The Topographic History of the Alps and its Tectonic and Climatic Drivers (TOPOALPS)

TOPOALPS是一个多学科项目，旨在确定阿尔卑斯山的地貌史以及导致其形成的过去和现在的构造和气候过程。该项目以两种新方法为基础：以宇宙成因和稳定同位素为基础的表面地球化学方法，以及提供构造和气候强迫与地质观测之间定量联系的表面过程模型。我们在这项工作中确定了六项任务：(1)根据已公布的和新的数据开发阿尔卑斯山的构造“模板”，以建立促进阿尔卑斯山地形演变的构造活动的空间和时间分布；(2)利用南北前陆盆地的沉积记录，建立源区、泥沙产率和输送和扩散系统，包括阿尔卑斯山源区的排水模式；(3)估计整个阿尔卑斯山的宇宙成因核素产生的现代侵蚀速率和河流的泥沙负荷的空间分布；(4)针对同造山沉积物、古土壤和断裂带中的粘土，通过稳定的同位素测量和古大气水推断，估算高阿尔卑斯山地区晚第三纪古海拔；(5)通过多学科聚焦一个地区，量化冰川作用对区域尺度上阿尔卑斯山地形和地貌的影响，并建立和标定冰川侵蚀模型；(6)通过一系列地表过程数值模型，整合构造、产沙量、剥蚀、古海拔和剥露速率数据，旨在通过晚新近纪约束特定时间的古地形。总而言之，这些合作项目将提供现代阿尔卑斯山侵蚀过程的详细区域视图，以及对地质上近代地形演化史的透视。

TOPOALPS is a multidisciplinary project to establish the topographic history of the Alps and the past and present tectonic and climatic processes responsible for its formation. The project is based on two new methodologies: surface geochemical methods based on cosmogenic and stable isotopes, and surface process models which provide quantitative linkage between tectonic and climatic forcing and geological observables. We identify six tasks in this undertaking: (1) development of tectonic “templates” of the Alps based on published and new data to establish space and time distribution of tectonic activity that has contributed to the topographic evolution of the Alps; (2) the use of the sedimentary record of the north and south foreland basins to establish the source area, the rate of sediment yield, and the transport and dispersal systems including drainage patterns from Alpine source areas; (3) estimation of the spatial distribution of modern rates of erosion from cosmogenic nuclide generation and sediment loads of rivers throughout the Alps; (4) estimation of late Tertiary paleoelevation of high Alpine regions from stable isotope measurement and inference of paleo-meteoric water, targeting clays in syn-orogenic sediments, paleosols, and dated fault zones; (5) quantification of impacts of glaciation on topography and geomorphology of the Alps at a regional scale, by a multidisciplinary focus on one area and construction and calibration of a glacial erosion model; (6) integration of tectonic, sediment yield, denudation, paleo-elevation and exhumation rate data through a series of surface process numerical models designed to constrain paleotopography at specific times through the late Neogene. Taken together, these collaborative projects will provide a detailed regional view of the erosional processes in the modern Alps, and a perspective on the geologically recent history of topographic evolution.