Abstract
Despite much progress, many questions remain regarding the potential dynamic coupling between atmospheric and lithospheric processes in the long-term evolution of mountain belts. As a complement to recent efforts to discover the interrelationships among climate, topography, erosion, and rock deformation under conditions of mass-flux steady state, we explore orogen response to changes in climate and tectonic influx. We derive an analytical model that predicts a powerful climatic control on orogen evolution and distinct, potentially diagnostic, responses to climatic and tectonic perturbations. Due to isostatic compensation, the near-surface rock uplift rate during transients is tightly coupled to climate-modulated erosional efficiency. System response is approximately exponential, with a characteristic response timescale that is inversely proportional to the climate- and lithology-modulated erosional efficiency, and is largely insensitive to initial conditions, tectonic influx, and both the sign and magnitude of perturbations.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 218-228 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
| Volume | 243 |
| Issue number | 1-2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 15 2006 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Climate
- Critical wedge
- Erosion
- Rock uplift
- Tectonics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geophysics
- Geochemistry and Petrology
- Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
- Space and Planetary Science