TY - JOUR A1 - Georgieva, Viktoria A1 - Gallagher, Kerry A1 - Sobczyk, Artur A1 - Sobel, Edward A1 - Schildgen, Taylor F. A1 - Ehlers, Todd A1 - Strecker, Manfred T1 - Effects of slab-window, alkaline volcanism, and glaciation on thermochronometer cooling histories, Patagonian Andes JF - Earth & planetary science letters N2 - Southern Patagonia is a prime example of ongoing oceanic ridge collision and slab-window formation sustained over several million years. The impact of these phenomena on the thermal structure and exhumation of the crust have been mainly assessed with low-temperature thermochronology of bedrock samples. Here, we infer thermal histories from new and existing thermochronological data from the region of most recent ridge collision. In particular, we evaluate the potential far-reaching thermal effects of the evolving slab window, which have previously been considered responsible for patterns of late Miocene reheating associated with back-arc alkaline volcanism. Our model results define protracted cooling since similar to 15 Ma and stepwise exhumation since the late Miocene. The pattern of stepwise exhumation closely matches the onset of Patagonian glaciation at 7 Ma and the successive pulse of glacial incision coeval with neotectonic activity since 3-4 Ma that are also documented by independent geological and geomorphological evidence in the region. Importantly, our findings challenge the recently suggested lack of glacial erosion and incision since 5 Ma in this region. Furthermore, in contrast to previous modelling studies, we find that the available data do not evidence a previously proposed northward-propagating heating event associated with alkaline volcanism. We hypothesize that the anomalous alkaline volcanism in the Patagonian back-arc might be related to trench-orthogonal tears aligned with transform faults in the subducting plate. The substantial differences from the previous modelling procedure on some of the same samples is demonstrated to result from an important lack of convergence in model runs. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. KW - inverse thermal modelling KW - thermochronology KW - apatite (U-Th)/He KW - apatite fission track KW - Patagonian Andes KW - slab window Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2019.01.030 SN - 0012-821X SN - 1385-013X VL - 511 SP - 164 EP - 176 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - GEN A1 - Tofelde, Stefanie A1 - Savi, Sara A1 - Wickert, Andrew D. A1 - Bufe, Aaron A1 - Schildgen, Taylor F. T1 - Alluvial channel response to environmental perturbations BT - fill-terrace formation and sediment-signal disruption T2 - Postprints der Universität Potsdam Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - The sensitivity of fluvial systems to tectonic and climatic boundary conditions allows us to use the geomorphic and stratigraphic records as quantitative archives of past climatic and tectonic conditions. Thus, fluvial terraces that form on alluvial fans and floodplains as well as the rate of sediment export to oceanic and continental basins are commonly used to reconstruct paleoenvironments. However, we currently lack a systematic and quantitative understanding of the transient evolution of fluvial systems and their associated sediment storage and release in response to changes in base level, water input, and sediment input. Such knowledge is necessary to quantify past environmental change from terrace records or sedimentary deposits and to disentangle the multiple possible causes for terrace formation and sediment deposition. Here, we use a set of seven physical experiments to explore terrace formation and sediment export from a single, braided channel that is perturbed by changes in upstream water discharge or sediment supply, or through downstream base-level fall. Each perturbation differently affects (1) the geometry of terraces and channels, (2) the timing of terrace cutting, and (3) the transient response of sediment export from the basin. In general, an increase in water discharge leads to near-instantaneous channel incision across the entire fluvial system and consequent local terrace cutting, thus preserving the initial channel slope on terrace surfaces, and it also produces a transient increase in sediment export from the system. In contrast, a decreased upstream sediment-supply rate may result in longer lag times before terrace cutting, leading to terrace slopes that differ from the initial channel slope, and also lagged responses in sediment export. Finally, downstream base-level fall triggers the upstream propagation of a diffuse knickzone, forming terraces with upstream-decreasing ages. The slope of terraces triggered by base-level fall mimics that of the newly adjusted active channel, whereas slopes of terraces triggered by a decrease in upstream sediment discharge or an increase in upstream water discharge are steeper compared to the new equilibrium channel. By combining fillterrace records with constraints on sediment export, we can distinguish among environmental perturbations that would otherwise remain unresolved when using just one of these records. