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The deterministic calculation of earthquake scenarios using complete waveform modelling plays an increasingly important role in estimating shaking hazard in seismically active regions. Here we apply 3-D numerical modelling of seismic wave propagation to M 6+ earthquake scenarios in the area of the Lower Rhine Embayment, one of the seismically most active regions in central Europe. Using a 3-D basin model derived from geology, borehole information and seismic experiments, we aim at demonstrating the strong dependence of ground shaking on hypocentre location and basin structure. The simulations are carried out up to frequencies of ca. 1 Hz. As expected, the basin structure leads to strong lateral variations in peak ground motion, amplification and shaking duration. Depending on source-basin-receiver geometry, the effects correlate with basin depth and the slope of the basin flanks; yet, the basin also affects peak ground motion and estimated shaking hazard thereof outside the basin. Comparison with measured seismograms for one of the earthquakes shows that some of the main characteristics of the wave motion are reproduced. Cumulating the derived seismic intensities from the three modelled earthquake scenarios leads to a predominantly basin correlated intensity distribution for our study area
Two types of electrical conductivity sensors were evaluated to prospect circular ditches surrounding former Bronze Age burial mounds, complementing aerial photography. The first sensor was based on the electrical resistivity (ER) method, while the second sensor was based on frequency-domain electromagnetic induction (FDEM). Both sensors were designed with multiple receivers, which measure several depth sensitivities simultaneously. First, the sensors were tested on an experimental site where a rectangular structure with limited dimensions was dug in a sandy soil. The structure appeared as a higher conductivity anomaly in the low-conductivity sand. Then, both methods were applied on two Bronze Age sites with different soil properties, which were discovered by aerial photography. The first site, in a sandy soil, gave only very weak anomalies. Soil augering revealed that the ditch filling consisted of the same sandy material as the surrounding, therefore this filling was not able to cause a high-conductivity contrast. Due to its lower sensitivity to noise in the low-conductive range, the ER-sensor produced a more pronounced anomaly than the FDEM-sensor. The second site was located on top of a ridge with a shallow substrate of Tertiary, coastal sediments. The ditch was very clearly visible on the sensor maps as a conductive low. At this location, the soil augering revealed that the ditch was dug through an alternating clay-sand layer and subsequently filled up with silty material from the topsoil. Overall, the shallow receiver separation produced anomalies that were both stronger and that corresponded better to the geometry of the ditches. The other receiver separations provided more information on the natural soil layering, and in the case of the ER-array they could be used to obtain a cross-section of the actual electrical conductivity with 2-D inversion modelling. The results of this study proofed that conductivity sensors can detect Bronze Age ditches, with varying contrast depending on the soil geomorphology. Moreover, the sensor maps combined with soil observations by coring provided insight in the environmental conditions that influence the contrast of the anomalies seen on the aerial photographs and the sensor maps.
The strongly peraluminous and P-rich, protolithionite and zinnwaldite leucogranites from Podlesi, western Krusne Hory Mts., Czech Republic, contain accessory zircon with extraordinary enrichment of several elements, which constitute trace elements in common zircon. Elements showing a not yet reported anomalous enrichment include P (up to 20.2 wt.% P2O5; equivalent to 0.60 apfu, formula calculated on the basis of 4 oxygen atoms), Bi (up to 9.0 wt.% Bi2O3; 0.086 apfu), Nb (up to 6.7 wt.% Nb2O5, 0.12 apfu), Sc (up to 3.45 wt.% Sc2O3; 0.10 apfu), U (up to 14.8 wt.% UO2; 0.12 apfu) and F (up to 3.81 wt.% F; 0.42 apfu). Strong enrichment of P preferentially involved the berlinite-type substitution (2 Si4+ double left right arrow P5+ + Al3+) implying that significant Al may enter the Si position in zircon. Incorporation of other exotic elements is primarily governed by the xenotime (Si4++Zr4+ double left right arrow P5++Y3+), pretulite (Sc3++P5+ double left right arrow Zr4++Si4+), brabantite-type (Ca2++(U, Th)(4+)+2P(5+) double left right arrow 2Zr(4+)+2Si(4+)), and ximengite-type (Bi3++P5+double left right arrow Zr4++Si4+) substitution reactions. One part of the anomalous zircons formed late-magmatically, from a strongly peraluminous, P-F-U-rich hydrous residual melt that gave rise to the zinnwaldite granite. Interaction with aggressive residual fluids and metamictization have further aided in element enrichment or depletion, particularly in altered parts of zircon contained in the protolithionite granite. Most of the zircon from F-rich greisens have a composition close to endmember ZrSiO4 and are chemically distinct from zircon in its granite parent. This discrepancy implies that at Podlesi, granitic zircon became unstable and completely dissolved during greisenization. Part of the mobilized elements was reprecipitated in newly grown, hydrothermal zircon.
