systems changed significantly near the completion of the mid-Pleistocene climate transition (MPT), which approximately corresponds to horizon SB2 with an age of ∼0.6 Ma BP. Below SB2, the Early Pleistocene sequence (SQ1) is dominated by a range of different types of unincised fluvial systems. Evidence of incised valleys is absent in SQ1. In contrast, extensive fluvial incision occurred in the successions above horizon SB2 (within SQ2–SQ5). Although recent studies call for increased incision being a product of climate-controlled increase in river discharge, the down-dip location of our study area suggests that relative sea level change was the most important control of the evolution of fluvial systems. However, it is acknowledged that climate change was also important through its role in regulating glacio-eustasy. We speculate that the small amplitude and periodicity of sea level cycles before and during the MPT were not sufficient to fully expose the shelf and cause extensive fluvial incisions. Completion of the MPT as well as the onset of 100 ky climate cycles at ∼0.6 Ma, during which the duration of cycles and magnitude of sea level change both increased, are considered to be triggering event for extensive development of incised fluvial systems. In addition to the eustatically driven causes of enhanced incision, the intensification of the East Asia monsoon at 0.9 Ma and 0.6 Ma driven by the episodic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau may have also significantly enhanced the amplitude of sea level falls and thus the fluvial incisions of the northern shelf of the South China Sea.

Multiple climatic cycles imprinted on regional uplift-controlled fluvial terraces in the lower Yalong River and Anning River, SE Tibetan Plateau

The development of fluvial systems on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau is linked to significant and rapid late Cenozoic uplift. The relatively complete fluvial terrace sequence preserved along the Yalong River valley and that of its tributary, the Anning River, provides an excellent archive for studying the development of terraces in rapidly uplifting mountainous areas. This study reveals that terrace development is predominantly controlled by multiscale climate cycles and long-term uplift, as shown by terrace dating, sedimentary characteristics, and incision rates. At least six alluvial terrace units were identified in 20 transverse sections through the terraces along about a 600km length of river and were dated using Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL). The climatostratigraphic positions of the terrace deposits and their respective age constraints suggest that fluvial aggradation was concentrated during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 32, 22, 18, 4, 2, and the Younger Dryas (YD) and that incision occurred during the succeeding cold-to-warm transitions. The changes in fluvial style marked by terraces 6, 5, and 4 predominantly occurred in synchrony with the 100-ka Milankovitch climate cycles, while terraces 3 and 2 were controlled by the obliquity-driven 41-ka climate cycles. Finally, the aggradation of terrace T1 occurred in response to the YD stadial. During the intervening time between 0.72 and 0.063Ma, terraces either did not form or were not preserved, which may suggest that uplift rates varied through time and influenced terrace formation/preservation. The progressive valley incision recorded by these fluvial terraces cannot be entirely explained by climate cycling alone. Temporal and spatial variations in incision rates indicate that the continuing long-term incision has been driven by uplift. The temporal distribution of the incision rates reveals two rapidly uplifting stages in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, including an accelerated uplift that has been taking place since 0.06Ma. The spatial distributions of differing incision rates reflect the geomorphological response to crustal shortening and differential uplift in this region.

