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The battering of bedrock by bedload collisions is the primary mechanism by which bedrock rivers erode and landscapes evolve. The energy imparted via impacts acts to detach bedrock via the growth and intersection of surface fractures. We present impact experiments designed to test the influence of particle impact energy on bedrock erosion rates. We found that erosional efficiency increased with increasing impact energy. Notably, these increases in efficiency are not captured by a widely‐used mechanistic bedrock erosion model. Observed increases in erosional efficiency were linked with enhanced elastic energy dissipation captured by differences in the coefficient of restitution. We suggest that this increase in energy dissipation is indicative of enhanced crack extension for high velocity impacts. Our experiments indicate a clear energy‐dependence for bedrock detachment processes that is not yet captured by bedrock incision models but may be integrated into long‐term erosion rates and landscape evolution. Plain Language Summary: Bouncing sediment grains batter the bedrock beds of rivers during floods. As these impacts collide with the bed, they slowly chip away at the riverbed bedrock. It's perhaps intuitive that a grain with more energy when it collides with the riverbed is able to chip away more bedrock. But, how much more destructive are these high energy impacts? We designed an experiment where we hit a bedrock sample with a steel ball at a range of impact energies, over and over again, up to 30,000 times, and measured how much material was chipped away. High energy impacts eroded more material, but this increased efficiency of erosion is not fully captured by impact‐based erosion models. We hypothesize that for higher energy impacts, a larger fraction of the incoming energy is used to crack the bedrock, more easily eroding material. We liken the relative influence of these high energy impacts to a battering ram, where only a few strikes can easily break down a door, whereas lower energy impacts, similar to a simple knock, are unlikely to achieve the same result. We suggest that this effect may be important in determining the influence of extreme events on bedrock erosion over long timescales. Key Points: Impact experiments demonstrate that bedrock erosional efficiency is enhanced with increasing impact energyExperimentally‐derived coefficients of restitution and rock resistance coefficients indicate enhanced elastic energy dissipation with increasing impact energyResults suggest that more energetic impacts enhance crack extension, increasing erosional efficiency [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The battering of bedrock by bedload collisions is the primary mechanism by which bedrock rivers erode and landscapes evolve. The energy imparted via impacts acts to detach bedrock via the growth and intersection of surface fractures. We present impact experiments designed to test the influence of particle impact energy on bedrock erosion rates. We found that erosional efficiency increased with increasing impact energy. Notably, these increases in efficiency are not captured by a widely‐used mechanistic bedrock erosion model. Observed increases in erosional efficiency were linked with enhanced elastic energy dissipation captured by differences in the coefficient of restitution. We suggest that this increase in energy dissipation is indicative of enhanced crack extension for high velocity impacts. Our experiments indicate a clear energy‐dependence for bedrock detachment processes that is not yet captured by bedrock incision models but may be integrated into long‐term erosion rates and landscape evolution.

Large, rarely mobile boulders are observed globally in mountainous bedrock channels. Recent studies suggest that high concentrations of boulders could be associated with channel morphological adjustment. However, a process‐based understanding of large boulder effects on channel morphology is limited, and data are scarce and ambiguous. Here, we develop a theory of steady‐state channel width and slope as a function of boulder concentration. Our theory assumes that channel morphology adjusts to maintain two fundamental mass balances: (a) grade, in which the channel transports the same sediment flux downstream despite boulders acting as roughness elements and (b) bedrock erosion, by which the channel erodes at the background tectonic uplift rate. Model predictions are normalized by a reference, boulder‐free channel width and slope, accounting for variations due to sediment supply, discharge, and lithology. Models are tested against a new data set from the Liwu River, Taiwan, showing steepening and widening with increasing boulder concentration. Whereas one of the explored mechanisms successfully explains the observed steepening trend, none of the models accuratly account for the observed width variability. We propose that this contrast arises from different adjustment timescales: while sediment bed slope adjusts within a few floods, width adjustment takes a much longer time. Overall, we find that boulders represent a significant perturbation to fluvial landscapes. Channels tend to respond by forming a new morphology that differs from boulder‐free channels. The general approach presented here can be further expanded to explore the role of other hydrodynamic effects associated with large, rarely mobile boulders. Plain Language Summary: Large boulders are a significant feature in mountainous landscapes. Recent studies suggested that boulders residing in rivers interfere with the flow and sediment transport, forcing their geometry, specifically width and slope, to change. Our ability to understand and predict such changes is challenged by scarce field data and a general lack of models capable of explaining the processes underlying channel geometry adjustment in the presence of boulders. Here, we develop a theory and several models for the variation of channel width and slope as with channel boulder coverage. Our theory builds on the assumption that the geometry of boulder‐bed channels evolves to a new configuration to maintain steadiness of erosion rate and sediment transport. Predictions from the various models are tested against data from the steep Liwu River in Taiwan. These data show that width and slope increase with more boulders. We find that channel slope increases to overcome the greater resistance to sediment transport due to the boulders. In contrast, the scattered nature of the width data and the overall models inability to explain width variability likely reflect a longer adjustment period for width than for slope. This study demonstrates the important role of boulders in shaping landscapes. Key Points: We develop a theory for steady‐state reach‐scale channel morphology responding to large, rarely mobile boulders in bedrock riversPredictions of boulder‐bed channel width and slope are derived based on grade equilibrium and bedrock erosional balanceTheory is tested against new data from the Liwu River, Taiwan, showing steepening and widening with increasing boulder concentration [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bedrock river erosion is driven by channel hydraulics, which are not well understood for complex morphologies. Many bedrock rivers exhibit a constriction‐pool‐widening (CPW) morphology associated with submerged plunging flows. These flows cause velocity profile inversions resulting in high velocities near the bed and low velocities on the water surface. The first observations documenting plunging flows were from relatively low discharge, and it is unclear whether they persist during floods. Here we show that plunging flows persist and get stronger at flood discharge, increasing bedrock erosion potential by particle impacts. Flood‐discharge plunging flows contact the bed and maintain high velocities farther through the CPW structure, and evacuate large volumes of sediment from the pools. These reach‐scale processes are not represented in large‐scale landscape evolution models, yet these erosion mechanisms set the pace of landscape evolution, begging for a re‐evaluation of process representation in landscape evolution models. Plain Language Summary: Incision in bedrock rivers sets the pace of landscape evolution by controlling the rate of geomorphic responses to climatic and tectonic signals, yet the processes driving incision occur at much finer scale than those captured by landscape evolution models. Local bedrock river incision is driven by flow structures that are not well understood. Rivers typically flow fastest near the surface and slowest near the bed, but many bedrock rivers have channel morphologies that cause this velocity/depth relation to invert. The fastest‐flows submerge toward the bed enhancing near‐bed velocities, sediment transport, and consequently the potential for bedrock incision by particle impacts. However, the first observations of these "plunging flows" were from relatively low discharges and it is not clear if they persist during floods. Here we show that plunging flows get stronger during floods, which clears sediment cover that protects the underlying bedrock and increases bedrock incision potential. The length of the plunging flows matches their coincident pools which are common features of bedrock rivers, explaining why these pools exist. Formation of deep scour pools by complex flow structures in bedrock‐confined rivers is the mechanism that drives incision, begging for a re‐examination of the models used to explore landscape evolution. Key Points: Plunging flows occurring in bedrock rivers increase near‐bed velocity, sediment transport, and rock erosion potential in scour poolsPlunging flows persist and get stronger as the discharge and flow velocity increasePlunging flows at moderate discharges remove sediment cover, exposing bedrock surfaces to bedload impacts [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plucking of blocks is an important, but understudied component of erosion in steep bedrock rivers. With the goal of developing realistic entrainment thresholds for use in bedrock channel evolution models, we re‐formulate the block entrainment problem. We derive the force and torque balances representing sliding and toppling of blocks occupying backward‐facing steps in the channel floor. We employ a computational fluid dynamics package to calculate the pressures and shear stresses on all faces of such a block, therefore explicitly representing the horizontally directed drag force and vertically directed lift force. We find that the pressure difference between the upstream and downstream block faces can significantly impact the force and torque balances. At typical flows, downstream pressure becomes ∼1%–2% lower than total upstream pressure, reflecting the reduction in fluid pressures in the recirculation zone. This pressure difference scales with the block Reynolds number squared and dramatically increases if the block protrudes above the plane of the upstream ledge. The resulting net downstream‐directed force both adds to the forces promoting sliding and provides a torque about the lower downstream corner of the block. Armed with the full set of forces on a block, we explore the roles of block geometry, flow velocity and depth, toppling pivot point location, and bed slope in facilitating sliding and toppling. Incorporating the small pressure difference between upstream and downstream faces greatly lowers the threshold for plucking, and suggests that blocks on river channel floors should move at lower and hence more frequent discharges than previously thought. Key Points: Including a pressure difference in the force balance for block plucking results in lower predicted erosional thresholdsThe difference between the upstream and downstream pressures scales with the block Reynolds number squared for subcritical flowsPressure difference, bed slope, and the location of a block pivot point strongly affect the susceptibility of blocks to entrainment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the extent to which local factors, including bedrock and structure, govern catchment denudation in mountainous environments as opposed to broader climate or tectonic patterns provides insight into how landscapes evolve as sediment is generated and transported through them, and whether they have approached steady‐state equilibrium. We measured beryllium‐10 (10Be) concentrations in 21 sediment samples from glaciated footwall and hanging wall catchments, including a set of nested catchments, and 12 bedrock samples in the Puga and Tso Morari half‐grabens located in the high‐elevation, arid Zanskar region of northern India. In the Puga half‐graben where catchments are underlain by quartzo‐feldspathic gneissic bedrock, bedrock along catchment divides is eroding very slowly, about 5 m/Ma, due to extreme aridity and 10Be concentrations in catchment sediments are the highest (~60–90 × 105 atoms/g SiO2) as colluvium accumulates on hillslopes, decoupled from their ephemeral streams. At Puga, 10Be concentrations and the average erosion rates of a set of six nested catchments demonstrate that catchment denudation is transport‐limited as sediment stagnates on lower slopes before reaching the catchment outlet. In the Tso Morari half‐graben, gneissic bedrock is also eroding very slowly but 10Be concentrations in sediments in catchments underlain by low grade meta‐sedimentary rocks, are significantly lower (~10–35 × 105 atoms/g SiO2). In these arid, high‐elevation environments, 10Be concentrations in catchment sediments have more to do with bedrock weathering and transport times than steady‐state denudation rates. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shore platforms control wave energy transformation which, in turn, controls energy delivery to the cliff toe and nearshore sediment transport. Insight into shore platform erosion rates has conventionally been constrained at millimetre‐scales using micro‐erosion metres, and at metre‐scales using cartographic data. On apparently slowly eroding coasts, such approaches are fundamentally reliant upon long‐term observation to capture emergent erosion patterns. Where in practise timescales are short, and where change is either below the resolution or saturates the mode of measurement, the collection of data that enables the identification of the actual mechanisms of erosion is hindered. We developed a method to monitor shore platform erosion at millimetre resolution within metre‐scale monitoring plots using Structure‐from‐Motion photogrammetry. We conducted monthly surveys at 15 0.25 m2 sites distributed across the Hartle Loup platform in North Yorkshire, UK, over one year. We derived topographic data at 0.001 m resolution, retaining a vertical precision of change detection of 0.001 m. We captured a mean erosion rate of 0.528 mm yr‐1, but this varied considerably both across the platform and through the year. We characterized the volume and shape of eroded material. The detachment volume–frequency and shape distributions suggest that erosion happens primarily via removal of shale platelets. We identify that the at‐a‐point erosion rate can be predicted by the distance from the cliff and the tidal level, whereby erosion rates are higher closer to the cliff and at locations of higher tidal duration. The size of individual detachments is controlled by local micro‐topography and rock structure, whereby larger detachments are observed on more rough sections of the platform. Faster erosion rates and larger detachments occur in summer months, rather than in more energetic winter conditions. These results have the potential to form the basis of improved models of how platforms erode over both short‐ and long‐timescales. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A quantitative assessment of rockwall erosional processes in the Whittard Canyon. • Spalling erosion is prevalent, affecting mudstone and carbonate units. • Block failures within carbonate units are controlled by discontinuity joint sets. • Strength testing of carbonates revealed two groups, influenced by mud content. • Benthic organisms may intensify erosion through boring and burrowing into terraces. Abstract During the CODEMAP 2015 research expedition to the Whittard Canyon, Celtic Margin (NE Atlantic), a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) gathered High Definition video footage of the canyon rockwalls at depths of approximately 412–4184 m below sea level. This dataset was supplemented by predominantly carbonate rock samples collected during the dives, which were subsequently tested for key physical property characteristics in a geotechnical laboratory. The high-resolution video footage revealed small-scale rockwall slope processes that would not have been visible if shipboard geophysical equipment was solely relied upon during the survey. Of particular interest was the apparent spalling failure of mudstone and chalk rockwalls, with fresh superficial "flaking" scars and an absence of sessile fauna possibly suggesting relatively recent mass-wasting activity. Extensive talus slopes, often consisting of coarse gravel, cobble and occasionally boulder-sized clasts, were observed at the foot of slopes impacted by spalling failures; this debris was rarely colonised by biological communities, which could be an indicator of frequent rockfall events. Bio-erosion was also noted on many of the walls prone to this form of rock slope failure (RSF). As in subaerial equivalents, internal fracture networks appear to control the prevalence of RSF and the geometries of blocks, often resulting in cubic and tabular blocks (0.2–1.0 m scale) of bedrock toppling or sliding out of the cliff face. Tensile strength parameters of carbonate rock samples were determined and these may affect the mass wasting processes observed within the canyon. It was found that carbonate samples which appeared to have a higher mud content, and reduced porosity, produced significantly higher tensile strength values. It is proposed that these stronger, "muddy" carbonate units form the overhanging ledges that often provide an ideal setting for sessile species, such as Acesta excavata clams, to colonise whereas the weaker "pure" carbonate units are more easily eroded and therefore form the undercutting, receding sections of the rockwall. By combining the ROV observations, basic discontinuity assessments (estimation of fracture orientations) and laboratory testing results, an understanding of the geomechanical properties of the bedrock can be obtained and linked with past and ongoing rock slope processes within the Whittard Canyon. These conclusions will have a wider implication for ongoing geomechanical processes within submarine canyons on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis of valley cross sections is an established technique for evaluating the effects of glacial erosion. Here, we present a semiautomated approach for assessing glacial modification of bedrock valleys by quantifying morphological variability in valley cross sections extracted in bulk from digital elevation models (DEMs). This method can be tailored to derive cross sections of user-specified width and spacing and can generate cross-sectional data sets of multiple orders of magnitude. We demonstrate the technique by extracting ~27,000 cross sections from the Sierra Nevada, California, and computing measures of valley morphology including a form ratio, a quadratic curve fit, and a power law curve fit for each cross section. In addition, we introduce a novel metric, the V-index, which is calculated by comparing valley cross-sectional area to that of an ideal V-shaped cross section and is, thus, an expression