The correlation of deformation fabrics and metamorphic reactions with geochronologic data of UHP metamorphic rocks demonstrate that the multistage subduction and exhumation history of the Central Dabie Complex requires rapid subduction and rapid initial exhumation. Moreover, these data show that volume diffusion is not the major resetting mechanism of radiogenic isotope systems. Thus, our age data do not simply reflect a thermal/cooling history. In the investigated section, the maximum age for UHP is given by the 244 +/- 3 Ma (2 sigma) U-Pb age of a pre-UHP titanite phenocryst that survived UHP metamorphism and subsequent tectonometamorphic events. A minimum age for UHP is set by the 238 +/- 1 Ma (2 sigma) U-238-Pb-206 mineral isochron age of titanite and cogenetic epidote. These minerals formed from local partial melts during ascent and their age suggests fast exhumation and emplacement in the middle crust. In the period of ca. 238-218 Ma, the UHP terrain records HT metamorphism, local partial melting, and extensive pervasive strain below the eclogite (jd+grt) stability field. Exhumation was polyphase with a first phase of fast exhumation, succeeded by episodes of HT metamorphism and concomitant deformation at deep/mid crustal level between 238 and 218 Ma. Slow exhumation related to the final emplacement of tectonic units along greenschist facies shear zones did not cease before ca. 209-204 Ma. The resetting and homogenization of radiogenic isotope systems were aided by dissolution precipitation creep, which was the dominant deformation mechanism in quartz-feldspar rocks, in combination with fluid influx. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Intramontane sedimentary basins along the margin of continental plateaus often preserve strata that contain fundamental information regarding the pattern of orogenic growth. The sedimentary record of the elastic Miocene-Pliocene sequence deposited in the Fiambala Basin, at the southern margin of the Puna Plateau (NW Argentina), documents the late Miocene paleodrainage evolution from headwaters to the west, towards headwaters in the ranges that constitute the border of the Puna Plateau to the north. Apatite Fission track (AFT) thermochronology of sedimentary and basement rocks show that the southern Puna Plateau was the source for the youngest, middle Miocene, detrital population detected in late Miocene rocks; and that the margin of the Puna Plateau expressed a high relief, possibly similar to or higher than at present, by late Miocene time. Cooling ages obtained from basement rocks at the southern Puna margin suggest that exhumation started in the Oligocene and continued until the middle Miocene. We interpret the basin reorganization and the creation of a high relief plateau margin to be the direct response of the source-basin system to a wholesale surface uplift event that may have occurred during the late Cenozoic in the Puna-Altiplano region. At this time coeval paleodrainage reorganization is observed not only in the Fiambala Basin, but also in different basins along the southern and eastern Puna margin, suggesting a genetic link between the last stage of plateau formation and basin response. However, this event did not cause sufficient exhumation of basin bounding ranges to be recorded by AFT thermochronology. Our new data thus document a decoupling between late Cenozoic surface uplift and exhumation in the southern Puna Plateau. High relief achieved at the Puna margin by late Miocene time is linked to Oligocene-Miocene exhumation; no significant erosion (< 3 km) has occurred since in this and highland.
A comprehensive survey of the accessory-mineral assemblages in Variscan granites of the German Erzgebirge and Pan-African granites from Jordan revealed the occurrence of intermediate solid solutions of the tetragonal thorite- xenotime-zircon-coffinite mineral group with partially novel compositions. These solid solutions preferentially formed in evolved and metasomatically altered, P-poor leucogranites of either I- or A-type affinity. Thorite from the Erzgebirge contained up to 18-8 Wt-% Y2O3, 16.1 wt.% ZrO2, and 23.3 Wt-% UO2. Xenotime and zircon have incorporated Th in abundances up to 36.3 wt.% and 41.8 wt.% ThO2, respectively. Extended compositional gradation with only minor gaps is confined to hydrated members of this mineral group, and is observed to exist between thorite and xenotime, thorite and coffinite, and Y-HREE-bearing thorite and zircon. Complex, hydrous solid solutions containing elevated abundances of three or more of the endmembers are subordinate. Previously reported intermediate solid solutions between anhydrous zircon and xenotime, and anhydrous zircon and thorite, are not observed and are in conflict with experimental work demonstrating very limited miscibility between anhydrous species of endmember composition. The majority of hydrous intermediate solid solutions in the Th-Y-Zr-U system are likely thermodynamically unstable. Instead, they are probably metastable responses to unusual physico-chemical conditions involving various parameters and conditions, the relative importance of which is incompletely known. Leaching and dissolution of preexisting accessory phases during interaction with F-bearing hydrous fluids enriched in Th, Y(HREE), Zr, and/or U, and common deposition of the various elements at disequilibrium (supersaturation) seems to play a key role, but other processes may be of similar importance. Experimental work involving hydrous conditions and complex systems composed of more than two endmembers are needed to shed light into the stability relations of the chemically uncommon compositions treated in this study.
Metamorphic dome complexes occur within the internal structures of the northern Himalaya and southern Tibet. Their origin, deformation, and fault displacement patterns are poorly constrained. We report new field mapping, structural data, and cooling ages from the western flank of the Leo Pargil dome in the northwestern Himalaya in an attempt to characterize its post-middle Miocene structural development. The western flank of the dome is characterized by shallow, west-dipping pervasive foliation and WNW-ESE mineral lineation. Shear-sense indicators demonstrate that it is affected by east-west normal faulting that facilitated exhumation of high-grade metamorphic rocks in a contractional setting. Sustained top-to-northwest normal faulting during exhumation is observed in a progressive transition from ductile to brittle deformation. Garnet and kyanite indicate that the Leo Pargil dome was exhumed from the mid-crust. Ar- 40/Ar-39 mica and apatite fission track (AFT) ages constrain cooling and exhumation pathways front 350 to 60 degrees C and suggest that the dome cooled in three stages since the middle Miocene. Ar-40/Ar-39 white mica ages of 16-14 Ma suggest a first phase of rapid cooling and provide minimum estimates for the onset of dome exhumation. AFT ages between 10 and 8 Ma suggest that ductile fault displacement had ceased by then, and AFT track-length data from high-elevation samples indicate that the rate of cooling had decreased significantly. We interpret this to indicate decreased fault displacement along the Leo Pargil shear zone and possibly a transition to the Kaurik-Chango normal fault system between 10 and 6 Ma. AFT ages from lower elevations indicate accelerated cooling since the Pliocene that cannot be related to pure fault displacement, and therefore may reflect more pronounced regionally distributed and erosion-driven exhumation
Inversions of an individual geophysical data set can be highly nonunique, and it is generally difficult to determine petrophysical parameters from geophysical data. We show that both issues can be addressed by adopting a statistical multiparameter approach that requires the acquisition, processing, and separate inversion of two or more types of geophysical data. To combine information contained in the physical-property models that result from inverting the individual data sets and to estimate the spatial distribution of petrophysical parameters in regions where they are known at only a few locations. we demonstrate the potential of the fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering technique. After testing this new approach on synthetic data, we apply it to limited crosshole georadar, crosshole seismic, gamma-log, and slug-test data acquired within a shallow alluvial aquifer. The derived multiparameter model effectively outlines the major sedimentary units observed in numerous boreholes and provides plausible estimates for the spatial distributions of gamma-ray emitters and hydraulic conductivity
