scholarly journals Transient glacial incision in the Patagonian Andes from ~6 Ma to present

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. eaay1641 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Willett ◽  
K. F. Ma ◽  
M. T. Brandon ◽  
J. K. Hourigan ◽  
E. C. Christeleit ◽  
...  

We report a mountain-scale record of erosion rates in the central Patagonian Andes from >10 million years (Ma) ago to present, which covers the transition from a fluvial to alpine glaciated landscape. Apatite (U-Th)/He ages of 72 granitic cobbles from alpine glacial deposits show slow erosion before ~6 Ma ago, followed by a two- to threefold increase in the spatially averaged erosion rate of the source region after the onset of alpine glaciations and a 15-fold increase in the top 25% of the distribution. This transition is followed by a pronounced decrease in erosion rates over the past ~3 Ma. We ascribe the pulse of fast erosion to local deepening and widening of valleys, which are characteristic features of alpine glaciated landscapes. The subsequent decline in local erosion rates may represent a return toward a balance between rock uplift and erosion.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Willett ◽  
Keith Ma ◽  
Mark Brandon ◽  
Jeremy Hourigan ◽  
Elizabeth Christeleit ◽  
...  

<p>The topography, climate, and geology of the central Patagonian Andes provide an auspicious natural laboratory to track long-term rates of erosion in a dynamic mountainous landscape. Herein, we report a mountain-scale record of erosion rates in the central Patagonian Andes from >10 million years (Ma) ago to present, which covers the transition from a fluvial to alpine glaciated landscape. Apatite (U-Th)/He ages of 72 granitic cobbles from alpine glacial deposits show slow erosion before ~6 Ma ago, followed by a two- to three-fold increase in the spatially averaged erosion rate of the source region after the onset of alpine glaciations and a 15-fold increase in the top 25% of the distribution. This transition is followed by a pronounced decrease in erosion rates over the past ~3 Ma. We ascribe the pulse of fast erosion to local deepening and widening of valleys, which are characteristic features of alpine glaciated landscapes. The subsequent decline in local erosion rates may represent a return toward a balance between rock uplift and erosion.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shamsollah Ayoubi ◽  
Nafiseh Sadeghi ◽  
Farideh Abbaszadeh Afshar ◽  
Mohammad Reza Abdi ◽  
Mojtaba Zeraatpisheh ◽  
...  

Abstract Background As one of the main components of land-use change, deforestation is considered the greatest threat to global environmental diversity with possible irreversible environmental consequences. Specifically, one example could be the impacts of land-use changes from oak forests into agricultural ecosystems, which may have detrimental impacts on soil mobilization across hillslopes. However, to date, scarce studies are assessing these impacts at different slope positions and soil depths, shedding light on key geomorphological processes. Methods In this research, the Caesium-137 (137Cs) technique was applied to evaluate soil redistribution and soil erosion rates due to the effects of these above-mentioned land-use changes. To achieve this goal, we select a representative area in the Lordegan district, central Iran. 137Cs depth distribution profiles were established in four different hillslope positions after converting natural oak forests to rainfed farming. In each hillslope, soil samples from three depths (0–10, 10–20, and 20–50 cm) and in four different slope positions (summit, shoulder, backslope, and footslope) were taken in three transects of about 20 m away from each other. The activity of 137Cs was determined in all the soil samples (72 soil samples) by a gamma spectrometer. In addition, some physicochemical properties and the magnetic susceptibility (MS) of soil samples were measured. Results Erosion rates reached 51.1 t·ha− 1·yr− 1 in rainfed farming, whereas in the natural forest, the erosion rate was 9.3 t·ha− 1·yr− 1. Magnetic susceptibility was considerably lower in the cultivated land (χhf = 43.5 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1) than in the natural forest (χhf = 55.1 × 10− 8 m3·kg− 1). The lower soil erosion rate in the natural forest land indicated significantly higher MS in all landform positions except at the summit one, compared to that in the rainfed farming land. The shoulder and summit positions were the most erodible hillslope positions in the natural forest and rainfed farming, respectively. Conclusions We concluded that land-use change and hillslope positions played a key role in eroding the surface soils in this area. Moreover, land management can influence soil erosion intensity and may both mitigate and amplify soil loss.