of the deviation from an ideal V-shaped form. Statistical comparisons of the different measures suggest that the V-index is a robust alternative to traditional morphological measures because it can accommodate irregular valley cross sections and discriminate between glacial and nonglacial forms. We document the distribution of valley forms throughout the Sierra Nevada using the V-index to identify range-scale patterns in cross-sectional morphology and to investigate the role of lithology on glacial modification of bedrock valleys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landscapes often respond to changes in climate and tectonics through the formation and upstream propagation of knickzones composed of waterfalls. Little work has been done on the mechanics of waterfall erosion, and instead most landscape-scale models neglect waterfalls or use rules for river erosion, such as stream power, that may not be applicable to waterfalls. Here we develop a physically based model to predict waterfall plunge pool erosion into rock by abrasion from particle impacts and test the model against flume experiments. Both the model and experiments show that evolving plunge pools have initially high vertical erosion rates due to energetic particle impacts, and erosion slows and eventually ceases as pools deepen and deposition protects the pool floor from further erosion. Lateral erosion can continue after deposition on the pool floor, but it occurs at slow rates that become negligible as pools widen. Our work points to the importance of vertical drilling of successive plunge pools to drive upstream knickzone propagation in homogenous rock, rather than the classic mechanism of headwall undercutting. For a series of vertically drilling waterfalls, we find that upstream knickzone propagation is faster under higher combined water and sediment fluxes and for knickzones composed of many waterfalls that are closely spaced. Our model differs significantly from stream-power-based erosion rules in that steeper knickzones can retreat faster or more slowly depending on the number and spacing of waterfalls within a knickzone, which has implications for interpreting climatic and tectonic history through analysis of river longitudinal profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The erosion of rock-bedded channels generally is considered a slow process caused mainly by abrasion due to bedload or suspended sediments, but the mechanisms of rapid erosion remain unclear. Cavitation is a clear-fluid erosive process, well known for its effect on engineering structures, when water vapour bubbles collapse and the resultant pressure shocks erode the boundary. However, although the occurrence of cavitation erosion in natural watercourses has long been a matter of debate, as yet there are no incontrovertible examples of cavitation damage to natural river beds. Using flume experiments, we show for the first time that only weakly-cavitating clear-water flows can occur for the range of flow velocities observed in rivers, and these do not erode medium-hardness rocks after 68 hours. During this time period, only a very soft rock featured erosional marks due to dissolution. Thus, our results cast significant doubt on the likelihood of identifying cavitation damage in most rivers, and provide pointers to those river systems that might be investigated further to identify cavitation erosion. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bedrock erosion rates in natural landscapes are usually slow, of the order of millimeters per year or less, and sophisticated techniques have been developed to measure them. Different techniques have proved to be valuable depending on the spatial and temporal scale on which information is needed, on the environment and on the scientific question that is asked. Here, we give an overview of the various methods that have been developed. We introduce their working principles and outline their advantages and disadvantages. Further, we provide comprehensive references to relevant literature, both on the methods and on scientific examples of their application. © 2016 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the frequency of bedrock exposure in a soil-mantled low-relief (i.e. non-mountainous) landscape. In the High Plains of eastern Colorado, gully headcuts are among the few erosional features that will incise through the soil mantle to expose bedrock. We measured the last time of bedrock exposure using optically stimulated luminescence dating of alluvial sediment overlying bedrock in gully headcuts. Our dating suggests that headcuts in adjacent gullies expose bedrock asynchronously, and therefore, the headcuts are unlikely to have been triggered by a base-level drop in the trunk stream. This finding supports the hypothesis that headcuts can develop locally in gullies as a result of focused scour in locations where hydraulic stress during a flash flood is sufficiently high, and/or ground cover is sufficiently weak, to generate a scour hole that undermines vegetation. Alluvium dating also reveals that gullies have been a persistent part of this landscape since the early Holocene. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bedrock channels are common in the natural environment, and bedrock channel erosion sets the pace of denudation in many river catchments. However, in comparison to the large number of studies concerning the formation of alluvial bedforms, relatively few investigations have concerned bedrock bedform genesis. Field-based analysis of sculptured forms within bedrock channels has been restricted notably by the slow rate of bedform development in such environments. Furthermore, only a limited number of flume-scale experiments have been conducted that attempt to simulate the genesis of sculpted bedforms in bedrock channels. This study demonstrates that optimisation of clay beds through analysis of clay strength enables the development of features analogous to bedrock river channel bedforms — even at a scale that is orders of magnitude smaller than some natural examples. Three sets of suspended sediment-laden experiments were carried out using hard, medium, and soft clay bed substrates. A suite of erosive bedforms (including potholes, flutes, and furrows) developed on all experimental beds. All observed erosional features have clear equivalents to those observed in natural bedrock rivers. Bed shear strength was found to be a significant factor for the genesis of different types of simulated bedrock bedforms in our experiments with other factors, such as flow