The statistics of time delays between successive earthquakes has recently been claimed to be universal and to show the existence of clustering beyond the duration of aftershock bursts. We demonstrate that these claims are unjustified. Stochastic simulations with Poissonian background activity and triggered Omori-type aftershock sequences are shown to reproduce the interevent-time distributions observed on different spatial and magnitude scales in California. Thus the empirical distribution can be explained without any additional long-term clustering. Furthermore, we find that the shape of the interevent-time distribution, which can be approximated by the gamma distribution, is determined by the percentage of main-shocks in the catalog. This percentage can be calculated by the mean and variance of the interevent times and varies between 5% and 90% for different regions in California. Our investigation of stochastic simulations indicates that the interevent-time distribution provides a nonparametric reconstruction of the mainshock magnitude-frequency distribution that is superior to standard declustering algorithm
[1] The Kyrgyz Range, the northernmost portion of the Kyrgyzstan Tien Shan, displays topographic evidence for lateral propagation of surface uplift and exhumation. The highest, most deeply dissected segment lies in the center of the range. To the east, topography and relief decrease, and preserved remnants of a Cretaceous regional erosion surface imply minimal amounts of bedrock exhumation. The timing of exhumation of range segments defines the lateral propagation rate of the range-bounding reverse fault and quantifies the time and erosion depth needed to transform a mountain range from a juvenile to a mature morphology. New multicompositional apatite fission track ( AFT) data from three transects from the eastern Kyrgyz Range, combined with published AFT data, demonstrate that the range has propagated over 110 km eastward over the last similar to 7 - 11 Myr. On the basis of the thermal and topographic evolutionary history, we present a model for a time-varying exhumation rate driven by rock uplift and changes in erodability and the timescale of geomorphic adjustment to surface uplift. Easily eroded, Cenozoic sedimentary rocks overlying resistant basement control early, rapid exhumation and exhibit slow surface uplift rates. As increasing amounts of resistant basement are exposed, exhumation rates decrease while surface uplift rates are sustained or increase, thereby growing topography. As the range becomes high enough to cause ice accumulation and to develop steep river valleys, fluvial and glacial erosion becomes more powerful, and exhumation rates once again increase. Independently determined range-normal shortening rates also varied over time, suggesting a feedback between erosional efficiency and shortening rate
The iron speciation in hydrous haplotonalitic and haplogranitic silicate glasses was studied using XAFS spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Spectral features occurring at the main crest of the XANES at the iron K-edge of hydrous glasses indicate contributions to the spectra by iron-moieties present in a more ordered structural environment than found in the dry glass. These differences are also suggested by analysis of the EXAFS. These effects are not completely suppressed even for those samples that were quenched with a higher cooling rate. Strongest differences to the dry glass are observed for a sample that was quenched slowly through the temperature of glass transformation. Crystals (60 to 1500 nm in size) of magnetite, maghemite and another unidentified phase were observed in this sample by TEM, whereas no crystals were found in samples quenched with regular or high cooling rates. In-situ XANES measurements up to 700 degrees C and 500 MPa were performed to reveal the origin (i.e., during synthesis or quench) of the structural differences for those hydrous glasses that do not display any detectable crystallization. The comparison of XANES spectra collected on Fe2+ in water-saturated haplogranitic melt at 700 degrees C and 500 MPa and on Fe2+ in dry melt at 1150 degrees C shows that the local structural environment of Fe2+ in both systems is similar. This indicates that there is no detectable and direct influence of water on the local structure around iron in this type of melt. Hence, the differences observed between hydrous and dry glasses can only be related to artefacts formed during the quench process. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
In this paper, two sets of earthquake ground-motion relations to estimate peak ground and response spectral acceleration are developed for sites in southern Spain and in southern Norway using a recently published composite approach. For this purpose seven empirical ground-motion relations developed from recorded strong-motion data from different parts of the world were employed. The different relations were first adjusted based on a number of transformations to convert the differing choices of independent parameters to a single one. After these transformations, which include the scatter introduced, were performed, the equations were modified to account for differences between the host and the target regions using the stochastic method to compute the host-to-target conversion factors. Finally functions were fitted to the derived ground-motion estimates to obtain sets of seven individual equations for use in probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for southern Spain and southern Norway. The relations are compared with local ones published for the two regions. The composite methodology calls for the setting up of independent logic trees for the median values and for the sigma values, in order to properly separate epistemic and aleatory uncertainties after the corrections and the conversions
Receiver functions (RF) are used to investigate the upper mantle structure beneath the Eifel, the youngest volcanic area of Central Europe. Data from 96 teleseismic events recorded by 242 seismological stations from permanent and a temporary network has been analysed. The temporary network operated from 1997 November to 1998 June and covered an area of approximately 400 x 250 km(2) centred on the Eifel volcanic fields. The average Moho depth in the Eifel is approximately 30 km, thinning to ca. 28 km under the Eifel volcanic fields. RF images suggest the existence of a low velocity zone at about 60-90 km depth under the West Eifel. This observation is supported by P- and S-wave tomographic results and absorption (but the array aperture limits the resolution of the tomographic methods to the upper 400 km). There are also indications for a zone of elevated velocities at around 200 km depth, again in agreement with S-wave and absorption tomographic results. This anomaly is not visible in P-wave tomography and could be due to S-wave anisotropy. The RF anomalies at the Moho, at 60-90 km, and near 200 km depth have a lateral extent of about 100 km. The 410 km discontinuity under the Eifel is depressed by 15-25 km, which could be explained by a maximum temperature increase of +200 degrees C to +300 degrees C. In the 3-D RF image of the Eifel Plume we also notice two additional currently unexplained conversions between 410 and 550 km depth. They could represent remnants of previous subduction or anomalies due to delayed phase changes. The lateral extent of these conversions and the depression of the 410 km discontinuity is about 200 km. The 660 km discontinuity does not show any depth deviation from its expected value. Our observations are consistent with interpretation in terms of an upper mantle plume but they do not rule out connections to processes at larger depth
Reaction rims of titanite on ilmenite are described in samples from four terranes of amphibolite-facies metapelites and amphibolites namely the Tamil Nadu area, southern India; the Val Strona, area of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone, northern Italy, the Bamble Sector, southern Norway, and the northwestern Austroalpine Otztal Complex. The titanite rims, and hence the stability of titanite (CaTiSiO4O) and Al-OH titanite, i.e. vuaganatite (hypothetical end-member CaAlSiO4OH), are discussed in the light of fH(2)O- and fO(2)-buffered equilibria involving clinopyroxene, amphibole, biotite, ilmenite, magnetite, and quartz in the systems CaO-FeO/Fe2O3-TiO2-SiO2-H2O-O-2 (CFTSH) and CaO-FeO/Fe2O3-Al2O3- SiO2-H2O-O-2 (CFASH) present in each of the examples. Textural evidence suggests that titanite reaction rims on ilmenite in rocks from Tamil Nadu, Val Strona, and the Bamble Sector originated most likely due to hydration reactions such as clinopyroxene + ilmenite +quartz+ H2O = amphibole +titanite and oxidation reactions such as amphibole + ilmenite + O-2 = titanite + magnetite + quartz + H2O during amphibolite-facies metamorphism, or, as in the case of the Otztal Complex, during a subsequent greenschist-facies overprint. Overstepping of these reactions requires fH(2)O and fO(2) to be high for titanite formation, which is also in accordance with equilibria involving Al-OH titanite. This study shows that, in addition to P, T, bulk-rock composition and composition of the coexisting fluid, fO(2) and fH(2)O also play an important role in the formation of Al-bearing titanite during amphibolite- and greenschist-facies metamorphism.
Several previous studies have addressed the diagenetic evolution of heterozoan carbonate assemblages. Generally it is assumed that early diagenetic processes in heterozoan settings are mainly destructive, including abrasion and dissolution on the sea floor. Constructive diagenesis (cementation) is delayed to later stages in the burial environment, with pressure solution of calcitic grains acting as a cement source. This paper presents a study of Oligo- Miocene inner- to outer-ramp heterozoan carbonates from the Central Mediterranean (Maltese Islands and Sicily) indicating that early diagenetic processes are more important than previously assumed. Four to five different cement types, including fibrous, two types of epitaxial, bladed and blocky cement, are distinguished based on transmitted light microscopy. Cathodoluminescence microscopy allowed a differentiation between primary high-Mg calcitic (fibrous and epitaxial cement I) and primary low-Mg calcitic (epitaxial cement II, bladed and blocky) cements. Stable-isotope data indicate cement precipitation from marine, marine-derived, and meteoric waters. Trace-element analyses point to cementation in an open system (Maltese Islands) and a closed system (Sicily). Our investigations show that the majority of constructive diagenetic processes in these rocks occurs rather early in the shallow, marine burial environment, which is transitional between the marine seafloor and the deep-burial diagenctic environment. The main cement source in this environment is assumed to be aragonite. We suggest careful consideration of the importance of aragonitic components in fossil heterozoan settings, which seem to be more abundant than previously assumed and can act as a major early cement source. Due to the low preservation potential of these components, detailed geochemical studies are necessary to detect aragonite as the cement source. Our findings also have implications when considering the reservoir qualities of these rocks, because primary porosity can be occluded early and secondary porosity is not preserved
[ 1] The Eastern Cordillera of Colombia is key to understanding the role of inherited basement anisotropies in the evolution of active noncollisional mountain belts. In particular, the Rio Blanco-Guatiquia region of the Eastern Cordillera is exemplary in displaying a variety of phenomena that document the importance of the orientation, geometry, and segmentation of preorogenic anisotropies. We document the first unambiguous evidence that extensional basement structures played an important role in determining the locus of deformation during contractional reactivation in the Eastern Cordillera. Detailed structural field mapping and analysis of industry seismic reflection profiles have helped to identify the inherited San Juanito, Naranjal, and Servita normal faults and associated transfer faults as important structures that were inverted during the Cenozoic Andean orogeny. Apparently, the more internal faults in the former rift basin were not properly oriented for an efficient reactivation in contraction. However, these faults have a fundamental role as strain risers, as folding is concentrated west of them. In contrast, reactivated normal faults such as the more external Servita fault are responsible for uplifting the eastern flank of the Eastern Cordillera. In addition, these structures are adjacent and intimately linked to the development of thin-skinned faults farther east. In part, the superimposed compression in this prestrained extensional region is compensated by lateral escape. The dominant presence of basement involved buckling and thrusting, and the restricted development of thin-skinned thrusting in this inversion orogen makes the Eastern Cordillera a close analog to the intraplate Atlas Mountains of Morocco and other inverted sectors of the Andean orogen farther south
In low-seismicity regions, such as France or Germany, the estimation of probabilistic seismic hazard must cope with the difficult identification of active faults and with the low amount of seismic data available. Since the probabilistic hazard method was initiated, most studies assume a Poissonian occurrence of earthquakes. Here we propose a method that enables the inclusion of time and space dependences between earthquakes into the probabilistic estimation of hazard. Combining the seismicity model Epidemic Type Aftershocks-Sequence (ETAS) with a Monte Carlo technique, aftershocks are naturally accounted for in the hazard determination. The method is applied to the Pyrenees region in Southern France. The impact on hazard of declustering and of the usual assumption that earthquakes occur according to a Poisson process is quantified, showing that aftershocks contribute on average less than 5 per cent to the probabilistic hazard, with an upper bound around 18 per cent
Leech et al. [Mary L. Leech, S. Singh, A.K. Jain, Simon L. Klemperer and R.M. Manickavasagam, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 234 (2005) 83-97], present 3 clusters of ages for growth stages in zircon from quartzo- feldspathic gneisses hosting coesite-bearing eclogite from the Tso Morari Complex, NW India. These age clusters, from oldest to youngest, are interpreted to represent the age of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism, a subsequent eclogite facies overprint and a later amphibolite facies retrogression and require subduction of Indian crust to have started earlier than previously accepted. However, no petrographic evidence, such as inclusions in the zircons relating to particular metamorphic events, is presented to substantiate the proposed sequence of metamorphic stages. Previously published data from eclogites of the same area indicate that coesite-eclogite is not the first but at least the second eclogite facies stage. In addition, the newly proposed time interval between coesite-eclogite and the amphibolite facies overprint is longer than previously indicated by diffusion modelling of natural garnet-garnet couples in eclogite. Neither the age of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism nor the timing of initiation of subduction is reliably constrained by the presented data
The estimation of minimum-misfit stochastic models from empirical ground-motion prediction equations
(2006)