2013 ◽  
Vol 63 ◽  
pp. 32-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Twichell ◽  
James G. Flocks ◽  
Elizabeth A. Pendleton ◽  
Wayne E. Baldwin

1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (1) ◽  
pp. H15-H21 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Bockman ◽  
W. B. Jeffries ◽  
W. A. Pettinger ◽  
P. W. Abel

Mesenteric artery rings from Wistar and Wistar-Furth rats subcutaneously treated with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) and 1% NaCl drinking water were used to measure endothelial modulation of contractile sensitivity and vasopressin receptor function and affinity. DOCA-salt hypertension reduced contractile sensitivity to arginine vasopressin (AVP) and did not affect contractile sensitivity to norepinephrine in arteries from Wistar rats. Endothelial removal caused a threefold increase in contractile sensitivity to AVP and norepinephrine in DOCA-salt hypertensive Wistar rats. In Wistar-Furth rats, DOCA-salt treatment did not affect contractile sensitivity to AVP, lysine vasopressin, oxytocin, and norepinephrine or the affinity of the vasopressin receptor for agonists or antagonists. Removal of endothelium did not affect vasopressin contractile sensitivity but caused a 15-fold increase in contractile sensitivity to norepinephrine in untreated or DOCA-salt-treated Wistar-Furth rats. These data show that reduced vasopressin receptor function and increased endothelial function that compensate for increased contractile sensitivity in arteries from DOCA-salt hypertensive Wistar rats are not the cause of resistance of DOCA-salt-treated Wistar-Furth rats to the development of enhanced contractile sensitivity and hypertension.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Selene B. González-Morales ◽  
Alex Mayer ◽  
Neptalí Ramírez-Marcial

Abstract. The physical aspects and knowledge of soil erosion in six communities in rural Chiapas, Mexico were assessed. Average erosion rates estimated with the RUSLE model ranged from 200 to 1,200 ha−1 yr−1. Most erosion rates are relatively high due to steep slopes, sandy soils and bare land cover. The lowest rates occur where corn is cultivated for much of the year and slopes are relatively low. The results of a knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) survey showed that two-thirds of respondents believed that the major cause of soil erosion was hurricanes or rainfall and only 14 % of respondents identified human activities as causes of erosion. Forty-two percent of respondents indicated that the responsibility for solving soil erosion problems lies with government, as opposed to 26 % indicating that the community is responsible. More than half of respondents believed that reforestation is a viable option for reducing soil erosion, but only a third of respondents were currently applying reforestation practices and another one-third indicated that they were not following any conservation practices. The KAP results were used to assess the overall level of knowledge and interest in soil erosion problems and their solutions by compiling negative responses. The community of Barrio Vicente Guerrero may be most vulnerable to soil erosion, since it had the highest average negative response and the second highest soil erosion rate. However, Poblado Cambil had the highest estimated soil erosion rate and a relatively low average negative response rate, suggesting that soil conservation efforts should be prioritized for this community. We conclude that as long as the economic and productive needs of the communities are not solved simultaneously, the risk of soil erosion will increase in the future, which threatens the survival of these communities.


2012 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thierry Bineli Betsi ◽  
David Lentz ◽  
Brent McInnes ◽  
Noreen J. Evans