velocity, bed slope, and flow depth held approximately constant. Importantly, in a subset of experiments performed with an absence of suspended sediment, fluid flow did not result in the erosion and development of bedforms in the clay bed. Hence, this work illustrates that abrasion by suspended sediments is the key process required for the formation of these simulated bedrock bedforms in our experiments, in the absence of bedload abrasion; other processes such as plucking, cavitation, and dissolution will have been negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of extreme flood events is rarely considered in studies of long-term landscape evolution, despite the potential for catastrophic landscape change in a short period of time. Here, we use an integrated approach of geomorphological mapping, topographic analysis and geophysical surveys to identify and quantify the impact of extreme flood events (jökulhlaups) along the Jökulsá á Fjöllum, Iceland, where evidence for the action of such floods is widespread on microspatial to macrospatial scales. The apex of the 28-km-long Jökulsárgljúfur canyon is characterised by a complex network of palaeo-flood channels and large vertical knickpoints such as Dettifoss (54 m high) and Hafragilsfoss (20 m high). Downstream, the Forvoð valley contains large terraces of boulder-rich deposits (50 m thick, > 3 km long). Near the outlet of the canyon is Ásbyrgi, a dry canyon (3 km long, 1 km wide, up to 90 m deep) with eroded cataracts and scabland morphology immediately upstream and ~ 90 m above the current river channel. Topographic analysis and electrical resistivity tomography surveys show that 0.144 km 3 of rock was eroded from Ásbyrgi during its formation ~ 10,000 years ago, and just 4% of this eroded volume is currently filled with sediment deposits, up to 5 m thick. Deposited boulders across the canyon floor of Ásbyrgi demonstrate that the discharge of the jökulhlaup that formed the canyon was at least 39,000 m 3 s − 1 . We present a model for the evolution of the lower Jökulsá á Fjöllum and the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon during various stages of an extreme flood event. Reconstruction of the early Holocene flood event includes the initiation and development of different canyons before the capture of all floodwater within one canyon at the end. We tie the evolution of the lower Jökulsárgljúfur canyon to established chronology of flood events during the Holocene farther upstream and highlight the dominant impact of extreme flood events over background processes in this landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River incision into bedrock drives the topographic evolution of mountainous terrain and may link climate, tectonics, and topography over geologic time scales. Despite its importance, the mechanics of bedrock erosion are not well understood because channel form, river hydraulics, sediment transport, and erosion mechanics coevolve over relatively long time scales that prevent direct observations, and because erosive events occur intermittently and are difficult and dangerous to measure. Herein we synthesize how flume experiments using erodible bedrock simulants are filling these knowledge gaps by effectively accelerating the pace of landscape evolution under reduced scale in the laboratory. We also build on this work by providing new theory for rock resistance to abrasion, thresholds for plucking by vertical entrainment, sliding and toppling, and by assessing bedrock-analog materials. Bedrock erosion experiments in the last 15 years reveal that the efficiency of rock abrasion scales inversely with the square of rock tensile strength, sediment supply has a dominant control over bed roughness and abrasion rates, suspended sediment is an efficient agent of erosion, and feedbacks with channel form and roughness strongly influence erosion rates. Erodibility comparisons across rock, concrete, ice, and foam indicate that, for a given tensile strength, abrasion rates are insensitive to elasticity. The few experiments that have been conducted on erosion by plucking highlight the importance of block protrusion height above the river bed, and the dominance of block sliding and toppling at knickpoints. These observations are consistent with new theory for the threshold Shields stress to initiate plucking, which also suggests that erosion rates in sliding- and toppling-dominated rivers are likely transport limited. Major knowledge gaps remain in the processes of erosion via plucking of bedrock blocks where joints are not river-bed parallel; waterfall erosion by toppling and plunge-pool erosion; feedbacks between weathering and physical erosion; erosional bedforms; and morphodynamic feedbacks between channel form and erosion rates. Despite scaling challenges, flume experiments continue to provide much needed tests of existing bedrock-erosion theory, force development of new theory, and yield insight into the mechanics of landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Devastating tsunami waves induced by the 2011 off the Pacific coast of Tohoku Earthquake severely inundated valleys along the ria-type (notched rocky) coast in northeastern Japan, causing erosion of bedrock on valley-side slopes. Using high-resolution topographic data obtained by terrestrial and airborne laser scanning, we investigated detailed morphology of the eroded valley in a typical site at Aneyoshi. We found several characteristic features likely affected by tsunami wave erosion: 1) a series of small cliffs on the valley-side slopes related to the tsunami flow depth, 2) an inverse asymmetry of side slopes at ingrown meander bends, 3) an exceptionally wide valley bottom near the coast, and 4) a knickpoint located around the maximum tsunami run-up point far back from the coast. These topographic features are ascribable to repeated tsunami wave erosion since the mid-Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River incision is fundamental in shaping the Earth's surface. In mountainous regions with steep river beds, fluvial bedrock erosion by bedload transport is an important mechanism forming channels. However, there are only a few complete field datasets that can be used to improve process understanding and evaluate erosion models, especially at the process scale. To provide a simultaneous dataset of hydraulics, bedload transport and bedrock erosion at high temporal and spatial resolution, a new measuring device has been installed in the Erlenbach, a gauged stream in the Swiss Pre-Alps. In this stream, bedload transport rates can be calculated