In areas of moderate to low seismic activity there is commonly a lack of recorded strong ground motion. As a consequence, the prediction of ground motion expected for hypothetical future earthquakes is often performed by employing empirical models from other regions. In this context, Campbell's hybrid empirical approach (Campbell, 2003, 2004) provides a methodological framework to adapt ground-motion prediction equations to arbitrary target regions by using response spectral host-to-target-region-conversion filters. For this purpose, the empirical ground-motion prediction equation has to be quantified in terms of a stochastic model. The problem we address here is how to do this in a systematic way and how to assess the corresponding uncertainties. For the determination of the model parameters we use a genetic algorithm search. The stochastic model spectra were calculated by using a speed-optimized version of SMSIM (Boore, 2000). For most of the empirical ground-motion models, we obtain sets of stochastic models that match the empirical models within the full magnitude and distance ranges of their generating data sets fairly well. The overall quality of fit and the resulting model parameter sets strongly depend on the particular choice of the distance metric used for the stochastic model. We suggest the use of the hypocentral distance metric for the stochastic Simulation of strong ground motion because it provides the lowest-misfit stochastic models for most empirical equations. This is in agreement with the results of two recent studies of hypocenter locations in finite-source models which indicate that hypocenters are often located close to regions of large slip (Mai et al., 2005; Manighetti et al., 2005). Because essentially all empirical ground-motion prediction equations contain data from different geographical regions, the model parameters corresponding to the lowest-misfit stochastic models cannot necessarily be expected to represent single, physically realizable host regions but to model the generating data sets in an average way. In addition, the differences between the lowest-misfit stochastic models and the empirical ground-motion prediction equation are strongly distance, magnitude, and frequency dependent, which, according to the laws of uncertainty propagation, will increase the variance of the corresponding hybrid empirical model predictions (Scherbaum et al., 2005). As a consequence, the selection of empirical ground-motion models for host-to-target-region conversions requires considerable judgment of the ground-motion analyst
In the estimate of dispersion with the help of wavelet analysis considerable emphasis has been put on the extraction of the group velocity using the modulus of the wavelet transform. In this paper we give an asymptotic expression of the full propagator in wavelet space that comprises the phase velocity as well. This operator establishes a relationship between the observed signals at two different stations during wave propagation in a dispersive and attenuating medium. Numerical and experimental examples are presented to show that the method accurately models seismic wave dispersion and attenuation
We report measurements of radial and azimuthal anisotropy in the tipper mantle beneath southern and central Finland, which we obtained by array analysis of fundamental-mode Rayleigh and Love waves. Azimuthally averaged phase velocities were analysed in the period range 15 to 190 s for Rayleigh waves and 15 to 100 s for Love waves. The azimuthal variation of the Rayleigh wave phase velocities was obtained in the period range 20 to 100s. The limited depth resolution of fundamental-mode surface waves necessitated strong damping constraints in the inversion for anisotropic parameters. We investigated the effects of non-unicity on the final model by experimenting with varying model geometries. The radial anisotropy beneath Finland can be explained by a lithosphere at least 200km thick, predominantly (> 50% by volume) composed of olivine crystals having their a-axes randomly distributed in the horizontal plane. On the contrary, the measured lithospheric azimuthal anisotropy is small. This call be reconciled with body-wave observations made in the area that indicate a complex pattern of rapidly varying anisotropy. Below 200-250km depth, that is below the petrologic lithosphere as revealed by xenolith analyses conducted in the area, the magnitude of the azimuthal anisotropy increases and would be compatible with a mantle containing 15-20% by volume of olivine crystals whose a-axes are coherently aligned in the N-NE direction. The alignment of the a-axes is off the direction of present-day absolute plate motion in either the no-net-rotation or hot-spot reference frame, currently N55-N60. We interpret this mismatch as evidence for a complex convective flow pattern of the mantle beneath the shield, which, by inference, is decoupled from the overlying lithosphere.
In the humid tropics, continuing high deforestation rates are seen alongside an increasing expansion of secondary forests. In order to understand and model the consequences of these dynamic land-use changes for regional water cycles, the response of soil hydraulic properties to forest disturbance and recovery has to be quantified.At a site in the Brazilian Amazonia, we annually monitored soil infiltrability and saturated hydraulic conductivity (K-s) at 12.5, 20 cm, and 50 cm soil depth after manual forest conversion to pasture (year zero to four after pasture establishment), and during secondary succession after pasture abandonment (year zero to seven after pasture abandonment). We evaluated the hydrological consequences of the detected changes by comparing the soil hydraulic properties with site-specific rainfall intensities and hydrometric observations. Within one year after grazing started, infiltrability and K-s at 12.5 and 20 cm depth decreased by up to one order of magnitude to levels which are typical for 20-year-old pasture. In the three subsequent monitoring years, infiltrability and K-s remained stable. Land use did not impact on subsoil permeability. Whereas infiltrability values are large enough to allow all rainwater to infiltrate even after the conversion, the sudden decline of near-surface K-s is of hydrological relevance as perched water tables and overland flow occur more often on pastures than in forests at our study site. After pasture abandonment and during secondary succession, seven years of recovery did not suffice to significantly increase infiltrability and K-s at 12.5 depth although a slight recovery is obvious. At 20 cm soil depth, we detected a positive linear increase within the seven-year time frame but annual means did not differ significantly. Although more than a doubling of infiltrability and K-s is still required to achieve pre-disturbance levels, which will presumably take more than a decade, the observed slight increases of K-s might already decrease the probability of perched water table generation and overland flow development well before complete recovery.