Designing forward with an eye to the past: Morphogenesis of the lower Yuba River

The early geomorphic evolution of the lower Yuba River (LYR), northern California, up to 1906 is reconstructed using cartographic, documentary, topographic, and stratigraphic evidence. The importance of early river mining is identified along with rates and patterns of floodplain aggradation and channel incision at the turn of the 20th century. The LYR is a classic example of anthropogeomorphic transformation of a river by episodic hydraulic mining sedimentation. This was followed by channelization, damming, dredging, and other engineering works to redirect, contain, and stabilize channels. These geomorphic changes and engineering controls continue to govern channel and floodplain form and process, control the trajectory of river responses, and constrain flood control, water quality, and aquatic ecosystem management options.Returning a river system to a prior condition should not be the primary goal of river rehabilitation projects, especially if hydrologic inputs have substantially changed. Reconstructing former conditions may be impractical and unsustainable under modern circumstances. Instead, fluvial systems should be designed and managed for present inputs and processes while anticipating future conditions. Rapid changes in land use and climate that generate changes in runoff and sediment loadings are likely to generate morphological instability, and these changes should be considered in the design and management of fluvial systems. The past geomorphic evolution of fluvial systems should also be considered in design and management decisions to recognize trajectories and suppressed tendencies. Recognition of trends and system vulnerabilities may avoid potential blunders, such as removing critical stabilizing works. Complex causalities may be difficult to reconstruct from geomorphic form alone, however, due to process-form dynamics. Detailed research on the geomorphic and engineering history of a river is essential, therefore, if substantial changes and morphologic instabilities have occurred.

Climatic fluctuations reflected in the evolution of fluvial systems of Central-Eastern Europe (60–8 ka cal BP)

In general, the evolution of fluvial systems in Central-Eastern Europe reflects the main phases of climatic changes during the period of 60–8 ka cal BP registered in Greenland ice cores and their isotopic 18O curves. The Greenland isotope curve shows many more wiggles and stages than the fluvial record of the same time, especially during the Interpleniglacial phase. In Central-Eastern Europe, we observe several deviations from those climatic trends, connected with different factors, among which are the long distance of the region from the Atlantic Ocean and an increase in continentality. At times, this region was occupied by permafrost although the coexisting warm summers during a part of the studied period enabled the presence of a forest cover. These factors together controlled the specific features of the fluvial regime and sediment load reflected in alternating trends to erosion or aggradation and from meandering to braiding. The permafrost influenced snowmelt floods and tendency to braiding. The dense vegetation (with trees) reduced the supply of sediments and stabilized the meandering channels. Very distinct changes occurred in the river valleys that drain the mountains, where ceaseless fluctuations of vegetation vertical zones were present, especially during the unstable Interpleniglacial when the supply of load from the higher vegetation zones was increased. This system, controlled by the climate and plant vegetation, was modified by other factors including tectonics, wind activity during dry periods, blocking of valleys by ice sheets, meltwater supply, and sea level fluctuations of two reservoirs.

Lower Permian fluvial cyclicity and stratigraphic evolution of the northern margin of Gondwanaland: Warchha Sandstone, Salt Range, Pakistan

During the Lower Permian (Artinskian), fluvial conditions prevailed in what is now the Salt Range of northern Pakistan. Deposits of the Warchha Sandstone are characterised by a range of fluvial facies and architectural elements that together record both the proximal and distal parts of a meandering river system that drained the northern margin of Gondwanaland. Stratigraphic units are arranged into vertically stacked fining-upward cycles represented by thin accumulations of channel-lag deposits at their bases, and sandstone-dominated channel fill and thicker accumulations of overbank mudstone at their tops. Sedimentary cyclicity records fluvial system development on a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Overall, the Warchha Sandstone preserves a series of three to ten vertically stacked fining-upward cycles that form part of a larger-scale, third-order sequence that is itself bounded by regionally extensive and laterally correlatable unconformities that were generated in response to combined tectonic and eustatic changes. The sequence-stratigraphic architecture reflects regional palaeogeographic development of the Salt Range region. The small-scale fluvial cycles originated through autogenic mechanisms, predominantly as a result of repeated channel avulsion processes that occurred concurrently with on-going subsidence and the progressive generation of accommodation. Each erosively based fining-upward fluvial cycle is divided into three parts: a lower part of trough cross-bedded conglomerate and coarse sandstone; a middle part of tabular cross-bedded, ripple cross-laminated and horizontally laminated sandstone; and an upper part of predominantly horizontally laminated and massive mudstone. Overall, the Warchha Sandstone records the progradation of a wedge of non-marine strata into a previously shallow-marine depositional setting. The underlying marine Dandot Formation is terminated by a major unconformity that represents a type-I sequence boundary associated with a regional relative sea-level fall and a significant regression of the Tethyan shoreline. The overlying Warchha Sandstone represents the onset of the subsequent lowstand systems tract in which a northward-flowing meandering river system redistributed clastic detritus derived from a tectonically-active source area (the Aravalli and Malani ranges) that lay to the south. This episode of fluvial sedimentation was terminated by a widespread marine transgression recorded by an abrupt upward transition to estuarine and shallow-marine deposits of the overlying Sardhai Formation. This change marks the transition from lowstand deposits to a transgressive system tract.