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Reihe - 762 Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-437185 SN - 1866-8372 IS - 762 SP - 609 EP - 631 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tofelde, Stefanie A1 - Savi, Sara A1 - Wickert, Andrew D. A1 - Bufe, Aaron A1 - Schildgen, Taylor F. T1 - Alluvial channel response to environmental perturbations BT - fill-terrace formation and sediment-signal disruption JF - Earth Surface Dynamics N2 - The sensitivity of fluvial systems to tectonic and climatic boundary conditions allows us to use the geomorphic and stratigraphic records as quantitative archives of past climatic and tectonic conditions. Thus, fluvial terraces that form on alluvial fans and floodplains as well as the rate of sediment export to oceanic and continental basins are commonly used to reconstruct paleoenvironments. However, we currently lack a systematic and quantitative understanding of the transient evolution of fluvial systems and their associated sediment storage and release in response to changes in base level, water input, and sediment input. Such knowledge is necessary to quantify past environmental change from terrace records or sedimentary deposits and to disentangle the multiple possible causes for terrace formation and sediment deposition. Here, we use a set of seven physical experiments to explore terrace formation and sediment export from a single, braided channel that is perturbed by changes in upstream water discharge or sediment supply, or through downstream base-level fall. Each perturbation differently affects (1) the geometry of terraces and channels, (2) the timing of terrace cutting, and (3) the transient response of sediment export from the basin. In general, an increase in water discharge leads to near-instantaneous channel incision across the entire fluvial system and consequent local terrace cutting, thus preserving the initial channel slope on terrace surfaces, and it also produces a transient increase in sediment export from the system. In contrast, a decreased upstream sediment-supply rate may result in longer lag times before terrace cutting, leading to terrace slopes that differ from the initial channel slope, and also lagged responses in sediment export. Finally, downstream base-level fall triggers the upstream propagation of a diffuse knickzone, forming terraces with upstream-decreasing ages. The slope of terraces triggered by base-level fall mimics that of the newly adjusted active channel, whereas slopes of terraces triggered by a decrease in upstream sediment discharge or an increase in upstream water discharge are steeper compared to the new equilibrium channel. By combining fillterrace records with constraints on sediment export, we can distinguish among environmental perturbations that would otherwise remain unresolved when using just one of these records. Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-609-2019 SN - 2196-6311 SN - 2196-632X VL - 7 SP - 609 EP - 631 PB - Copernicus Publ. CY - Göttingen ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rosenkranz, Ruben A1 - Schildgen, Taylor F. A1 - Wittmann, Hella A1 - Spiegel, Cornelia T1 - Coupling erosion and topographic development in the rainiest place on Earth BT - Reconstructing the Shillong Plateau uplift history with in-situ cosmogenic Be-10 JF - Earth & planetary science letters N2 - The uplift of the Shillong Plateau, in northeast India between the Bengal floodplain and the Himalaya Mountains, has had a significant impact on regional precipitation patterns, strain partitioning, and the path of the Brahmaputra River. Today, the plateau receives the highest measured yearly rainfall in the world and is tectonically active, having hosted one of the strongest intra-plate earthquakes ever recorded. Despite the unique tectonic and climatic setting of this prominent landscape feature, its exhumation and surface uplift history are poorly constrained. We collected 14 detrital river sand and 3 bedrock samples from the southern margin of the Shillong Plateau to measure erosion rates using the terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide 10Be. The calculated bedrock erosion rates range from 2.0 to 5.6 m My−1, whereas catchment average erosion rates from detrital river sands range from 48 to 214 m My−1. These rates are surprisingly low in the context of steep, tectonically active slopes and extreme rainfall. Moreover, the highest among these rates, which occur on the low-relief plateau surface, appear to have been affected by anthropogenic land-use change. To determine the onset of surface uplift, we coupled the catchment averaged erosion rates with topographic analyses of the plateau's southern margin. We interpolated an inclined, pre-incision surface from minimally eroded remnants along the valley interfluves and calculated the eroded volume of the valleys carved beneath the surface. The missing volume was then divided by the volume flux derived from the erosion rates to obtain the onset of uplift. The results of this calculation, ranging from 3.0 to 5.0 Ma for individual valleys, are in agreement with several lines of stratigraphic evidence from the Brahmaputra and Bengal basin that constrain the onset of topographic uplift, specifically the onset of flexural loading and the transgression from deltaic to marine deposition. Ultimately, our data corroborate the hypothesis that surface uplift was decoupled from the onset of rapid exhumation, which occurred several millions of years earlier. KW - river profile analysis KW - land-use change KW - Be-10 KW - orographic rainfall KW - erosion Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.11.047 SN - 0012-821X SN - 1385-013X VL - 483 SP - 39 EP - 51 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schildgen, Taylor F. A1 - Yildirim, C. A1 - Cosentino, Domenico A1 - Strecker, Manfred T1 - Linking slab break-off, Hellenic trench retreat, and uplift of the Central and Eastern Anatolian plateaus JF - Earth science reviews : the international geological journal bridging the gap between research articles and textbooks KW - Anatolian plateau KW - Surface uplift KW - North Anatolian Fault KW - Slab break-off KW - Eratosthenes Seamount KW - Hellenic trench Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2013.11.006 SN - 0012-8252 SN - 1872-6828 VL - 128 SP - 147 EP - 168 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -