xvi, 136 p. : ill. (some col.) A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation discusses the contribution of deep-seated landslides and earthflows to the morphology, erosion, and evolution of mountainous landscapes, focusing on the northern California Coast Ranges. In active landscapes, channel incision is necessary to create relief but also increases stresses in adjacent hillslopes, ultimately leading to slope failure. While conceptually simple, the spatial relationships between channel incision and landsliding have not been well quantified. Along the South Fork Eel River, I mapped the distribution of deep-seated landslides using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) derived maps. Landslide density increases in regions subject to late Pleistocene-Holocene channel incision and particularly in response to lateral incision at the apex of meander bends. Wavelet analysis of channel sinuosity reveals hillslopes are most sensitive to meander wavelengths of 1.5 km. Argillaceous lithology generates abundant earthflow activity along the main stem Eel River, yet spatial and temporal patterns of earthflow movement are poorly understood. I undertook a detailed study of the Kekawaka Earthflow using LiDAR, meteoric 10 Be in soil, orthorectified historical aerial photographs, and field surveys. Inventories of 10 Be in soil pits increase systematically downslope, indicate an average movement rate of 2.1 ± 1.3 m/a over the past 150 years, and establish a minimum earthflow age of 1700 years. The Kekawaka earthflow has a systematic history of movement, both spatially, with greatest movement in the narrow transport zone, and temporally, as velocities peaked in the 1960's and have slowed since 1981. I used LiDAR and aerial photographs to map earthflow movement and calculate sediment flux across 226 km 2 of the main stem Eel River. From 1944-2006, 7.3% of the study area was active, and earthflows account for an erosion rate of 0.53 ± 0.04 mm/a, over half the regional average sediment yield. Velocity time series on 17 earthflows suggest temporal earthflow behavior is influenced by decadal-scale changes in precipitation, temperature, and river discharge, although local topographic factors can overwhelm this climatic signal. When active, earthflows erode an order of magnitude faster than surrounding terrain; however, source supply limitations appear to govern long- term earthflow evolution. This dissertation includes previously published coauthored material. / Committee in charge: Joshua Roering, Chairperson, Geological Sciences; Ilya Bindeman, Member, Geological Sciences; Dean Livelybrooks, Member, Physics; Ray Weldon, Member, Geological Sciences; W. Andrew Marcus, Outside Member, Geography

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T21:58:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTACAO FRANCINELE.pdf: 3255436 bytes, checksum: 43f68fe86d2c26a8d069ecd0eb9bc428 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-29 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The lateritic crusts, which represent the relict of paleoclimatic changes especially between the Cenozoic and the Recent, allow inferring the conditions and the evolution of weathering in the intertropical region of the Earth. At the edge of the Guianas Shield, in the central region of Roraima, where occur lateritic crusts outcropping, has developed the Graben of the Tacutu. It`s reactivation in the Pliocene caused severe erosion what the region tectonically unstable. With the objective to determine the implications of that environment in the weathering of the basement rocks from the Guiana Shield, the region of Mucajai was selected to where it is situated the Serra da Prata and to a less extent the Serra da Moça. These relief features are inserted in the Piedmont Rio Branco-Rio Negro, and its surroundings lowered portion on the Dissected Plateau North of the Amazonas. Rocks, crusts and soils of the region were studied on basis of field survey of the lithotypes and their textural, mineralogical and geochemical characterization. The major oxides, the trace elements (Mn, Zr, V, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sc, Co, Ga, Cr, Y, Th, Hf, Nb, Ta, Ba, Mo, Sr, Rb, Cs, U, W, As, Au, Ag, Hg, Ge, In, Li, Sb, Se, Te, Tl and ETR) and the Pb isotopes were analyzed. The lateritic lithotypes developed from charnockites, gabbro, granites and gneisses. Crusts of protopisoliticas and pisoliticas types were formed at the top of the Serra da Prata and vermiform in the lower portions of the landscape which are cover by clay-sandy reddish brown soils. The crusts are immature, friables with abundant clay matrix, composed mainly of goethite and hematite, and low content of gibbsite. The rocks are distinguished by SiO2, Na2O, K2O, Ba, Rb, Tl, Y, Mo, REE (La-and Eu) association, while the lateritic rocks by Fe2O3, PF, Co, Cr, Ga, Zn, Mn, W . There is a greater geochemical affinity between the crusts and soils with granite, charnockite and gneiss than with the gabbro, as they are the most abundant rocks and also because they have little chemical variation; however, the Pb isotopic ratios indicate provenance from the charnockite. The development of these crusts marks the Quaternary landscape evolution of the central portion of Roraima after the tectonic reactivation in the Miocene. / As crostas lateríticas, que representam os relictos das transformações paleoclimáticas especialmente entre o Cenozóico e o Recente, permitem inferir as condições e a evolução do intemperismo na região intertropical da Terra. Na borda do Cráton das Guianas, região central de Roraima, se desenvolveu o Grabén do Tacutu, onde afloram crostas lateríticas. Essa área