Bedrock incision, rock uplift and threshold hillslopes in the northwestern Himalayas
Abstract
The topography of tectonically active mountain ranges reflects a poorly understood competition between bedrock uplift and erosion. Dating of abandoned river-cut surfaces in the northwestern Himalayas reveals that the Indus river incises through the bedrock at extremely high rates (2-12 mm yr-1). In the surrounding mountains, the average angles of hillslopes are steep and essentially independent of erosion rate, suggesting control by a common threshold process. In this rapidly deforming region, an equilibrium is maintained between bedrock uplift and river incision, with landsliding allowing hillslopes to adjust efficiently to rapid river down-cutting.
- Publication:
-
Nature
- Pub Date:
- February 1996
- DOI:
- 10.1038/379505a0
- Bibcode:
- 1996Natur.379..505B