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Climatic Limits on Landscape Development in the Northwestern Himalaya
Brozović1, Burbank, Meigs
1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 25, 1997
Summary
In the northwestern Himalaya, landscape form is independent of tectonic uplift rates. Instead, glaciation extent controls mountain topography, setting limits on altitude and relief regardless of tectonic activity.
Area of Science:
- Geomorphology
- Tectonics
- Glaciology
Background:
- Rugged landscapes form from the interaction of tectonism and erosion in active regions.
- Understanding landscape evolution requires analyzing the interplay between tectonic and climatic factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between landscape form, tectonic activity, and glacial processes in the northwestern Himalaya.
- To determine the dominant factors controlling topography in high-mountain environments.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of landscape metrics including mean and modal elevations, hypsometry, and slope distributions.
- Correlation of landscape characteristics with exhumation rates and the extent of glaciation.
Main Results:
- Landscape form in the study area was largely independent of tectonic exhumation rates.
- Regional trends in elevation, hypsometry, and slopes correlated strongly with the extent of glaciation.
Conclusions:
- Glacial and periglacial processes impose an upper limit on altitude, relief, and topographic development in mountain belts intersecting the snowline.
- These climatic factors can override the influence of tectonic processes on landscape evolution in glaciated high-mountain regions.