cratônica foi reativada no Plioceno o que propiciou intensa erosão ao tornar a região tectonicamente instável. Com o objetivo de determinar as implicações desse ambiente no intemperismo das rochas do embasamento do Cráton das Guianas, foi selecionada a região de Mucajaí onde ocorrem a Serra da Prata e com menor expressão a Serra da Moça. Essas feições de relevo fazem parte do Pediplano Rio Branco-Rio Negro, e seu entorno rebaixado, do Planalto Dissecado Norte da Amazônia. Foram estudadas as rochas, as crostas e os solos da região com base em levantamento de campo dos litotipos e na caracterização dos aspectos texturais, mineralógicos e geoquímicos. Foram analisados os óxidos maiores e menores (SiO2, Fe2O3, Al2O3, K2O, Na2O, CaO, MgO,TiO2, P2O5, PF) os elementos traços (Mn, Zr, V, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sc, Co, Ga, Cr, Y, Th, Hf, Nb, Ta, Ba, Mo, Sr, Rb, Cs, U, W, As, Au, Ag, Hg, Ge, In, Li, Sb, Se, Te, Tl e ETR) e isótopos de Pb. As crostas lateríticas desenvolveram-se a partir de charnockítos, gabros, granitos e gnaisses. São do tipo protopisolíticas a pisolíticas no topo da Serra da Prata e vermiformes nas porções rebaixadas, ambas recobertas por solos argiloarenosos marrom avermelhados. As crostas lateríticas são friáveis com abundante matriz argilosa, com predominância de goethita sobre hematita, e baixo conteúdo de gibbsita, portanto são pouco evoluídas, destacando-se apenas por seus conteúdos de Fe2O3, PF, Co, Cr, Ga, Zn, Mn e W, enquanto as rochas se diferenciam pela associação SiO2, Na2O, K2O, Ba, Rb, Tl, Y, Mo, ETR (-La e Eu). Apesar das razões isotópicas de Pb indicarem que as crostas lateríticas tiveram proveniência a partir do charnoquito, os dados geoquímicos mostraram maior afinidade entre essas e as rochas mais abundantes (granito, charnoquito e gnaisse), devido suas similaridades químicas. O desenvolvimento destas crostas marca a evolução quaternária da paisagem após a reativação tectônica da região no Mioceno.

[pt] A ocupação e uso dos solos têm claras implicações nos processos erosivos, porém devemos destacar também um dos atores principais para os processos erosivos, que é a evolução geomorfológica. A bacia do córrego das Palmeiras está inserida em um local com baixas amplitudes de relevo, mas que apresenta um alto potencial de vulnerabilidade a eventos de erosão e movimentos de massa. Destacamos obviamente o grande número de voçorocamentos que atingem determinadas áreas do médio vale do rio Paraíba do Sul, principalmente próximos ao seu eixo principal em um grande alinhamento de direção NE-SW a qual a bacia do córrego das Palmeiras está inserida. O presente estudo tem como objetivo principal descrever a origem e a distribuição dos processos erosivos na bacia do córrego das Palmeiras, na cidade de Barra do Piraí, Rio de Janeiro. Para que o principal objetivo desse trabalho seja alcançado, se torna necessário o cumprimento dos objetivos específicos, os quais são: Descrever a relação da orientação das voçorocas com as estruturas do substrato geológico; Descrever a relação entre processos erosivos e os níveis de base locais e; Descrever a relação entre processos erosivos e uso do solo. Para a realização deste trabalho foram utilizadas técnicas de análise e embasamentos teóricos da ciência geográfica e mais especificamente da área da geomorfologia. Podemos destacar como os principais resultados alcançados as análises referentes à relação entre os condicionantes geológicos/geomorfológicos e a ocorrência e comportamento de processos erosivos, permitindo afirmar que existe uma relação estreita entre a compartimentação geológica, orientação das estruturas, processos de rebaixamento de níveis de base, histórico de uso e ocupação do solo e a presença de processos erosivos. / [en] Land use has clear implications in the erosive processes and their relation with the geomorphological evolution can be seen notoriously. The Palmeiras stream basin is inserted in a place with low amplitudes of relief, but that presents a high potential of vulnerability to events of erosion and mass movements. We highlight obviously the large number of gully erosions that reach certain areas of the middle valley of the Paraíba do Sul river, mainly near its main axis in a great alignment of direction NE-SW to which the basin of the stream of Palmeiras is inserted. This study has as main objective the description of the origin and spatial distribution of the erosive processes in the Córrego dos Palmares basin. In order for the main objective of this work to be achieved, it is necessary to fulfill the specific objectives, which are: Analyze the spatial distribution of erosive processes; analyze the relation of the orientation of the gullies with the lithological structures of the geological substrate; Analyze the relationship between erosive processes and local base levels and; analyze the relationship between erosive processes and land use. For the accomplishment of this work, techniques of analysis and theoretical bases of the geographic science and more specifically of the area of geomorphology were used. We can highlight as the main results of the description the relationship between the geological / geomorphological conditions and the occurrence and behavior of erosive processes, allowing to affirm that there is a close relationship between the geological compartmentation, orientation of the structures. History of land use and occupation and the presence of erosive processes.