LATE HOLOCENE SLIP HISTORY RECORDED IN ALLUVIAL FAN SEQUENCES, PANAMINT VALLEY, EASTERN CALIFORNIA

Abstract. Lake Poerua is a small, shallow lake that abuts the scarp of the Alpine Fault on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Radiocarbon dates from drowned podocarp trees on the lake floor, a sediment core from a rangefront alluvial fan, and living tree ring ages have been used to deduce the late Holocene history of the lake. Remnant drowned stumps of kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides) at 1.7–1.9 m water depth yield a preferred time-of-death age at 1766–1807 AD, while a dryland podocarp and kahikatea stumps at 2.4–2.6 m yield preferred time-of-death ages of ca. 1459–1626 AD. These age ranges are matched to, but offset from, the timings of Alpine Fault rupture events at ca. 1717 AD, and either ca. 1615 or 1430 AD. Alluvial fan detritus dated from a core into the toe of a rangefront alluvial fan, at an equivalent depth to the maximum depth of the modern lake (6.7 m), yields a calibrated age of AD 1223–1413. This age is similar to the timing of an earlier Alpine Fault rupture event at ca. 1230 AD ± 50 yr. Kahikatea trees growing on rangefront fans give ages of up to 270 yr, which is consistent with alluvial fan aggradation following the 1717 AD earthquake. The elevation levels of the lake and fan imply a causal and chronological link between lake-level rise and Alpine Fault rupture. The results of this study suggest that the growth of large, coalescing alluvial fans (Dry and Evans Creek fans) originating from landslides within the rangefront of the Alpine Fault and the rise in the level of Lake Poerua may occur within a decade or so of large Alpine Fault earthquakes that rupture adjacent to this area. These rises have in turn drowned lowland forests that fringed the lake. Radiocarbon chronologies built using OxCal show that a series of massive landscape changes beginning with fault rupture, followed by landsliding, fan sedimentation and lake expansion. However, drowned Kahikatea trees may be poor candidates for intimately dating these events, as they may be able to tolerate water for several decades after metre-scale lake level rises have occurred.

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The Ñuagapua alluvial fan sequence: Early and Late Holocene human-induced changes in the Bolivian Chaco?

Proceedings of the Geologists Association ◽

10.1016/j.pgeola.2009.11.003 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 121 (2) ◽

pp. 218-228 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Mauro Coltorti ◽

Jacopo Della Fazia ◽

Freddy Paredes Rios ◽

Giuseppe Tito

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Induced Changes

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Quaternary slip history of the Bare Mountain fault (Nevada) from the morphology and distribution of alluvial fan deposits

Geology ◽

10.1130/0091-7613(1996)024<0559:qshotb>2.3.co;2 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 559 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

David A. Ferrill ◽

John A. Stamatakos ◽

Sidney M. Jones ◽

Bret Rahe ◽

H. Lawrence McKague ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alluvial Fan ◽

Slip History ◽

History Of

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Alluvial fan depositional records from north and south-facing catchments in semi-arid montane terrain

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1017/qua.2017.98 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 89 (1) ◽

pp. 237-253 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Michael J. Poulos ◽

Jennifer L. Pierce

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Source Area ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Potential Bias ◽

Landform Evolution ◽

Sediment Yields ◽

Erosion Rates ◽

South Central ◽

Valley Incision ◽

North And South

AbstractValley asymmetry reflects differences in landform evolution with aspect; however, few studies assess rates and timing of asymmetric erosion. In south-central Idaho, we combine alluvial fan volume reconstructions with radiocarbon deposit dating to compare the source-catchment normalized fan deposition rates of catchments incised into north (n=5) and south-facing (n=3) valleys, which differ during the late Holocene from 7.7 to 10.1 mm/ka, respectively, but are not significantly different. South-facing catchments produced 1.3× more fan sediment per unit source-area during the late Holocene, whereas over the last 10 Ma they have evolved to be 2.1× larger with 2.8× greater eroded volumes and 7.6° gentler slopes (24.5° versus 32.1°, average). Late Holocene differences in sediment yields with aspect cannot fully explain differences in landforms. Potential bias in sediment deposition and/or remobilization cannot fully explain the similarity of erosion rates during the late Holocene. Valley asymmetry appears to have developed primarily during different conditions. While valley asymmetry development may be quicker during glacial climates, development is likely accelerated early in a valley’s history, such as during initial valley incision, because asymmetric degradation serves as a negative feedback that reduces aspect-related differences in erosion and drives valleys towards steady state.

