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GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA - 2016

Paper No. 59-3
Presentation Time: 9:00 AM-5:30 PM

UTILIZATION OF TOPOGRAPHIC ANISOTROPY FOR ASSESSING EROSION-TECTONIC COUPLING IN THE KARAKORAM HIMALAYA


DUDLEY, Michael E., Center for Geospatial Sciences, Applications and Technology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843; Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843 and BISHOP, Michael P., Department of Geography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843; Center for Geospatial Sciences, Applications and Technology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, michael.dudley31@tamu.edu

Understanding the complexities of mountain geodynamics in the Karakoram Himalaya requires an assessment of the scale-dependencies associated with the coupling of climatic, surficial and tectonic processes. Operational scale-dependencies of erosion and uplift are very difficult to ascertain, given the polygenetic overprinting of glaciation and glacierization, river incision, mass movements, and tectonic deformation. Collectively, polygenetic topographic evolution governs topographic complexity and anisotropy. Consequently, our research objective is to characterize topographic anisotropy to determine if we can identify erosion-tectonic coupling zones. Specifically, we evaluate the multi-scale directional dependence of relief where erosion-tectonic coupling is known to exist, based upon field work and geologic maps. We utilized a Shuttle Radar Topographic Mapping Mission (SRTM; 30m) digital elevation model to assess topographic anisotropy out to a scale of 10km. We assumed topographic symmetry in computing directional-dependence of the minimum relief. We used geovisualization of ellipsoids and graphed anisotropy parameters to examine relief production and terrain-orientation fabric. Our results indicate high-magnitude erosion caused by river incision and glacierization in tectonic zones exhibit a high degree of anisotropy that is directionally controlled by surface processes or differential erosion along fault boundaries (e.g., Karakoram Fault). Highly variable scale-dependent anisotropy is associated with more complex topography, highlighting structural and lithological variability. Our results clearly reveal the scale-dependent complexity of topographic anisotropy in the Karakoram Himalaya, and demonstrate the use of a new property of the topography for assessing and understanding mountain geodynamics.

Session No. 59--Booth# 16

Recent Advances in Geomorphology, from the Mountains to the Coast (Posters)
Sunday, 25 September 2016: 9:00 AM-5:30 PM
Exhibit Hall E/F (Colorado Convention Center)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 7
doi: 10.1130/abs/2016AM-279276
© Copyright 2016 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.
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