Major earthquakes ( M > 8) have repeatedly ruptured the Nazca-South America plate interface of south-central Chile involving meter scale land-level changes. Earthquake recurrence intervals, however, extending beyond limited historical records are virtually unknown, but would provide crucial data on the tectonic behavior of forearcs. We analyzed the spatiotemporal pattern of Holocene earthquakes on Santa Maria Island (SMI; 37 degrees S), located 20 km off the Chilean coast and approximately 70 km east of the trench. SMI hosts a minimum of 21 uplifted beach berms, of which a subset were dated to calculate a mean uplift rate of 2.3 +/- 0.2 m/ky and a tilting rate of 0.022 +/- 0.002 degrees/ky. The inferred recurrence interval of strandline-forming earthquakes is similar to 180 years. Combining coseismic uplift and aseismic subsidence during an earthquake cycle, the net gain in strandline elevation in this environment is similar to 0.4 m per event
Three ODP sites located on the Marion Plateau, Northeast Australian margin, were investigated for clay mineral and bulk mineralogy changes through the early to middle Miocene. Kaolinite to smectite (K/S) ratios, as well as mass accumulation rates of clays, point to a marked decrease in accumulation of smectite associated with an increase in accumulation of kaolinite starting at similar to 15.6 Ma, followed by a, second increase in accumulation of kaolinite at similar to 13.2 Ma. Both of these increases are correlative to an increase in the calcite to detritus ratio. Comparison of our record with published precipitation proxies from continental Queensland indicates that increases in kaolinite did not correspond to more intense tropical-humid conditions, but instead to periods of greater aridity. Three mechanisms are explored to explain the temporal trends in clad, on the Marion Plateau: sea-level changes, changes in oceanic currents, and denudation of the Australian continent followed by reworking and eolian transport of clays. Though low mass accumulation rates of kaolinite are compatible with a possible contribution of eolian material after 14 Ma, when Australia became more arid, the lateral distribution of kaolinite along slope indicates mainly fluvial input for all clays and thus rules out this mechanism as well as oceanic current transport as the main controls behind clay accumulation on the plateau. We propose a model explaining the good correlation between long-term sea-level fall, decrease in smectite accumulation, increase in kaolinite accumulation and increase in carbonate input to the distal slope locations. We hypothesize that during low sea level and thus periods of drier continental climate in Queensland, early Miocene kaolinite-rich lacustrine deposits were being reworked, and that the progradation of the heterozoan carbonate platforms towards the basin center favored input of carbonate to the distal slope sites. The major find of our study is that increase kaolinite fluxes on the Queensland margin during the early and middle Miocene did not reflect the establishment of a tropical climate, and this stresses that care must be taken when reconstructing Australian climate based on deep-sea clay records alone.
MATLAB is used in a wide range of applications in geosciences, such as image processing in remote sensing, generation and processing of digital elevation models and the analysis of time series. This book introduces basic methods of data analysis in geosciences using MATLAB. The text includes a brief description of each method and numerous examples on how MATLAB can be used on data sets from earth sciences. All MATLAB recipes can easily be modified in order to analyse the reader's own data sets. The book comes with a CD containing example data sets and a digital version of the MATLAB recipes.
MATLAB is used in a wide range of applications in geosciences, such as image processing in remote sensing, generation and processing of digital elevation models and the analysis of time series. This book introduces basic methods of data analysis in geosciences using MATLAB. The text includes a brief description of each method and numerous examples demonstrating how MATLAB can be used on data sets from earth sciences. All MATLAB recipes can be easily modified in order to analyse the reader's own data sets. The book comes with a CD containing exemplary data sets and a digital version of the MATLAB recipes. (Springer)
We employ P to S converted waveforms to investigate effects of the hot mantle plume on seismic discontinuities of the crust and upper mantle. We observe the Moho at depths between 13 and 17 km, regionally covered by a strong shallow intracrustal converted phase. Coherent phases on the transverse component indicate either dipping interfaces, 3- D heterogeneities or lower crustal anisotropy. We find anomalies related to discontinuities in the upper mantle down to the transition zone evidently related to the hot mantle plume. Lithospheric thinning is confirmed in greater detail than previously reported by Li et al., and we determine the dimensions of the low-velocity zone within the asthenosphere with greater accuracy. Our study mainly focuses on the temperature-pressure dependent discontinuities of the upper mantle transition zone. Effects of the hot diapir on the depths of mineral phase transitions are verified at both major interfaces at 410 and 660 km. We determine a plume radius of about 200 km at the 660 km discontinuity with a core zone of about 120 km radius. The plume conduit is located southwest of Big Island. A conduit tilted in the northeast direction is required in the upper mantle to explain the observations. The determined positions of deflections of the discontinuities support the hypothesis of decoupled upper and lower mantle convection
Natural hazards can have serious societal and economic impacts. Worldwide, around one third of economic losses due to natural hazards are attributable to floods. The majority of natural hazards are triggered by weather-related extremes such as heavy precipitation, rapid snow melt, or extreme temperatures. Some of them, and in particular floods, are expected to further increase in terms of frequency and/or intensity in the coming decades due to the impacts of climate change. In this context, the European Alps areas are constantly disclosed as being particularly sensitive.
In order to enhance the resilience of societies to natural hazards, risk assessments are substantial as they can deliver comprehensive risk information to be used as a basis for effective and sustainable decision-making in natural hazards management. So far, current assessment approaches mostly focus on single societal or economic sectors – e.g. flood damage models largely concentrate on private-sector housing – and other important sectors, such as the transport infrastructure sector, are widely neglected. However, transport infrastructure considerably contributes to economic and societal welfare, e.g. by ensuring mobility of people and goods. In Austria, for example, the national railway network is essential for the European transit of passengers and freights as well as for the development of the complex Alpine topography. Moreover, a number of recent experiences show that railway infrastructure and transportation is highly vulnerable to natural hazards. As a consequence, the Austrian Federal Railways had to cope with economic losses on the scale of several million euros as a result of flooding and other alpine hazards.
The motivation of this thesis is to contribute to filling the gap of knowledge about damage to railway infrastructure caused by natural hazards by providing new risk information for actors and stakeholders involved in the risk management of railway transportation. Hence, in order to support the decision-making towards a more effective and sustainable risk management, the following two shortcomings in natural risks research are approached: i) the lack of dedicated models to estimate flood damage to railway infrastructure, and ii) the scarcity of insights into possible climate change impacts on the frequency of extreme weather events with focus on future implications for railway transportation in Austria.
With regard to flood impacts to railway infrastructure, the empirically derived damage model Railway Infrastructure Loss (RAIL) proved expedient to reliably estimate both structural flood damage at exposed track sections of the Northern Railway and resulting repair cost. The results show that the RAIL model is capable of identifying flood risk hot spots along the railway network and, thus, facilitates the targeted planning and implementation of (technical) risk reduction measures. However, the findings of this study also show that the development and validation of flood damage models for railway infrastructure is generally constrained by the continuing lack of detailed event and damage data.
In order to provide flood risk information on the large scale to support strategic flood risk management, the RAIL model was applied for the Austrian Mur River catchment using three different hydraulic scenarios as input as well as considering an increased risk aversion of the railway operator. Results indicate that the model is able to deliver comprehensive risk information also on the catchment level. It is furthermore demonstrated that the aspect of risk aversion can have marked influence on flood damage estimates for the study area and, hence, should be considered with regard to the development of risk management strategies.