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Several attempts have been made to assess the impact of post-fire soil erosion; however, erosion occurs as a result of the complex interplay between many factors, such as climate, land cover, soil and topography, making precise estimation difficult. Additionally, these factors are far from constant in space and time, and often interact with one another. To assess the impact of wildfire on soil erosion and factors influencing its variability, the post-fire soil erosion response of two mountainous headwater sub-catchments namely Langrivier and Tierkloof, with different vegetation cover in the Jonkershoek Valley was examined using a systematic approach that combines efforts in field and laboratory work, spatial analysis and process-based numerical modelling. Geospatial modelling shows high spatial variability in erosion risk, with 56 % to 67 % of surfaces being highly susceptible excluding rock cover. The model highlights the importance of terrain and vegetation indices, with predicted erosion being more severe on steep slopes with lower vegetation cover. / 2021-08-30

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The evolution of mountain landscapes is controlled by complex interactions between large-scale tectonic, surficial and climate conditions. Dominant processes are attributed to creating characteristic features of the landscape, but topographic features are the cumulative result of coupled surficial processes, each locally effective in a different climate or elevation regime. The focus of erosion by glacial, fluvial, or mass wasting processes is highly sensitive to small changes in boundary conditions, therefore spatial and temporal variability can be high when observed over short time scales. This work evaluated methods for dissecting the history of complex alpine landscapes to understand the role of individual processes influenced by changing climate and underlying bedrock. It also investigated how individual and combined mechanisms of surficial processes influenced the evolution of topography in the Teton Range in Wyoming. Detrital apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology and cosmogenic radionuclide erosion rates were applied to determine spatial and temporal variability of erosion in the central catchments of the range. Spatial variability existed between the glacial and fluvial systems, indicating that sediment erosion and deposition by these processes was controlled by short-term variability in climate conditions. Effective glacial incision also controlled other processes, specifically enhancing rock fall activity and inhibiting fluvial incision. Short-term erosion rates were highly variable and were controlled by stochastic processes, particularly hillslope failures in response to slope oversteepening due to glacial incision and orientation and spacing of bedrock fractures. Erosion rates averaged over 10 ky time scales were comparable to long-term exhumation rates measured in the Teton Range. The similarity of spatial erosion patterns to predicted uniform erosion and the balance between intermediate and long-term erosion rates suggests the landscape of the Teton Range is approaching steady-state, but frequent stochastic processes, short-term erosional variability and coupled processes maintain rugged topographic relief. / Ph. D.

Long, linear, high-relief escarpments mark many of the world's passive margins. These Great Escarpments have been interpreted to be the result of isostatic flexure, parallel slope retreat, and divide migration which accompanies rifting. It is unclear whether all these escarpments share this origin. Also uncertain is whether these features are formed via stable, steady-state processes or by climatic shifts or tectonic rejuvenation. The Blue Ridge Escarpment, eastern North America's great escarpment, is no different. A number of hypotheses attempt to explain the Blue Ridge Escarpment. These include lithologic variation between Blue Ridge and Piedmont rocks, the distance to ultimate base level, as well as, escarpment retreat resulting from post/syn-rift warping or faulting. We approach this problem from two directions. The first involves topographic comparisons and geologic observations to recognize and track divide migration. The second approach uses U-Th/He thermochronometry along two scarp-normal transects. Topographic analysis used data extracted from DEMs to compare three zones - the Upland, the Piedmont and the scarp zone itself. Parameters such as relief, drainage density, hypsometry, and slope are often used as proxies for relative erosion rates and the degree of maturity of a landscape. Results from these analyses indicate that the Upland and Piedmont zones are distinct landscapes, sharing very few topographic similarities, yet neither appears significantly more erodible than the other. Examination of parameters in the proximity of the escarpment point toward more rapid erosion here. Field evidence of this rapid scarp erosion (and thus divide migration) lies in the presence of beheaded stream channels, cobble roundness, and clast provenance. U-Th/He thermochronometry is a low temperature technique that allows us to calculate when rock cooled below 60-70C. Temperature is used as a proxy for depth, from which we can extract an exhumation rate. This method allows us to further test scarp genesis hypotheses. Preliminary results show older ages (~160) from the Upland surface than on the Piedmont lowland (~100 Ma). This confirms that the Piedmont surface is distinct from the Upland and demonstrates that it has experienced greater erosion. There is also some indication that ages "jump" across the Bowens Creek/Brevard fault system. Lastly, the ages appear to become younger approaching the escarpment which is indicative of scarp migration. As these results are preliminary, more data is required to prove or disprove these conclusions. / Master of Science