from surveying deposits and from geophone plate sensors and bedload transport samples can be taken directly by an automated moving basket system. To measure bedrock erosion rates simultaneously, two natural stone slabs were mounted flush with the channel bed in a steel frame hosting various measurement devices. Force sensors below the slabs record normal stress and shear stress. At-a-point erosion rates on the slab surfaces are continuously measured at sub-millimetre precision at three locations on each slab. In addition, the slab topography is monitored following erosive flood events. In this article (i) the 'erosion scale' device is described, (ii) data resolution and data quality is assessed by means of tests and event data, and (iii) the first transport event is discussed. The erosion scales are confirmed to provide data at high spatio-temporal resolution for process analysis. The preliminary data show evidence for the tools effect in bedrock erosion. The bedrock slabs can be exchanged to obtain measurements for catchments with different lithologies for comparison. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme flood events have the potential to cause catastrophic landscape change in short periods of time (100 to 103 h). However, their impacts are rarely considered in studies of long-term landscape evolution (>103 y), because the mechanisms of erosion during such floods are poorly constrained. Here we use topographic analysis and cosmogenic 3He surface exposure dating of fluvially sculpted surfaces to determine the impact of extreme flood events within the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon (northeast Iceland) and to constrain the mechanisms of bedrock erosion during these events. Surface exposure ages allow identification of three periods of intense canyon cutting about 9 ka ago, 5 ka ago, and 2 ka ago during which multiple large knickpoints retreated large distances (>2 km). During these events, a threshold flow depth was exceeded, leading to the toppling and transportation of basalt lava columns. Despite continuing and comparatively largescale (500 m3/s) discharge of sediment-rich glacial meltwater, there is no evidence for a transition to an abrasion-dominated erosion regime since the last erosive event because the vertical knickpoints have not diffused over time. We provide a model for the evolution of the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon through the reconstruction of the river profile and canyon morphology at different stages over the last 9 ka and highlight the dominant role played by extreme flood events in the shaping of this landscape during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is at a low resolution, like all other figures embedded in this manuscript for reviewer convenience. High resolution illustrations are uploaded to Catena server. [Display omitted] • First investigation of dirt cracking in a temperate Mediterranean (Csb) climate. • Carbonate wedging and fracture fill wetting and drying widens fractures. • 87Sr/86Sr ratios indicate calcium in carbonate coatings comes from host rock. • Nanoscale HRTEM imagery reveals dissolution co-occurs with carbonate precipitation. • Lead deposits from automobile emissions used as a time diagnostic. Dirt cracking physically wedges open fractures in desert bedrock via the synergistic processes of carbonate precipitation and the wetting and drying of clays in fracture fill. We use back-scattered and high-resolution electron microscopy along with 87Sr/86Sr analyses to find that dirt cracking also occurs in the hypermaritime Mediterranean climate of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. 87Sr/86Sr analyses of calcium carbonate from four different sampling locations do not reflect an ocean source, but 87Sr/86Sr ratios correspond with the known composition of the sampled rocks. Carbonates derived from decay of host-rock minerals precipitate in narrow fractures, widening them. In addition to calcium carbonate, iron carbonate, barium carbonate, and calcium phosphate also precipitate in fractures. Dissolution of silicates, in association with carbonate precipitation, aids in the further penetration of carbonates. Fines falling into fissures includes smectites that undergo wetting (expansion) and drying (contraction) that further promotes fracture widening. Lead contamination, probably from mid-20th century automobile emissions, occurs from heavy metal scavenging by iron oxides. As studies of dirt cracking are few in number, and since the carbonate precipitation process has been observed in Antarctica, monsoonal Asia, and now in a Mediterranean climate, it is possible that dirt cracking is a common rock-decay process in biogeochemical settings dry enough for carbonate precipitation in rock fissures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many rivers in Taiwan have steep slopes, are subject to typhoon-induced flood flows, and contain soft bedrock that is exposed at many locations and easily erodible. The occurrence of extensive bedrock erosion has been a major threat to river infrastructure at many locations. Soft bedrock erosion, therefore, is an important process to consider for river projects in Taiwan. In this study, bedrock erosion models are reviewed. A specific model is proposed by combining two existing models incorporating both the hydraulic and abrasive scour mechanisms. The proposed bedrock erosion model is incorporated into a two-dimensional mobile-bed model, and the integrated model is tested by simulating bedrock erosion downstream of the Chi-Chi weir on the Choshui River in Taiwan. A calibration study is performed to determine appropriate values of the model parameters based on two and a half years of measured data. The model is then assessed based on a verification study that compares model predictions of bedrock erosion of the same reach to two additional years of measured data. The bedrock erosion model is found to be suitable for the river reach studied. Further improvement, however, is still necessary, which points to potential future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study about the influence of rock mass strength on erosion rate of alpine cliffs in the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe. The collapse of cliff faces by rockfall is main mode of bedrock erosion in alpine environments. Study shows good correlation between rockwall recession rate and the Slope Mass Rating (SMR). It was found out that joint orientation is considered as the most significant parameter affecting the rockwall erosion rate.

