Erodibility, tensile strength, and the "k" problem in Grand kanyon part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
River profile shape is an important indicator of the geomorphic processes and history that contributed to its modern form. In the case of bedrock streams during episodes of incision, resistance of river-level ...

The influence of weathering and soils on the geomorphic expression of tectonic landforms: an exception to a rule of tectonic geomorphology part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
Background – Blind Thrust Faults and Seismic Hazard In southern California, one of the most tectonically active regions of the United States, it is critical to understand the potential earthquake hazard that ...

Cracking up: emerging evidence for the importance of the sun in the mechanical weathering of rocks part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
Introduction Physical weathering, through the breakdown of rock into sediment, plays a fundamental role in the rock cycle and potentially a key role in landscape evolution. In addition, the physical breakdown of ...

Defining rates of erosion using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides in the Himalaya part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
The Himalaya and Tibet comprise the greatest mountain mass on our planet, stretching for ~ 2000 km east-west and >1500 km north-south with an average elevation of ~5000 m above sea level. The mountain mass ...

Quaternary glaciation of the Himalaya and Tibet part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
The mountains of the Himalaya and Tibet are the most glaciated regions outside of the polar realm. The countries within and bordering the Himalaya and Tibet depend greatly on the glacial and associated hydrological ...

Fire geomorphology: Fire-related erosion helps to shape our landscapes part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
The frequency of large wildfires has increased on all vegetated continents (Bowman et al., 2009). Wildfires can have profound influences on erosion rates, particularly in steep mountain basins. Fire-related ...

Great Basin Dunes and Winds: What Might They Tell Us About the Geologic Record? part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
Dune fields have long been recognized as important geomorphic features of continents, both on the modern Earth and in the geologic record. While dunes can exhibit a variety of morphologies (McKee, 1979), they ...

Geomorphic Setting & Archaeology of the Cunene River, Namibia part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
Introduction This vignette presents a virtual tour of the Cunene River, and a prehistoric archaeological site located on a fluvial terrace in northern Namibia. Today the Cunene River is an important transnational ...

Living on a slippery slope: Case studies of geologic hazards from the Wasatch Front, Utah part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
Throughout their history, humans have fought the natural elements; we build shelters, roads, hospitals and malls wherever we can engineer "solutions" and strategies that permit us to thrive, even in harsh ...

A new deglacial chronology of the Laurentide Ice Sheet in Wisconsin part of Vignettes:Vignette Collection
During the past 2.5 million years, the earth has seen a series of major ice sheets built through the slow accumulation of snow, followed by warming and rapid ice collapse. This fluctuation in global ice sheets is ...