Fluvial system development and subsequent marine transgression in Yellow River (Huanghe) delta and its adjacent sea regions during last glacial maximum to early Holocene

Paleotopography of the Yellow River (Huanghe) delta area and the western Bohai Sea during the last glacial maximum (LGM) is important to understand fluvial activities of the Yellow River linked with the LGM climate. By integrating data sets of both onshore and offshore borehole cores and offshore high-resolution seismic profiles, we reconstructed the paleotopography of this area from the LGM to the early Holocene. The fluvial sediment facies of the LGM identified in these cores was characterized by poorly sorted medium- to coarse-grained sands, which shows chaotic patterns in seismic profiles. REE characteristics and clay mineral components of the fluvial sediments suggest that they were derived mostly from the paleo-Yellow River. The basal and top bounding surfaces of the fluvial sediments slope very gently toward the northeast, similar to the present morphology of the North China Plain formed by the Yellow River. No incised valley morphology is detected in the basal topography, because of the long distance from the study area to the paleoshoreline during the LGM, and also because of the very gentle gradient of the paleo-Yellow River from the northern part of North China Plain to the continental shelf area, with concave-upward morphology. Aggradational stacking of the fluvial sediments over the entire North China Plain and in the study area indicates that the Yellow River flowed in these areas during the LGM to the early Holocene. The Holocene marine and coastal sediments onlap onto the underlying fluvial sediments. These basal marine or brackish sediments are diachronous from offshore areas of the Bohai Sea to the Yellow River delta area, with older sediments in the east and younger sediments in the west, which clearly reflects the early Holocene marine transgression from the North Yellow Sea to the Bohai Sea.

Syn-sedimentary salt diapirism as a control on fluvial-system evolution: an example from the proximal Permian Cutler Group, SE Utah, USA

Loading of subsurface salt during accumulation of fluvial strata can result in halokinesis and the growth of salt pillows, walls and diapirs. Such movement may eventually result in the formation of salt-walled mini-basins, whose style of architectural infill may be used to infer both the relative rates of salt-wall growth and sedimentation and the nature of the fluvial-system response to salt movement. The Salt Anticline Region of the Paradox Basin of SE Utah comprises a series of elongate salt-walled mini-basins, arranged in a NW-trending array. The bulk of salt movement occurred during deposition of the Permian Cutler Group, a wedge of predominantly quartzo-feldspathic clastic strata comprising sediment derived from the Uncompahgre Uplift to the NE. The sedimentary architecture of selected mini-basin fills has been determined at high resolution through outcrop study. Mini-basin centres are characterized by multi-storey fluvial channel elements arranged into stacked channel complexes, with only limited preservation of overbank elements. At mini-basin margins, thick successions of fluvial overbank and sheet-like elements dominate in rim-syncline depocentres adjacent to salt walls; many such accumulations are unconformably overlain by single-storey fluvial channel elements that accumulated during episodes of salt-wall breaching. The absence of gypsum clasts suggests that sediment influx was high, preventing syn-sedimentary surface exposure of salt. Instead, fluvial breaching of salt-generated topography reworked previously deposited sediments of the Cutler Group atop growing salt walls. Palaeocurrent data indicate that fluvial palaeoflow to the SW early in the history of basin infill was subsequently diverted to the W and ultimately to the NW as the salt walls grew to form topographic barriers. Late-stage retreat of the Cutler fluvial system coincided with construction and accumulation of an aeolian system, recording a period of heightened climatic aridity. Aeolian sediments are preserved in the lees of some salt walls, demonstrating that halokinesis played a complex role in the differential trapping of sediment.

