Collaborative Research: FACET: Quantifying the topographic response to tectonic processes in southern Taiwan

是气候驱动的侵蚀和构造过程的相互作用塑造了地球？S地形通过一系列的过程。这个过程可以是渐进的，比如缓慢而持续的构造板块碰撞，将地形抬升到海平面以上，也可以是灾难性的，比如罕见的高震级地震或大型热带气旋，它们会导致山体滑坡过程的侵蚀。这个项目是美国和台湾研究人员的合作成果，旨在了解这些过程如何在一系列时间尺度上相互作用，利用台湾南部作为一个自然实验室。具体来说，该项目将通过阐明形成景观的侵蚀过程以及构造和气候如何影响这些过程来推进知识。与台湾和美国科学家的合作将建立国际研究能力，同时了解地震、台风和山体滑坡等危险构造、气候和侵蚀过程的地形特征。该项目在许多方面有利于社会或促进预期的社会成果。研究生培训、美台研究生研讨会活动和早期职业科学家支持将培养具有竞争力的STEM劳动力。此外，该计划将透过由研究团队共同教授的夏季构造地貌学研究生工作坊，促进台湾科学家和研究生与美国研究生之间的互动，并在美国科学家和台湾科学家之间建立新的研究合作。本计画将探讨台湾南部沿著陡峭的地形梯度，气候驱动侵蚀、构造与地形的相互作用。美国和台湾的研究团队将验证以下观点：(1)分离受限的河流动力侵蚀模型预测台湾南部河流对构造的响应；(2)由宇宙成因放射性核素估算的流域平均侵蚀速率为台湾南部的山坡侵蚀提供了可靠的估计；(3)台湾南部的变形和造山过程以60 ~ 90 mm/yr的速率向南传播。该团队将量化全新世的河流切口和山坡侵蚀，以限制沿陡峭地形梯度走向的景观不平衡的程度。河流的切口将通过位于现代河流高水位线之上的河道阶地的年代来估计。利用阶地沉积物中的宇宙核素估算古侵蚀速率，将限制整个全新世的山坡侵蚀。此外，研究小组将量化构造数据，并将这些数据与大地测量和地球物理数据相结合，以了解走向的运动学演化和构造过程。研究区域的综合地貌和构造图像将为构造活跃景观中河流切口的潜在物理控制提供严格的测试，并利用地貌、地形和运动学信息限制造山过程的速率。该奖项由美国国家科学基金会国际科学与工程办公室共同资助。

The interaction of climate-driven erosion and tectonic processes shape and sculpt Earth?s topography through a range of processes. The processes can be gradual, such as the slow, continuous collision of tectonic plates lifting a landscape above sea-level, or they can be catastrophic such as rare, high magnitude earthquakes or large tropical cyclones that drive erosion by landslide processes. This project, a collaborative effort between U.S. and Taiwanese researchers, is aimed at understanding how such processes interact over a range of timescales using southern Taiwan as a natural laboratory. Specifically, this project will advance knowledge by elucidating the erosion processes responsible for shaping the landscape and how tectonics and climate influence these processes. The collaboration with Taiwanese and U.S. scientists will build international research capacity while understanding the topographic signature of hazardous tectonic, climate, and erosion processes, such as earthquakes, typhoons, and landslides. The project benefits society or advances desired societal outcomes in many ways. Graduate student training, U.S.-Taiwan graduate student workshop activities, and early career scientist support will develop a competitive STEM workforce. Additionally, the project will facilitate the interaction among Taiwanese scientists and graduate students with U.S. graduate students through a summer graduate student workshop tectonic geomorphology co-taught by the research team and forge new research collaborations between U.S. scientists and Taiwanese scientists. This project will explore the interaction of climate driven erosion, tectonics, and topography along the steep topographic gradient in southern Taiwan. The U.S. and Taiwan research team will test the ideas that (1) detachment-limited stream power erosion model predicts the fluvial response to tectonics in southern Taiwan; (2) catchment averaged erosion rates estimated from cosmogenic radionuclides provide reliable estimates for hillslope erosion in southern Taiwan; and (3) deformation and mountain building processes propagated towards the south in southern Taiwan at about 60-90 mm/yr. The team will quantify river incision and hillslope erosion through the Holocene to constrain the magnitude of landscape disequilibrium along strike of the steep topographic gradient. River incision will be estimated by dating strath terraces perched well above modern river high water marks. Hillslope erosion throughout the Holocene will be constrained by estimating paleo-erosion rates with cosmogenic nuclides in the sediments on the terraces. Additionally, the research team will quantify structural data and integrate these with geodetic and geophysical data to understand the kinematic evolution and tectonic processes along strike. The integrated geomorphic and tectonic picture of the study area will provide a rigorous test of the underlying physical controls of river incision in a tectonically active landscape and constrain the rate of orogenic processes using geomorphic, topographic, and kinematic information.This award is co-funded by the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering.