@article{HetzelTaoNiedermannetal.2004, author = {Hetzel, Ralf and Tao, MX and Niedermann, Samuel and Strecker, Manfred and Ivy-Ochs, Susan and Kubik, Peter W. and Gao, B.}, title = {Implications of the fault scaling law for the growth of topography : mountain ranges in the broken foreland of north-east Tibet}, issn = {0954-4879}, year = {2004}, abstract = {A fault scaling law suggests that, over eight orders of magnitude, fault length L is linearly related to maximum displacement D. Individual faults may therefore retain a constant ratio of D/L as they grow. If erosion is minor compared with tectonic uplift, the length and along-strike relief of young mountain ranges should thus reflect fault growth. Topographic profiles along the crests of mountain ranges in the actively deforming foreland of north-east Tibet exhibit a characteristic shape with maximum height near their centre and decreasing elevation toward the tips. We interpret the along-strike relief of these ranges to reflect the slip distribution on high-angle reverse faults. A geometric model illustrates that the lateral propagation rate of such mountain ranges may be deciphered if their length- to-height ratio has remained constant. As an application of the model, we reconstruct the growth of the Heli Shan using a long-term uplift rate of similar to1.3 mm yr(-1) derived from Ne-21 and Be-10 exposure dating}, language = {en} }