Decoupling of erosion and precipitation in the Himalayas

D. W. Burbank (), A. E. Blythe, J. Putkonen, B. Pratt-Sitaula, E. Gabet, M. Oskin, A. Barros and T. P. Ojha
Additional contact information
D. W. Burbank: University of California
A. E. Blythe: University of Southern California
J. Putkonen: University of Washington
B. Pratt-Sitaula: University of California
E. Gabet: University of California
M. Oskin: University of California
A. Barros: Harvard University
T. P. Ojha: Himalayan Experience

Nature, 2003, vol. 426, issue 6967, 652-655

Abstract: Abstract The hypothesis that abrupt spatial gradients in erosion can cause high strain rates in active orogens has been supported by numerical models that couple erosional processes with lithospheric deformation via gravitational feedbacks1,2,3. Most such models invoke a ‘stream-power’ rule, in which either increased discharge or steeper channel slopes cause higher erosion rates. Spatial variations in precipitation and slopes are therefore predicted to correlate with gradients in both erosion rates and crustal strain. Here we combine observations from a meteorological network across the Greater Himalaya, Nepal, along with estimates of erosion rates at geologic timescales (greater than 100,000 yr) from low-temperature thermochronometry. Across a zone of about 20 km length spanning the Himalayan crest and encompassing a more than fivefold difference in monsoon precipitation, significant spatial variations in geologic erosion rates are not detectable. Decreased rainfall is not balanced by steeper channels. Instead, additional factors that influence river incision rates, such as channel width and sediment concentrations, must compensate for decreasing precipitation. Overall, spatially constant erosion is a response to uniform, upward tectonic transport of Greater Himalayan rock above a crustal ramp.

Date: 2003
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02187 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:426:y:2003:i:6967:d:10.1038_nature02187

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/nature02187

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().