Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
into the complexity of the various processes
interacting to produce a tectonic landscape.
We always make simplifications in these efforts.
The art lies in the decisions about what degree
of detail must be preserved in the model in order
to remain faithful enough to the real world to
answer the specific questions being asked of it.
No model of a scarp will treat every sand grain
in the scarp. No model of a mountain range will
treat every little bend in the faults bounding it.
Finally, the development of models of landscape
evolution must go hand in hand with
the generation of data sets that are capable
of constraining these models. Considerable
excitement lies in the interplay among these
efforts, as new models force the generation of
new data, and new data force the incorporation
of new elements in the models. In the last
decade, this interplay has been exemplified in
thedevelopmentofbothnewthermochronometers
and the required marriage of models for evolution
of both the surface and the subsurface thermal
fields in the interpretation of these data. Just as
improved global tomography has improved our
ability to model and assess dynamic topography,
so have global precipitation data sets enabled
prediction and testing of interactions of
orographic rainfall with geomorphic processes.
As our ability to quantify the magnitude and
timing of geomorphic and tectonic processes
continues to expand, new models, both simple
and complex, will provide a critical integrative
framework to improve our interpretations and
understanding of how the Earth deforms and
how tectonic landscapes respond to, record,
and modulate that deformation.
