Analysis of Quantified Hillslope Erosion by Excess Topography in the Hengduan Mountain

¹Key Laboratory of Mountain Hazards and Surface Process, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

²University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

³China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group CO. Ltd., Chengdu, Sichuan, China.

*Corresponding author:Liqin Zhou

Published: April 26,2024

Abstract

Hillslope erosion, as an important Earth surface process, also plays an irreplaceable role in the formation and evolution of the landscape. Especially in the deep canyon area, the erosion process, dominated by landslides, controls the direction and process of landscape evolution. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between excess topography and slope erosion based on the threshold hillslope theory. The findings of our study show that the average slope of the six major rivers in the Hengduan mountain area is between 25° and 30°. Additionally, the area with a slope of 30 ± 5° near the river valley accounts for up to 82%. Taking 30° as an example threshold hillslope, the average thickness of the excess topography in the Hengduan mountain area reaches 32.2m. Based on the maximum average erosion rate of 0.48 mm/s, the excess topography thickness can supply the erosion amount for 67,000 years. Meanwhile, about 71% of the 4,430 landslides in the Hengduan mountain area are located in areas with excess topography, and more than 48% are situated in areas with excess topography exceeding 50m in height. Moreover, the excessive topography volume in the six rivers of the Hengduan mountain area exhibited a strong linear correlation with the erosion rate, suggesting that the distribution of excessive topography can serve as an indicator of spatial variations in erosion capacity. Quantification of hillslope erosion through excess topography can be a breakthrough in understanding the plateau uplift mechanism and hillslope erosion process.

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How to cite this paper

Analysis of Quantified Hillslope Erosion by Excess Topography in the Hengduan Mountain

How to cite this paper: Liqin Zhou, Zhen Zhou, Yanlian Zhou. (2024) Analysis of Quantified Hillslope Erosion by Excess Topography in the Hengduan Mountain. OAJRC Environmental Science, 5(1), 14-21.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/oajrces.2024.03.003

OAJRC Environmental Science

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