Preprints
Filtering by Subject: Geomorphology
Lateral variations in lower crustal strength control the temporal evolution of mountain ranges: examples from south-east Tibet
Published: 2020-04-17
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
Controversy surrounds the rheology of the continental lithosphere, and how it controls the evolution and behaviour of mountain ranges. In this study, we investigate the effect of lateral contrasts in the strength of the lower crust, such as those between cratonic continental interiors and weaker rocks in the adjacent deforming regions, on the evolution of topography. We combine numerical [...]
InSAR Time Series Analysis of L-band Wide- Swath SAR Data Acquired by ALOS-2
Published: 2020-04-12
Subjects: Aerospace Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Earth Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Glaciology, Hydrology, Mining Engineering, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Operating at L-band (~24 cm wavelength) in wide-swath modes is one of the characteristics of the new and next generation satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) missions. After 3 years of operation, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) satellite has acquired a wealth of L-band wide-swath SAR data over many areas using its ScanSAR mode. We present [...]
Turbidites, Topography and Tectonics: Evolution of submarine channel-lobe systems in the salt-influenced Kwanza Basin, offshore Angola
Published: 2020-04-07
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology
Understanding the evolution of submarine channel-lobe systems on salt-influenced slopes is challenging as systems react to seemingly subtle changes in sea-floor topography. The impact of large blocking structures on individual deep-water systems is well documented, but understanding of the spatio-temporal evolution of regionally extensive channel-lobe systems in areas containing modest salt [...]
Measuring Azimuth Deformation With L-Band ALOS-2 ScanSAR Interferometry
Published: 2020-04-06
Subjects: Aerospace Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computational Engineering, Computer Engineering, Earth Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Glaciology, Hydrology, Mining Engineering, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Signal Processing, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
We analyze the methods for measuring azimuth deformation with the L-band Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) scanning synthetic aperture radar (ScanSAR) interferometry. To implement the methods, we extract focused bursts from the ALOS-2 full-aperture product, which is the only product available for ScanSAR interferometry at present. The extracted bursts are properly processed to measure [...]
Estimating Azimuth Offset With Double-Difference Interferometric Phase: The Effect of Azimuth FM Rate Error in Focusing
Published: 2020-04-06
Subjects: Aerospace Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Earth Sciences, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Glaciology, Hydrology, Mining Engineering, Other Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Physics, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Estimating azimuth offset with double-difference interferometric (DDI) phase, which is called multiple-aperture interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) or spectral diversity, is increasingly used in recent years to measure azimuth deformation or to accurately coregister a pair of InSAR images. We analyze the effect of frequency modulation (FM) rate error in focusing on the DDI phase with [...]
Climate controls the length and shape of the world’s drainage basins
Published: 2020-04-01
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Hydrology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Submitted manuscript currently under review at Geophysical Research Letters (American Geophysical Union publication).
International disparities in open access practices of the Earth Sciences community
Published: 2020-03-31
Subjects: Biogeochemistry, Cosmochemistry, Earth Sciences, Geochemistry, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Glaciology, Hydrology, Library and Information Science, Mineral Physics, Other Earth Sciences, Paleobiology, Paleontology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Soil Science, Speleology, Stratigraphy, Tectonics and Structure, Volcanology
Short communication on international disparities in open access practices of the Earth Sciences community
Seismic expression, structure and evolution of flow cells within a mass-transport complex
Published: 2020-03-25
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology
Mass flows evolve longitudinally during emplacement, but they can also vary laterally by forming discrete, shear zone-bound intraflow cells with different rheological states. Despite being documented in several field and subsurface studies, the controls on the initiation, translation, and cessation of these flow cells remain unclear. We here use five, high-quality post-stack time-migrated (PSTM) [...]
Rapid Tidal Marsh Development in Anthropogenic Backwaters
Published: 2020-03-21
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Environmental Monitoring, Environmental Sciences, Fresh Water Studies, Geomorphology, Oceanography, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sustainability, Water Resource Management
Tidal marsh restoration and creation has been proposed as a tool to build coastal resilience in the face of rising sea level and increasing intensity of coastal storms. However, it is unclear what conditions within constructed settings will lead to the successful establishment of tidal marsh. We used sediment cores and historical geospatial data in the tidal freshwater Hudson River to identify [...]
Sandy beaches can survive sea-level rise
Published: 2020-03-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
It has been asserted by Vousdoukas et al., that climate change, in particular global sea-level rise (SLR), poses a threat to the existence of sandy beaches. The authors used global data bases of sandy beaches, bathymetry, wave conditions and SLR to drive a simple model based on the ‘Bruun Rule’ to quantitatively evaluate shoreline retreat. To this modelled retreat, they add a background ambient [...]
Global dominance of tectonics over climate in shaping river longitudinal profiles
Published: 2020-03-18
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Hydrology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
River networks are striking features engraved into Earths surface, shaped by uplift and erosion under the joint influence of climate and tectonics. How a river descends along its course – its longitudinal profile – varies greatly from one basin to the next, reflecting the interplay between uplift and erosional processes. It has recently been argued that climatic aridity should be a first-order [...]
Global inventories of inverted stream channels on Earth and Mars
Published: 2020-03-04
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Data from orbiting and landed spacecraft have provided vast amounts of information regarding fluvial and fluvial-related landforms and sediments on Mars. One variant of these landforms are sinuous ridges that have been interpreted to be remnant evidence for ancient fluvial activity, observed at hundreds of martian locales. In order to further understanding of these martian landforms, this paper [...]
Structural inheritance and border fault reactivation during active early-stage rifting along the Thyolo fault, Malawi
Published: 2020-02-26
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Tectonics and Structure
We present new insights on the geometry, initiation and growth of the Thyolo fault, an 85 km long active border fault in the southern Malawi Rift, from high-resolution topography, field and microstructural observations. The Thyolo fault is located towards the edge of the Proterozoic Unango Terrane, and is the border fault of the Lower Shire Graben, which has experienced four phases of extension [...]
Evidence of recurrent mass movement in front of the maximum slip area of the 1960 Chile earthquake: Implications for risk assessment and paleoseismology
Published: 2020-02-20
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Geophysics and Seismology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics
We present evidence that suggests a new risk scenario for the Valdivia basin in south Chile, located in the area of the magnitude 9.5 1960 earthquake. In 1960, three mass movements, triggered by the earthquake shaking, dammed the upper course of the San Pedro River and threatened Valdivia City until it was opened in a controlled manner by its inhabitants. Published historical accounts indicate [...]
Entangled external and internal controls on submarine fan evolution: an experimental perspective
Published: 2020-02-02
Subjects: Earth Sciences, Geology, Geomorphology, Physical Sciences and Mathematics, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy
Submarine fans are formed by sediment-laden flows shed from continental margins into ocean basins. Their morphology represents the interplay of external controls such as tectonics, climate, and sea-level with internal processes including channel migration and lobe compensation. However, the nature of this interaction is poorly understood. We used physical modelling to represent the evolution of a [...]