Although the upstream translation of waterfalls is often thought to occur by undercutting of resistant strata, collapse, and headwall retreat (e.g., Niagara Falls), many propagating waterfalls maintain a vertical face in the absence of undercutting. To explain this observation, we propose that bedrock-fracture geometry exerts a fundamental control on knickpoint morphology and evolution such that vertical waterfalls can persist during retreat due to toppling in bedrock with near horizontal and vertical sets of joints (e.g., columnar basalt). At a waterfall, rock columns are affected by shear and drag from the overflowing water, buoyancy from the plunge pool at the foot of the waterfall, and gravity. We used a torque balance to determine the stability of a rock column and any individual blocks that comprise the column. Results indicate that rotational failure should occur about the base of a headwall (and therefore preserve its form during upstream propagation) where columns are tilted in the downstream direction or slightly tilted in the upstream direction, depending on the plunge-pool depth. Flume experiments were performed to test the model, and the model provides a good prediction of the flow necessary to induce toppling and the morphology of the headwall. Waterfall-induced toppling explains the morphology of canyon headwalls in the volcanic terrain of the northwestern United States, where catastrophic paleofloods (e.g., Bonneville Flood) have carved steep amphitheater-headed canyons in columnar basalt. This model may also explain similar landforms elsewhere on Earth and Mars, and it can be used to predict the minimum flow discharge needed to create these features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary factors that control alluvial fan evolution still remain in question particularly for the Holocene. Holocene centennial- and millennial-scale climate fluctuations are relatively subtle and more frequent than those of glacial/interglacial transitions, therefore intrinsic factors such as rock type or basin size are hypothesized to moderate significantly the influence of Holocene climate and climate change on alluvial fan processes. Here, we examine variability in styles and rates of alluvial fan aggradation along a single mountain front that is characterized by basins of varying size and rock type (carbonate versus granite). Basin rock type is more closely correlated to variability in the episodic nature and magnitude of alluvial fan aggradation than is basin area. Bedrock physical and chemical weathering properties control sediment delivery to the piedmont and thus influence alluvial fan aggradation. We suggest that the particle size of grus produced by weathering of granitic rocks fosters sediment mobilization and alluvial fan aggradation during episodes of increased precipitation in the Holocene. Sediment mobilization during wetter climates is also possibly enhanced by drought-related fires and vegetation loss that occurred during preceding drier periods. In contrast, carbonate outcrops weather to both dissolved materials and clastic sediment and relatively rapid cementation of talus precludes its transportation out onto the piedmont under almost all Holocene climatic conditions. If the scale of past Holocene climate change is the closest analogy to current global change, this study documents some mechanisms by which different rock types can exert dramatically different effects on landscape response to those changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the lateral erosion rivers being a significant control on the shape of channel cross sections and the union of channels and hillslopes. Recent observations connect lateral erosion to the variability of flow using two mechanisms were one is based on varying shear stress distributions within the channel with changing flood level while the other focuses on the competition between cover and tool effects that can be found in fluvial bedrock erosion. Details related to the rate of lateral erosion in bedrock channels and variability of river discharge can be attributed to the redistribution of boundary shear stress across a channel with changing flow stage.

Fluvial incision in bedrock is common in many rivers of the Indian Peninsula. We investigated a site in the gorge of the Narmada river at Dardi Falls that displays geomorphic evidence of intense bedrock erosion. We report here a terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclide date from an eroded rock surface in Peninsular India. Terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclide dating of the rock surface adjacent to the inner gorge indicated that the minimum age of the gorge is 40 ka. We suggest that the present gorge has developed in two phases, separated by a period of large-scale aggradation that filled the gorge with alluvium. Gorge formation is most likely associated with tectonic activity in the Son-Narmada-Tapi lineament zone. Erosion at this scale also requires large palaeodischarges with high unit stream power. This study illustrates the powers of combining newly developing geomorphic, DEM and geochronological methods to elucidate the dynamics and nature of landscape evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The observation that major Himalayan rivers flow parallel to and down the axis of anticlines oriented transverse to the primary structural grain of the range has puzzled geomorphologists for decades. Although there is a general consensus that the courses of trans-Himalayan rivers predate the Himalayan orogeny, the close association of rivers and structural highs would not be expected to result from the superposition of rivers onto pre-existing structures. Moreover, in the past several decades structural studies have shown that the development of river anticlines represents the most recent phase of deformation in the range. It is proposed that Himalayan river anticlines are the consequence of focused rock uplift in response to significant differences between net erosion along major rivers and surrounding regions. This hypothesis is supported by large gradients in observed and predicted erosion rates across major Himalayan rivers and by results from an isostasy-driven model, which requires relatively low flexural rigidities to match the wavelength of Himalayan river anticlines. Whether the amplitude of these structures is due to isostasy or also reflects active crustal channeling is not well-constrained, but given the uncertainty in the flexural rigidity and in the local and far-field erosion rates, both possibilities remain viable explanations. Given the observed correlation between the Arun River anticline and local rainfall maxima, it is proposed that Himalayan river anticlines are the expression of a relatively fine-scale linkage between tectonics, erosion and climate superimposed on the broader and older canvas of the Himalayan orogeny. Finally, it is suggested that the development of river anticlines represents one example along a continuum of features arising from different degrees of erosion-structure coupling in active orogens. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Anabranching is characteristic of a number of rivers in diverse environmental settings worldwide, but has only infrequently been described from bedrock-influenced rivers. A prime example of a mixed bedrock-alluvial anabranching river is provided by a ∼150-km long reach of the Orange River above Augrabies Falls, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Here, the perennial Orange flows through arid terrain consisting mainly of Precambrian granites and gneisses, and the river has preferentially eroded bedrock joints, fractures and foliations to form multiple channels which divide around numerous, large (up to ∼15 km long and ∼2 km wide), stable islands formed of alluvium and/or bedrock. Significant local variations in channel-bed gradient occur along the river, which strongly control anabranching style through an influence on local sediment budgets. In relatively long (>10 km), lower gradient reaches (<0.0013) within the anabranching reach, sediment supply exceeds local transport capacity, bedrock usually only crops out in channel beds, and channels divide around alluvial islands which are formed by accretion in the lee of bedrock outcrop or at the junction with ephemeral tributaries. Riparian vegetation probably plays a key role in the survival and growth of these islands by increasing flow roughness, inducing deposition, and stabilising the sediments. Less commonly, channels may form by eroding into once-continuous island or floodplain surfaces. In shorter (<10 km), higher gradient reaches (>0.0013) within the anabranching reach, local transport capacity exceeds sediment supply, bedrock crops out extensively, and channels flow over an irregular bedrock pavement or divide around rocky islands. Channel incision into bedrock probably occurs mainly by abrasion, with the general absence of boulder bedforms suggesting that hydraulic plucking is relatively unimportant in this setting. Mixed bedrock-alluvial anabranching also occurs in a number of other rivers worldwide, and appears to be a stable and often long-lived river pattern adjusted to a number of factors commonly acting in combination: (1) jointed/fractured granitoid rock outcrop; (2) erosion-resistant banks and islands; (3) locally variable channel-bed gradients; (4) variable flow regimes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two empirically consistent explanations exist for the morphology and dynamics of bedrock rivers. The stream power law appears to explain rates of rock incision at large scale (large drainage basins or landscape scale), but appears to be of limited value in predicting reach-scale morphology and dynamics. The underlying reason why stream power is such an effective tool for understanding landscape evolution is because it is an explicit representation of the inverse power relation between slope and area in rivers incising bedrock. This morphometric relation is nearly universal, subject to exogenous contingencies. Independent testing and validation of the stream power incision model is challenging because of the contingencies that exist in almost all landscapes. Mechanistic models of erosion have been tested and validated at small scales, generally below the reach scale, and opportunities exist for independent testing and validation by using them to predict reach-scale morphologies. Predicting larger scale bedrock river morphology requires the assumption that flow, sediment fluxes and bedrock erosion processes that occur at smaller scale are adequately averaged at larger scales, which is not well supported. Reconciling these two scales of explanation is one of the grand challenges of fluvial geomorphology, unless we accept that theory and explanations will be scale-delimited. • Two empirically valid explanations exist for bedrock river morphology and dynamics. • The stream power law appears to explain rates of rock incision at large scale. • Mechanistic models of bedrock erosion explain erosion processes at small scale. • These approaches to predicting bedrock erosion should be scale-delimited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the knowledge of Antarctic Ice Sheet variations since its inception ~34 Ma derives from marine sediments on the continental shelf, deposited in glacimarine or sub-ice environments by advancing and retreating grounded ice, and observed today by seismic profiling and coring. Here we apply a 3-D coupled ice sheet and sediment model from 40 Ma to the present, with the goal of directly linking ice-sheet variations with the sediment record. The ice-sheet model uses vertically averaged ice dynamics and parameterized grounding-line flux. The sediment model includes quarrying of bedrock, sub-ice transport, and marine deposition. Atmospheric and oceanic forcing are determined by uniform shifts to modern climatology in proportion to records of atmospheric CO 2 , deep-sea-core δ18O, and orbital insolation variations. The model is run continuously over the last 40 Myr at coarse resolution (80 or 160 km), modeling post-Eocene ice, landscape evolution and off-shore sediment packages in a single self-consistent simulation. Strata and unconformities are tracked by recording times of deposition within the model sediment stacks, which can be compared directly with observed seismic profiles. The initial bedrock topography is initialized to 34 Ma geologic reconstructions, or an iterative procedure is used that yields independent estimates of paleo bedrock topography. Preliminary results are compared with recognized Cenozoic ice-sheet variations, modern sediment distributions and seismic profiles, and modern and paleo bedrock topographies. • An Antarctic ice sheet-sediment model is run through the last 40 million years. • Modeled sediments on continental shelves are compared with modern observations. • This can explicitly connect existing seismic profile data with Cenozoic ice variations. • Modeled maps of past bedrock elevations are compared with geologic reconstructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]