Geometry of valley growth
Although amphitheatre-shaped valley heads can be cut by groundwater flows emerging from springs, recent geological evidence suggests that other processes may also produce similar features, thus confounding the interpretations of such valley heads on Earth and Mars. To better understand the origin of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
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Cambridge University Press
2012
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/74045 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4006-7771 |
| _version_ | 1826215492946231296 |
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| author | Petroff, A. P. Devauchelle, Olivier Abrams, D. M. Lobkovsky, Alexander E. Kudrolli, Arshad Rothman, Daniel H. |
| author2 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences |
| author_facet | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Petroff, A. P. Devauchelle, Olivier Abrams, D. M. Lobkovsky, Alexander E. Kudrolli, Arshad Rothman, Daniel H. |
| author_sort | Petroff, A. P. |
| collection | MIT |
| description | Although amphitheatre-shaped valley heads can be cut by groundwater flows emerging from springs, recent geological evidence suggests that other processes may also produce similar features, thus confounding the interpretations of such valley heads on Earth and Mars. To better understand the origin of this topographic form, we combine field observations, laboratory experiments, analysis of a high-resolution topographic map and mathematical theory to quantitatively characterize a class of physical phenomena that produce amphitheatre-shaped heads. The resulting geometric growth equation accurately predicts the shape of decimetre-wide channels in laboratory experiments, 100 m-wide valleys in Florida and Idaho, and kilometre-wide valleys on Mars. We find that, whenever the processes shaping a landscape favour the growth of sharply protruding features, channels develop amphitheatre-shaped heads with an aspect ratio of π. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:31:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | mit-1721.1/74045 |
| institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| language | en_US |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-23T16:31:48Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | mit-1721.1/740452022-09-29T20:04:55Z Geometry of valley growth Petroff, A. P. Devauchelle, Olivier Abrams, D. M. Lobkovsky, Alexander E. Kudrolli, Arshad Rothman, Daniel H. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences Petroff, A. P. Devauchelle, Olivier Abrams, D. M. Lobkovsky, Alexander E. Rothman, Daniel H. Although amphitheatre-shaped valley heads can be cut by groundwater flows emerging from springs, recent geological evidence suggests that other processes may also produce similar features, thus confounding the interpretations of such valley heads on Earth and Mars. To better understand the origin of this topographic form, we combine field observations, laboratory experiments, analysis of a high-resolution topographic map and mathematical theory to quantitatively characterize a class of physical phenomena that produce amphitheatre-shaped heads. The resulting geometric growth equation accurately predicts the shape of decimetre-wide channels in laboratory experiments, 100 m-wide valleys in Florida and Idaho, and kilometre-wide valleys on Mars. We find that, whenever the processes shaping a landscape favour the growth of sharply protruding features, channels develop amphitheatre-shaped heads with an aspect ratio of π. 2012-10-17T17:42:13Z 2012-10-17T17:42:13Z 2011-03 2010-11 Article http://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticle 0022-1120 1469-7645 http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/74045 Petroff, A. P. et al. “Geometry of Valley Growth.” Journal of Fluid Mechanics 673 (2011): 245–254. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4006-7771 en_US http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s002211201100053x Journal of Fluid Mechanics Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use. application/pdf Cambridge University Press MIT web domain |
| spellingShingle | Petroff, A. P. Devauchelle, Olivier Abrams, D. M. Lobkovsky, Alexander E. Kudrolli, Arshad Rothman, Daniel H. Geometry of valley growth |
| title | Geometry of valley growth |
| title_full | Geometry of valley growth |
| title_fullStr | Geometry of valley growth |
| title_full_unstemmed | Geometry of valley growth |
| title_short | Geometry of valley growth |
| title_sort | geometry of valley growth |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/74045 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4006-7771 |
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