Landscape Evolution and Surface Processes
Topography on the Earth’s surface reflects a complex interplay among climatically modulated surface processes, differential rock uplift, and mechanical heterogeneity of bedrock. We study this interaction across a range of time scales and field sites, but our driving philosophy is to find natural experiments where we can control for some of the variables to understand the response of erosional landscapes to tectonic and climatic forcing. Our work combines quantitative analysis of topography with field- and proxy-based measurements of erosion rates with models of landscape evolution to evaluate the evolution of topography in active mountain ranges.