Looking at the results of the investigation on future frequencies of extreme weather events jeopardizing railway infrastructure and transportation in Austria, it appears that an increase in intense rainfall events and heat waves has to be expected, whereas heavy snowfall and cold days are likely to decrease. Furthermore, results indicate that frequencies of extremes are rather sensitive to changes of the underlying thresholds. It thus emphasizes the importance to carefully define, validate, and — if needed — to adapt the thresholds that are used to detect and forecast meteorological extremes. For this, continuous and standardized documentation of damaging events and near-misses is a prerequisite.
Overall, the findings of the research presented in this thesis agree on the necessity to improve event and damage documentation procedures in order to enable the acquisition of comprehensive and reliable risk information via risk assessments and, thus, support strategic natural hazards management of railway infrastructure and transportation.
The humid tropics are the region with the highest rate of land-cover change worldwide. Especially prevalent is the deforestation of old-growth tropical forests to create space for cattle pastures and soybean fields.
The regional water cycle is influenced by vegetation cover in various ways. Especially evapotranspiration considerably contributes to water vapor content in the lower atmosphere. Besides active transpiration by plants, evaporation from wetted plant surfaces further known as interception loss is an important supply of water vapor. Changes in interception loss due to change in land cover and the related consequences on the regional water cycle in the humid tropics of Latin America are the research focus of my thesis. (1) In an experimental setup I assess differences in interception loss between an old-growth tropical forest and a soybean plantation. (2) In a modeling study, I examine interception losses of these two vegetation types compared to a younger secondary forest with the use of the Gash interception model, including an uncertainty analysis for the estimation of the necessary model parameters. (3) Studying the water balance of a 192-km² catchment I disentangle the influences of changes in land cover and climatic factors on interception loss.
The three different research sites in my thesis represent a currently typical spectrum for land-cover changes in Latin America. In the first example I study the consequences of deforestation of transitional forest, which forms the transition from the Brazilian tree savanna (cerrado) to tropical rain forest, for the establishment of soybean fields in the southern Amazon basin. The second study site is a young secondary forest within the “Agua Salud” project area in Panama as an example of reforestation of former pastures. The third study site is the Cirí Grande river catchment which comprises a mixture of young and old forests as well as pastures, which is typical for the southern sub-catchments of the Panama Canal.
The experimental approach consists of the indirect estimation of interception loss by measuring throughfall and stem flow. For the first experimental study I measured throughfall as well as stem flow manually. Measurements of the leaf area index of the two land covers do not show distinct differences; hence it could not serve as an explanation for the differences in the measured interception loss. The considerably higher interception loss at the soybean field is attributed to a possible underestimation of stemflow but also to the stronger ventilation within the well-structured plant rows causing higher evaporation rates. This situation is valid only for two months of the rainy season, when soybean plants are fully developed. In the annual balance evapotranspiration at the soybean site is clearly less than at the forest site, accelerating the development of fast runoff components and consequently discharge. In the medium term, a reduction of water availability in the study area can be expected.
For the modeling study, throughfall in a young secondary forest is sampled automatically. The resulting temporally high-resolution dataset allows the distinction between different precipitation and interception events. The core of this study is the sensitivity and uncertainty analysis of the Gash interception model parameters and the consequences for its results. Canopy storage capacity plays a key role for the model and parameter uncertainty. With increasing storage capacity uncertainty in parameter delineation also increases. Evaporation rate as the driving component of the interception process incorporates in this context the largest parameter uncertainty. Depending on the selected method for parameter estimation, parameter values may vary tremendously.
In the third study, I analyze the influence of interception loss on the water balance of the Cirí Grande catchment, incorporating the interlinked effects of temperature, precipitation and changes of the land use mosaic using the SWAT (soil water assessment tool) model. Constructing several land-cover scenarios I assess their influence on the catchment’s discharge. The results show that land-cover change exerts only a small influence on annual discharge in the Cirí Grande catchment whereas an increase in temperature markedly influences evapotranspiration. The temperature-induced larger transpiration and interception loss balances the simultaneous increase in annual precipitation, such that the resulting changes in annual discharge are negligible.
The results of the three studies show the considerable effect of land cover on interception. However, the magnitude of this effect can be masked by changes in local conditions, especially by an increase in temperature. Hence, the results cannot be transferred easily between the different study sites. For modeling purposes, this means that measurements of vegetation characteristics as well as interception loss at the respective sites are indispensable.
Rapidly uplifting coastlines are frequently associated with convergent tectonic boundaries, like subduction zones, which are repeatedly breached by giant megathrust earthquakes. The coastal relief along tectonically active realms is shaped by the effect of sea-level variations and heterogeneous patterns of permanent tectonic deformation, which are accumulated through several cycles of megathrust earthquakes. However, the correlation between earthquake deformation patterns and the sustained long-term segmentation of forearcs, particularly in Chile, remains poorly understood. Furthermore, the methods used to estimate permanent deformation from geomorphic markers, like marine terraces, have remained qualitative and are based on unrepeatable methods. This contrasts with the increasing resolution of digital elevation models, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and high-resolution bathymetric surveys.
Throughout this thesis I study permanent deformation in a holistic manner: from the methods to assess deformation rates, to the processes involved in its accumulation. My research focuses particularly on two aspects: Developing methodologies to assess permanent deformation using marine terraces, and comparing permanent deformation with seismic cycle deformation patterns under different spatial scales along the M8.8 Maule earthquake (2010) rupture zone. Two methods are developed to determine deformation rates from wave-built and wave-cut terraces respectively. I selected an archetypal example of a wave-built terrace at Santa Maria Island studying its stratigraphy and recognizing sequences of reoccupation events tied with eleven radiocarbon sample ages (14C ages). I developed a method to link patterns of reoccupation with sea-level proxies by iterating relative sea level curves for a range of uplift rates. I find the best fit between relative sea-level and the stratigraphic patterns for an uplift rate of 1.5 +- 0.3 m/ka.
A Graphical User Interface named TerraceM® was developed in Matlab®. This novel software tool determines shoreline angles in wave-cut terraces under different geomorphic scenarios. To validate the methods, I select test sites in areas of available high-resolution LiDAR topography along the Maule earthquake rupture zone and in California, USA. The software allows determining the 3D location of the shoreline angle, which is a proxy for the estimation of permanent deformation rates. The method is based on linear interpolations to define the paleo platform and cliff on swath profiles. The shoreline angle is then located by intersecting these interpolations. The
accuracy and precision of TerraceM® was tested by comparing its results with previous assessments, and through an experiment with students in a computer lab setting at the University
of Potsdam.