To decipher the thermal history of mineralized systems across the Freegold Mountain area (Yukon, Canada), a combined geochronology (zircon U–Pb and hornblende, biotite, and whole rock Ar–Ar) and thermochronology (apatite and zircon (U–Th)/He) study was carried out. Previous U–Pb data combined with new U–Pb and Ar–Ar data show that intrusive bodies across the Freegold Mountain were emplaced during two protracted episodes, the first spanning from 109.6 to 98 Ma and the second between 79 and 68 Ma. Overprinting of the first intrusive event by a second magmatic hydrothermal event is suggested by a zircon U–Pb age of 108.7 ± 0.4 Ma for a chlorite-altered dyke and a whole rock Ar–Ar plateau age of 76.25 ± 0.53 Ma. Zircon (U–Th)/He data are between 66 and 89 Ma, whereas apatite (U–Th)/He data are scattered (38.7–109.9 Ma) and bracket the two magmatic emplacement events. Our combined data reveal a complex history of reheating that led to resetting of numerous chronometers. In most of the investigated magmatic hydrothermal systems, early fast cooling from igneous emplacement through hydrothermal alteration (between 900 and 200 °C) was followed by later and slower cooling accompanying post mineralization uplift and erosion (between 200 and 70 °C). Preliminary models indicate intrusive bodies associated with the Stoddart Cu–Mo ± W prospect cooled slowly (23 °C/Ma) compared with the ones spatially associated with the Revenue Au–Cu prospect (43 °C/Ma), and the similarity of the zircon U–Pb and (U–Th)/He ages from Revenue dyke further supports a rapid cooling from 700 to 180 °C. Erosion rates of 0.035–0.045 mm/year are consistent with tectonic quiescence during the Late Tertiary combined with the lack of Pleistocene glaciation in central Yukon. Such low rates of exhumation favour the formation and preservation of supergene mineralization, such as that found north of Freegold Mountain.


Author(s):  
Olena Rosstalna

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the representation of time and space model in the collection of short stories «Wessex Tales» by the English writer T.Hardy. Based on a contextual analysis of T. Hardy’s stories, time and space model was singled out as the dominant meaning for the creation of «Wessex Tales». It is proved that the category of time in «Wessex Tales» is a component of the composition of works (in some stories the principle of framing is used). Its functioning in the collection occurs in the form of a two-component model, the elements of which are past and present. It is determined that the specific presentation of the past is a combination of «collective» and «individual» time. While presenting individual facts in the lives of specific heroes in the form of «individual» time, the author introduces them into the context of events of community life in the form of «collective» time. Each individual character’s story thus becomes a part of panoramic depiction of Wessex world, while maintaining a connection with real historical events. «Quasi-historicity» is defined as one of the characteristic features of time. The interaction of temporal levels has also been investigated at the level of conflicts and problems in the writer’s stories and novels (the problem of responsibility for actions, the problem of moral choice, etc.). The peculiarity of space organization in the collection of stories is determined by multilevel (panoramic – local image; realistic – mythopoeticized sketches of the metaphorical plan; the existence of two subspaces in the mythologized model of the world) and multivariate. The article analyzes the closed and open, terrestrial and cosmic, real and imaginary spaces that are realized in the system of images (city, town, house, road, etc.).


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veera Narayana Balabathina ◽  
R. P. Raju ◽  
Wuletaw Mulualem ◽  
Gedefaw Tadele

Abstract Background Soil erosion is one of the major environmental challenges and has a significant impact on potential land productivity and food security in many highland regions of Ethiopia. Quantifying and identifying the spatial patterns of soil erosion is important for management. The present study aims to estimate soil erosion by water in the Northern catchment of Lake Tana basin in the NW highlands of Ethiopia. The estimations are based on available data through the application of the Universal Soil Loss Equation integrated with Geographic Information System and remote sensing technologies. The study further explored the effects of land use and land cover, topography, soil erodibility, and drainage density on soil erosion rate in the catchment. Results The total estimated soil loss in the catchment was 1,705,370 tons per year and the mean erosion rate was 37.89 t ha−1 year−1, with a standard deviation of 59.2 t ha−1 year−1. The average annual soil erosion rare for the sub-catchments Derma, Megech, Gumara, Garno, and Gabi Kura were estimated at 46.8, 40.9, 30.9, 30.0, and 29.7 t ha−1 year−1, respectively. Based on estimated erosion rates in the catchment, the grid cells were divided into five different erosion severity classes: very low, low, moderate, high and extreme. The soil erosion severity map showed about 58.9% of the area was in very low erosion potential (0–1 t ha−1 year−1) that contributes only 1.1% of the total soil loss, while 12.4% of the areas (36,617 ha) were in high and extreme erosion potential with erosion rates of 10 t ha−1 year−1 or more that contributed about 82.1% of the total soil loss in the catchment which should be a high priority. Areas with high to extreme erosion severity classes were mostly found in Megech, Gumero and Garno sub-catchments. Results of Multiple linear regression analysis showed a relationship between soil erosion rate (A) and USLE factors that soil erosion rate was most sensitive to the topographic factor (LS) followed by the support practice (P), soil erodibility (K), crop management (C) and rainfall erosivity factor (R). Barenland showed the most severe erosion, followed by croplands and plantation forests in the catchment. Conclusions Use of the erosion severity classes coupled with various individual factors can help to understand the primary processes affecting erosion and spatial patterns in the catchment. This could be used for the site-specific implementation of effective soil conservation practices and land use plans targeted in erosion-prone locations to control soil erosion.


Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit J. Pénzes ◽  
William Marciel de Souza ◽  
Mavis Agbandje-McKenna ◽  
Robert J. Gifford

Chapparvoviruses (ChPVs) comprise a divergent, recently identified group of parvoviruses (family Parvoviridae), associated with nephropathy in immunocompromised laboratory mice and with prevalence in deep sequencing results of livestock showing diarrhea. Here, we investigate the biological and evolutionary characteristics of ChPVs via comparative in silico analyses, incorporating sequences derived from endogenous parvoviral elements (EPVs) as well as exogenous parvoviruses. We show that ChPVs are an ancient lineage within the Parvoviridae, clustering separately from members of both currently established subfamilies. Consistent with this, they exhibit a number of characteristic features, including several putative auxiliary protein-encoding genes, and capsid proteins with no sequence-level homology to those of other parvoviruses. Homology modeling indicates the absence of a β-A strand, normally part of the luminal side of the parvoviral capsid protein core. Our findings demonstrate that the ChPV lineage infects an exceptionally broad range of host species, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. Furthermore, we observe that ChPVs found in fish are more closely related to those from invertebrates than they are to those of amniote vertebrates. This suggests that transmission between distantly related host species may have occurred in the past and that the Parvoviridae family can no longer be divided based on host affiliation.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 253-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Stutenbecker ◽  
Anna Costa ◽  
Fritz Schlunegger

Abstract. The development of topography depends mainly on the interplay between uplift and erosion. These processes are controlled by various factors including climate, glaciers, lithology, seismic activity and short-term variables, such as anthropogenic impact. Many studies in orogens all over the world have shown how these controlling variables may affect the landscape's topography. In particular, it has been hypothesized that lithology exerts a dominant control on erosion rates and landscape morphology. However, clear demonstrations of this influence are rare and difficult to disentangle from the overprint of other signals such as climate or tectonics. In this study we focus on the upper Rhône Basin situated in the Central Swiss Alps in order to explore the relation between topography, possible controlling variables and lithology in particular. The Rhône Basin has been affected by spatially variable uplift, high orographically driven rainfalls and multiple glaciations. Furthermore, lithology and erodibility vary substantially within the basin. Thanks to high-resolution geological, climatic and topographic data, the Rhône Basin is a suitable laboratory to explore these complexities. Elevation, relief, slope and hypsometric data as well as river profile information from digital elevation models are used to characterize the landscape's topography of around 50 tributary basins. Additionally, uplift over different timescales, glacial inheritance, precipitation patterns and erodibility of the underlying bedrock are quantified for each basin. Results show that the chosen topographic and controlling variables vary remarkably between different tributary basins. We investigate the link between observed topographic differences and the possible controlling variables through statistical analyses. Variations of elevation, slope and relief seem to be linked to differences in long-term uplift rate, whereas elevation distributions (hypsometry) and river profile shapes may be related to glacial imprint. This confirms that the landscape of the Rhône Basin has been highly preconditioned by (past) uplift and glaciation. Linear discriminant analyses (LDAs), however, suggest a stronger link between observed topographic variations and differences in erodibility. We therefore conclude that despite evident glacial and tectonic conditioning, a lithologic control is still preserved and measurable in the landscape of the Rhône tributary basins.


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