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Constraints on landscape evolution from slope histograms

Publication ,  Journal Article
Wolinsky, MA; Pratson, LF
Published in: Geology
June 1, 2005

We analyzed >10,000 topographic slope histograms subsampled from digital elevation models (DEMs) of 28 landscapes throughout the continental United States. These landscapes are made up of diverse lithologies and have different climatic and tectonic histories, but their slope distributions are consistently unimodal and collectively exhibit a systematic change from positively skewed to negatively skewed as mean slope increases. This change not only occurs between landscapes, but can also occur within them, and is recorded in DEMs of different spatial resolution. The transition from positive to negative skewness cannot be accounted for by scaling of relief, but requires a fundamental change in landscape morphology. Process-based landscape modeling reproduces the trend and suggests that a change in the dominant hillslope process - from creep and/or wash to slope failure - is responsible for the transition from positive to negative skewness with increasing mean slope. This process transition is governed by a dimensionless uplift number that reflects the balance between processes of relief generation and denudation. The uplift number provides a basis for understanding the morphologic similarity between landscapes in our analysis, illustrating how different combinations of climate, tectonics, and lithology can lead to equivalent morphologies. © 2005 Geological Society of America.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Geology

DOI

ISSN

0091-7613

Publication Date

June 1, 2005

Volume

33

Issue

6

Start / End Page

477 / 480

Related Subject Headings

  • Geochemistry & Geophysics
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 04 Earth Sciences
 

Citation

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Wolinsky, M. A., & Pratson, L. F. (2005). Constraints on landscape evolution from slope histograms. Geology, 33(6), 477–480. https://doi.org/10.1130/G21296.1
Wolinsky, M. A., and L. F. Pratson. “Constraints on landscape evolution from slope histograms.” Geology 33, no. 6 (June 1, 2005): 477–80. https://doi.org/10.1130/G21296.1.
Wolinsky MA, Pratson LF. Constraints on landscape evolution from slope histograms. Geology. 2005 Jun 1;33(6):477–80.
Wolinsky, M. A., and L. F. Pratson. “Constraints on landscape evolution from slope histograms.” Geology, vol. 33, no. 6, June 2005, pp. 477–80. Scopus, doi:10.1130/G21296.1.
Wolinsky MA, Pratson LF. Constraints on landscape evolution from slope histograms. Geology. 2005 Jun 1;33(6):477–480.

Published In

Geology

DOI

ISSN

0091-7613

Publication Date

June 1, 2005

Volume

33

Issue

6

Start / End Page

477 / 480

Related Subject Headings

  • Geochemistry & Geophysics
  • 37 Earth sciences
  • 04 Earth Sciences