This dataset includes raw data used in the paper by Reitano et al. (2022), focused on the effect of imposed boundary conditions (regional slope and rainfall rate) on the morphological evolution of analogue landscapes; the paper also focuses on applicability of stream power laws on analogue models, defining if and how the parametrization used in natural landscapes works in analogue ones. The experiments have been carried out at Laboratory of Experimental Tectonics (LET), University “Roma Tre” (Rome).
Detailed descriptions of the experimental apparatus and experimental procedures implemented can be found in the paper to which this dataset refers.
Here we present:
• Pictures recording the evolution of the models.
• GIFs showing time-lapses of models.
• Raw DEMs of the models, used for extracting data later discusses in the paper.
• Raw channels data (.mat files).
This data publication is supplementary to a study on the effect of large boulders and bedrock fracture patterns on hillslope denudation rates in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera, by Lodes et al. (submitted). Hillslope denudation rates are primarily determined by tectonic uplift rates, but landscape morphology is also controlled by climate and lithological properties such as bedrock fractures. Fracture patterns can influence the locations of ridges and valleys in landscapes through lowering surface grain sizes in fractured areas, and therefore the residence time of fractured hillslope material, dictating differential denudation rates. In this project, we used 10Be cosmogenic nuclide analysis to quantify the denudation rates of fractured bedrock, boulders, and soil on hillslopes, and compared the orientations of surrounding streams and faults, to understand the effects of fracturing and faulting on denudation rates, fluvial incision, and grain size in three field sites along a climate gradient in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera. In the humid and semi-arid climate zones, we found that denudation rates for unfractured bedrock and large hillslope boulders (10 to 15 m Myr-1) are lower than for soil (15 to 20 m Myr-1), indicating that exposed bedrock and boulders retard hillslope denudation rates. In the mediterranean climate zone, hillslope denudation rates are higher (40-140 m Myr-1) and show a less consistent pattern, likely due to steeper slopes. LiDAR-derived stream orientations support a fracture-control on landscape denudation in the three field sites, which we link with fracture density. Together, our results thus provide new insights into how fracture patterns can dictate topographic highs and valleys through grain size reduction. The main objective of this data publication is to provide our 10Be dataset which we used to calculate denudation rates for bedrock, boulders, and soils.
The knowledge about the distribution of active faults is crucial for hazard assessment (Costa et al., 2020; Santibáñez et al., 2019; Wesnousky, 1986) but also provides insights into tectonic control on hydrological processes (Binnie et al., 2020; Jeffery et al., 2013; Pan et al., 2013) or georesource distribution (Goldsworthy & Jackson, 2000; Viguier et al., 2018). Furthermore, tectonically driven topographic uplift and its impact on climate (Armijo et al., 2015; Houston & Hartley, 2003; Rech et al., 2019; Zhisheng et al., 2001) can be better understood if a systematically mapped fault database exists.
Here we present an active fault database, as well as the distribution of drainages, for an area between 18.50°S and 19.45°S in Northern Chile forearc, which were systematically mapped in the framework of the project “Cluster C05-Tectonic Geomorphology: Adaptation of drainage to tectonic forcing” of the CRC1211- Earth Evolution at the Dry Limit.
The Central Andes forearc at this latitude is located at a highly tectonically active convergent margin and hosts major earthquakes not only on the plate boundary itself (e.g., Métois et al., 2016), but also in the overriding crust (e.g., Comte et al., 1999). It comprises, from west to east, the Coastal Cordillera, Longitudinal Valley and the Western Flank of the Altiplano, showing an impressive amount of topographic variability of ca. 4000 m. Nevertheless, Neogene crustal tectonic structures and surface deformation are poorly documented. The overall landscape appears as a gentle west-sloping pediplain dissected by deep transversal canyons (quebradas), which reach the current Pacific Ocean (Mortimer, 1980). The Longitudinal Valley is a sedimentary basin filled with 432 to 2000 m of Tertiary to Quaternary deposits derived from the Altiplano in the east as well as the Coastal Cordillera in the west (García et al., 2017). Its surface is composed by a multiphase planation surface called the Pacific Paleosurface (PPS), which distribution is suggested to be controlled by crustal tectonics (Evenstar et al., 2017). Depending on the low ratio of tectonic displacement rate to sedimentation rate, many active faults are hidden and only a specialized approach of high-resolution fault mapping, together with a morphometric analysis of the drainage pattern provides systematic information about the distribution of active faults, folds and related structures.
The present fault database is the result of creating a comprehensive catalogue of faults classified by the age of last proven/probable tectonic activity. This is accompanied by a compilation of existing age data and a map of drainage pattern. These datasets were compiled in QGIS 3.16.5 (https://www.qgis.org) and are available as. gpkg for GIS applications and as .kml formats to be visualized in Google Earth.