Pre-Miocene birth of the Yangtze River

The development of fluvial systems in East Asia is closely linked to the evolving topography following India-Eurasia collision. Despite this, the age of the Yangtze River system has been strongly debated, with estimates ranging from 40 to 45 Ma, to a more recent initiation around 2 Ma. Here, we present (40)Ar/(39)Ar ages from basalts interbedded with fluvial sediments from the lower reaches of the Yangtze together with detrital zircon U-Pb ages from sand grains within these sediments. We show that a river containing sediments indistinguishable from the modern river was established before ~23 Ma. We argue that the connection through the Three Gorges must postdate 36.5 Ma because of evaporite and lacustrine sedimentation in the Jianghan Basin before that time. We propose that the present Yangtze River system formed in response to regional extension throughout eastern China, synchronous with the start of strike-slip tectonism and surface uplift in eastern Tibet and fed by strengthened rains caused by the newly intensified summer monsoon.

Networks of Historical Contingency in Earth Surface Systems

Earth surface systems (ESS) are characterized by various degrees of historical contingency, which complicates efforts to relate observed features and phenomena to environmental controls. This article provides a conceptual framework for understanding and assessing historical contingency in ESS that is based on algebraic graph theory. ESS are conceptualized as consisting of components (e.g., climate, topography, and lithology) observed or inferred at time periods. Each component at each time period represents a node of a network or graph, and interactions among components constitute the links or edges. Four indexes are applied: the S-metric, which indicates the extent to which observations of part of the network (e.g., topographic changes between two time periods) are likely to represent the dynamics of the network as a whole; spectral radius, which measures coherence and potential amplification of changes or disturbances; Laplacian spectral radius, an index of the relationship between network stability and time steps and an indication of path dependence; and algebraic connectivity, which measures the inferential synchronizability. For each of these, an index on a 0–1 scale is developed, which represents high and minimum levels of historical contingency for a given n, q. These are applied to several archetypal graph structures that represent various forms of historical contingency in the geosciences and to two specific case studies involving Quaternary evolution of fluvial systems in Texas and Kentucky.

Cosmogenic 38Ar in feldspar: A new tool for exposure studies in stable landscapes

The geometry and evolution of fluvial systems are thought to be related to surface uplift. In eastern Tibet, rivers exhibit peculiar drainage patterns but how these patterns were established and their connection with the plateau uplift are still under debate. Here, we use detrital zircon U-Pb dating, bedrock (U-Th)/He thermochronometry, topographic analysis and numerical modeling to explore the paleo-drainage pattern of the Dadu and Anning Rivers, eastern Tibet. Our detrital data indicate that the Pliocene sources of sediments to the Anning River are different from the modern ones and they include a source similar to that of the modern Dadu River, implying a paleo-connection between the Dadu and the Anning Rivers and a subsequent cutoff of this connection after the deposition of the Pliocene sediments. Bedrock thermochronometric data along the Dadu River reveal rapid cooling at ∼10 Ma and a possible enhanced cooling at ∼2 Ma, which we interpret as a response to the regional plateau uplift in eastern Tibet and to the Dadu-Anning capture, respectively. Combined with topographic analysis and numerical modeling, our results indicate an Early Pleistocene capture between the Dadu and Anning Rivers, resulting in the changes in the sediment sources of the Anning River, enhanced incision of the Dadu, and the transience of the Dadu River profile. The Dadu-Anning capture is related to the motion along the active sinistral strike-slip Daliangshan fault that locally disrupts the river network. This event does not date the plateau uplift; rather, it indicates how river reorganization can effectively enhance river incision and affect landscape development independently from regional-scale uplift.