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The role of eolian-fluvial interactions and dune dams in landscape change, late Pleistocene–Holocene, Mojave Desert, USA

Geological Society of America Bulletin ◽

10.1130/b35434.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 132 (11-12) ◽

pp. 2318-2332 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mark R. Sweeney ◽

Eric V. McDonald ◽

Lucas P. Chabela ◽

Paul R. Hanson

Keyword(s):

Landscape Change ◽

Mojave Desert ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Sand Dunes ◽

State Theory ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Sediment Supply ◽

Alluvial Fans ◽

Fluvial Deposits

Abstract The formation of the Kelso Dunes in the eastern Mojave Desert, California, was a landscape-changing event triggered by an increase in sediment supply that followed the incision of Afton Canyon by the Mojave River ca. 25 ka. Eastward migration of sand dunes occurred along a well-defined eolian transport corridor. Dunes temporarily blocked washes resulting in substantial aggradation of eolian and fluvial sediments. Stratigraphic exposures reveal numerous fining-up sequences with interbedded eolian sands that provide evidence of dune dams and subsequent aggradation. Luminescence ages reveal that dune blocking and aggradation correspond to a regional pulse of alluvial fan sedimentation that occurred ca. 14–9 ka. Meanwhile, relative landscape stability occurred downstream of dune dams, resulting in the formation of a moderately developed soil on abandoned fluvial deposits. The next pulse of alluvial fan activity ca. 6–3 ka likely resulted in the breaching of the dune dams, followed by incision. Eolian system sediment state theory suggests that eolian activity in the Mojave Desert is closely tied to enhanced sediment supply, primarily related to the Mojave River–Lake Mojave system. Our data suggests that Intermittent Lake Mojave I, ca. 26–22 ka, triggered a large dune-building event that impounded massive amounts of sediment derived from alluvial fans deposited during the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Breaching of dune dams and sediment recycling may have also increased sediment supply that contributed to late Holocene eolian activity. This profound impact on the regional geomorphology highlights the critical importance of eolian-fluvial interactions in desert environments.

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Timing and distribution of alluvial fan sedimentation in response to strengthening of late Holocene ENSO variability in the Sonoran Desert, Southwestern Arizona, USA

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/j.yqres.2010.01.004 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 425-438 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Steven N. Bacon ◽

Eric V. McDonald ◽

Todd G. Caldwell ◽

Graham K. Dalldorf

Keyword(s):

Sonoran Desert ◽

Late Holocene ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Climatic Variability ◽

Alluvial Plain ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Alluvial Deposits ◽

Geomorphic Mapping ◽

Precipitation Record ◽

Precipitation Records

The integration of geomorphic mapping, soil stratigraphy, and radiocarbon dating of alluvial deposits offers insight to the timing, magnitude, and paleoclimatic context of Holocene fan sedimentation near Yuma, Arizona. Mapping of 3400 km2 indicates about 10% of the area aggraded in the late Holocene and formed regionally extensive alluvial fan and alluvial plain cut-and-fill terraces. Fan deposits have weakly developed gravelly soils and yielded a date of 3200–2950 cal yr BP from carbonized wood. Alluvial plain deposits have weakly developed buried sandy soils and provided a date of 2460–2300 cal yr BP from a terrestrial snail shell. Precipitation records were analyzed to form historical analogues to the late Holocene aggradation and to consider the role of climatic variability and extreme hydrologic events as drivers of the sedimentation. The historical precipitation record indicates numerous above-average events correlated to the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) in the region, but lacks any significant reactivation of alluvial fan surfaces. The timing of aggradation from 3200 to 2300 cal yr BP correlates well with other paleoclimatic proxy records in the southwestern U.S. and eastern Pacific region, which indicate an intensification of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climatic pattern and rapid climate change during this period.