I combined the methods developed to analyze wave-built and wave-cut terraces to assess regional patterns of permanent deformation along the (2010) Maule earthquake rupture. Wave-built terraces are tied using 12 Infra Red Stimulated luminescence ages (IRSL ages) and shoreline angles in wave-cut terraces are estimated from 170 aligned swath profiles. The comparison of coseismic slip, interseismic coupling, and permanent deformation, leads to three areas of high permanent uplift, terrace warping, and sharp fault offsets. These three areas correlate with regions of high slip and low coupling, as well as with the spatial limit of at least eight historical megathrust ruptures (M8-9.5). I propose that the zones of upwarping at Arauco and Topocalma reflect changes in frictional properties of the megathrust, which result in discrete boundaries for the propagation of mega earthquakes.
To explore the application of geomorphic markers and quantitative morphology in offshore areas I performed a local study of patterns of permanent deformation inferred from hitherto unrecognized drowned shorelines at the Arauco Bay, at the southern part of the (2010) Maule earthquake rupture zone. A multidisciplinary approach, including morphometry, sedimentology, paleontology, 3D morphoscopy, and a landscape Evolution Model is used to recognize, map, and assess local rates and patterns of permanent deformation in submarine environments. Permanent deformation patterns are then reproduced using elastic models to assess deformation rates of an active submarine splay fault defined as Santa Maria Fault System. The best fit suggests a reverse structure with a slip rate of 3.7 m/ka for the last 30 ka. The register of land level changes during the earthquake cycle at Santa Maria Island suggest that most of the deformation may be accrued through splay fault reactivation during mega earthquakes, like the (2010) Maule event. Considering a recurrence time of 150 to 200 years, as determined from historical and geological observations, slip between 0.3 and 0.7 m per event would be required to account for the 3.7 m/ka millennial slip rate. However, if the SMFS slips only every ~1000 years, representing a few megathrust earthquakes, then a slip of ~3.5 m per event would be required to account for the long- term rate. Such event would be equivalent to a magnitude ~6.7 earthquake capable to generate a local tsunami.
The results of this thesis provide novel and fundamental information regarding the amount of permanent deformation accrued in the crust, and the mechanisms responsible for this accumulation at millennial time-scales along the M8.8 Maule earthquake (2010) rupture zone. Furthermore, the results of this thesis highlight the application of quantitative geomorphology and the use of repeatable methods to determine permanent deformation, improve the accuracy of marine terrace assessments, and estimates of vertical deformation rates in tectonically active coastal areas. This is vital information for adequate coastal-hazard assessments and to anticipate realistic earthquake and tsunami scenarios.
Intermontane valley fills
(2016)
Sedimentary valley fills are a widespread characteristic of mountain belts around the world. They transiently store material over time spans ranging from thousands to millions of years and therefore play an important role in modulating the sediment flux from the orogen to the foreland and to oceanic depocenters. In most cases, their formation can be attributed to specific fluvial conditions, which are closely related to climatic and tectonic processes. Hence, valley-fill deposits constitute valuable archives that offer fundamental insight into landscape evolution, and their study may help to assess the impact of future climate change on sediment dynamics.
In this thesis I analyzed intermontane valley-fill deposits to constrain different aspects of the climatic and tectonic history of mountain belts over multiple timescales. First, I developed a method to estimate the thickness distribution of valley fills using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Based on the assumption of geometrical similarity between exposed and buried parts of the landscape, this novel and highly automated technique allows reconstructing fill thickness and bedrock topography on the scale of catchments to entire mountain belts.
Second, I used the new method for estimating the spatial distribution of post-glacial sediments that are stored in the entire European Alps. A comparison with data from exploratory drillings and from geophysical surveys revealed that the model reproduces the measurements with a root mean squared error (RMSE) of 70m and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.81. I used the derived sediment thickness estimates in combination with a model of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) icecap to infer the lithospheric response to deglaciation, erosion and deposition, and deduce their relative contribution to the present-day rock-uplift rate. For a range of different lithospheric and upper mantle-material properties, the results suggest that the long-wavelength uplift signal can be explained by glacial isostatic adjustment with a small erosional contribution and a substantial but localized tectonic component exceeding 50% in parts of the Eastern Alps and in the Swiss Rhône Valley. Furthermore, this study reveals the particular importance of deconvolving the potential components of rock uplift when interpreting recent movements along active orogens and how this can be used to constrain physical properties of the Earth’s interior.
In a third study, I used the ANN approach to estimate the sediment thickness of alluviated reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo River, upstream of the rapidly uplifting Namche Barwa massif. This allowed my colleagues and me to reconstruct the ancient river profile of the Yarlung Tsangpo, and to show that in the past, the river had already been deeply incised into the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Dating of basal sediments from drill cores that reached the paleo-river bed to 2–2.5 Ma are consistent with mineral cooling ages from the Namche Barwa massif, which indicate initiation of rapid uplift at ~4 Ma. Hence, formation of the Tsangpo gorge and aggradation of the voluminous valley fill was most probably a consequence of rapid uplift of the Namche Barwa massif and thus tectonic activity.
The fourth and last study focuses on the interaction of fluvial and glacial processes at the southeastern edge of the Karakoram. Paleo-ice-extent indicators and remnants of a more than 400-m-thick fluvio-lacustrine valley fill point to blockage of the Shyok River, a main tributary of the upper Indus, by the Siachen Glacier, which is the largest glacier in the Karakoram Range. Field observations and 10Be exposure dating attest to a period of recurring lake formation and outburst flooding during the penultimate glaciation prior to ~110 ka. The interaction of Rivers and Glaciers all along the Karakorum is considered a key factor in landscape evolution and presumably promoted headward erosion of the Indus-Shyok drainage system into the western margin of the Tibetan Plateau.
The results of this thesis highlight the strong influence of glaciation and tectonics on valley-fill formation and how this has affected the evolution of different mountain belts. In the Alps valley-fill deposition influenced the magnitude and pattern of rock uplift since ice retreat approximately 17,000 years ago. Conversely, the analyzed valley fills in the Himalaya are much older and reflect environmental conditions that prevailed at ~110 ka and ~2.5 Ma, respectively. Thus, the newly developed method has proven useful for inferring the role of sedimentary valley-fill deposits in landscape evolution on timescales ranging from 1,000 to 10,000,000 years.