Lithological controls on hillslope sediment supply: insights from landslide activity and grain size distributions
File(s)
Author(s)
Roda-Boluda, Duna C
D'Arcy, Mitch
McDonald, Jordan
Whittaker, Alexander C
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The volumes, rates and grain size distributions of sediment supplied from hillslopes represent the initial input of sediment delivered from upland areas and propagated through sediment routing systems. Moreover, hillslope sediment supply has a significant impact on landscape response time to tectonic and climatic perturbations. However, there are very few detailed field studies characterising hillslope sediment supply as a function of lithology and delivery process. Here, we present new empirical data from tectonically-active areas in southern Italy that quantifies how lithology and rock- strength control the landslide fluxes and grain size distributions supplied from hillslopes. Landslides are the major source of hillslope sediment supply in this area, and our inventory of ~2800 landslides reveals that landslide sediment flux is dominated by small, shallow landslides. We find that lithology and rock strength modulate the abundance of steep slopes and landslides, and the distribution of landslide sizes. Outcrop-scale rock strength also controls the grain sizes supplied by bedrock weathering, and influences the degree of coarsening of landslide supply with respect to weathering supply. Finally, we show that hillslope sediment supply largely determines the grain sizes of fluvial export, from catchments and that catchments with greater long-term landslide rates deliver coarser material. Therefore, our results demonstrate a dual control of lithology on hillslope sediment supply, by modulating both the sediment fluxes from landslides and the grain sizes supplied by hillslopes to the fluvial system.
Date Issued
2018-04-01
Date Acceptance
2017-10-12
Citation
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 2018, 43 (5), pp.956-977
ISSN
0197-9337
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
956
End Page
977
Journal / Book Title
Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Volume
43
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Roda-Boluda, D. C., D'Arcy, M., McDonald, J., and Whittaker, A. C. (2017) LITHOLOGICAL CONTROLS ON HILLSLOPE SEDIMENT SUPPLY: INSIGHTS FROM LANDSLIDE ACTIVITY AND GRAIN SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms,, which has been published in final form at https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/esp.4281. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geography, Physical
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Physical Geography
Geology
lithology
hillslopes
landslides
grain size
sediment supply
DEPENDENT RIVER INCISION
THRESHOLD HILLSLOPES
SOUTHERN APENNINES
MOUNTAIN-RANGES
SCHMIDT HAMMER
WEATHERING PROFILES
LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION
ROCK AVALANCHES
INVENTORY MAPS
EROSION RATES
0403 Geology
0406 Physical Geography And Environmental Geoscience
Geography
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2017-11-06