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Micro-dynamics and macro-patterns: Exploring new archaeological data for the late Holocene human-water relationship in the Murghab alluvial fan, Turkmenistan

Quaternary International ◽

10.1016/j.quaint.2015.12.021 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 437 ◽

pp. 20-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Lynne M. Rouse ◽

Barbara Cerasetti

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Archaeological Data

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A Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of Elkwater Lake, Alberta

Géographie physique et Quaternaire ◽

10.7202/009111ar ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 56 (2-3) ◽

pp. 279-290 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Dion J. Wiseman ◽

Garry L. Running ◽

Andrea Freeman

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Water Levels ◽

Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction ◽

Lake Levels ◽

Mass Wasting ◽

The West ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Lake Formation ◽

Elevation Model

AbstractCores retrieved from two slump blocks at the west end of Elkwater Lake, Alberta were used to determine which of two mass wasting events was responsible for impounding the lake and to establish a maximum age of lake formation. A high resolution Digital Elevation Model of the study area was used to estimate the volume of material involved in each mass wasting event, recreate pre-slump topographic conditions, determine the probable extent and elevation of the lake at different periods in time, and evaluate the viability of alternative outlets. Results suggest that the lake formed no more than 9440 BP as a result of impoundment by the eastern slump block. The lake rose to its highest mid-Holocene elevation prior to 7245 BP, establishing an outlet through Feleski Creek 3.5 km northeast of the present shoreline. Lake levels then dropped during the comparatively dry Altithermal, concurrent with a period of rapid sediment influx and the development of the alluvial fan on which the Stampede site is located. As water levels rose during the late Holocene, and with the former outlet cut off by progradation of the alluvial fan, Elkwater Lake established its present outlet though Ross Creek.

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Stochastic alluvial fan and terrace formation triggered by a high-magnitude Holocene landslide in the Klados Gorge, Crete

10.5194/esurf-2021-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elena T. Bruni ◽

Richard F. Ott ◽

Vincenzo Picotti ◽

Negar Haghipour ◽

Karl W. Wegmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Late Holocene ◽

Alluvial Fan ◽

Tectonic Activity ◽

Climate Variations ◽

Alluvial Deposits ◽

Small Catchment ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Quaternary Climate ◽

Stochastic Events

Abstract. Alluvial fan and terrace formation is traditionally interpreted as related to Quaternary climate oscillations under the backdrop of slow and steady tectonic activity. However, several recent studies challenge this conventional wisdom, showing that such landforms can evolve rapidly as a geomorphic system responds to catastrophic and stochastic events, like large magnitude mass-wasting. Here, we contribute to this topic through a detailed field and geochronological investigation of alluvial sequences in the Klados catchment in southwestern Crete, Greece. The Klados River catchment is characterised by well-preserved, alluvial terraces and a set of fans at the river mouth, which do not seem to fit the sediment capacity of a small catchment with a drainage area of ~ 11.5 km2. Previous studies interpreted the formation of the deposits and their development to be of Pleistocene age and controlled by climate variations and the region's long-term tectonic activity. We find that the > 20 m thick intermediate fan buries a paleoshoreline uplifted in AD 365 placing the depositional age of this unit firmly into the Late Holocene. This is supported by seven new radiocarbon dates that infer mid to late Holocene ages for the entire fan and terrace sequence. As sediment source, we identify a landslide scar at the head of the catchment. We document landslide deposits 100 m above the modern stream and utilise landslide runout modelling to reconstruct landslide volumes and validate our hypothesis. We find that a landslide volume of 0.0908 km2 matches the observed distribution of landslide deposits and the landslide scar dimensions. We hypothesise that subsequent aggradation and incision cycles of the alluvial deposits are not linked to long-term tectonic uplift and climate variations but rather stochastic events such as mobilisation of sediment in large earthquakes, storm events, or blockage in the valley's narrow reaches. The Klados case study represents a model-environment for how stochastically-driven events can mimic climate-induced sedimentary archives, and how catchments can become ultrasensitive to external perturbations after catastrophic events.

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