Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Inputs
Internal transfers
Interfluve
Bedrock weathering
Atmospheric dust and solutes
Free-face
Talus
Talus foot
Valley floor
Stream channel
Lake basin
Fig. 2.4
The alpine sediment
cascade process system proposed
by Caine (1974).
Lake sedimentation
Outlet channel
Outputs
Table 2.3
Examples of mountain geomorphological process subsystems and typical geomorphological units as described by Barsch &
Caine (1984).
Sediment system
Morphological units
Transfer processes
Typical mountain
environment
Case study
Glacia
Glacierized valleys
and terrain; moraine
Steep bedrock slopes
and talus
Glacial transport
Icelandic glaciers
Ggjkull and Kvrjkull
Randa rock slide,
Valais, Switzerland
Spedding (2000)
Coarse debris
Rock fall, avalanches;
debris flows; rock
slides; talus creep
Solifluction; soil creep;
slopewash
Fluvial transport;
solute transport;
lake sedimentation
Gtz & Zimmermann
(1993)
Fine sediment
Waste mantled slopes
Colorado Front
Range, USA
Kärkevagge,
northern Sweden
Benedict (1970)
Fluvial and
geochemical
Stream channels;
valley floors; fans and
lakes
Rapp (1960)
is significant slope-channel coupling in most
mountain environments because, given the high
relative relief and steep slopes, valley sediment
storage is often small and sediment runout from
mountain slopes enters stream channels directly.
The usefulness of Fig. 2.4 is that it provides an
overall framework for evaluating sediment fluxes
under natural and disturbed conditions. Greater
