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The Curve of Stream Erosion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

John Challinor
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Extract

A Study of stream action very soon shows that things are by no means so simple as they appear at first sight. Stream erosion is the basis of earth sculpture in temperate regions, except where direct differential weathering carves some of the details; yet its mechanism and the evolution of its topographical effects do not seem to be understood with any certainty. Even the classic discussions by G.K. Gilbert in his Geology of the Henry Mountains, and by W.M. Davis in his collected Geographical Essays, are, to the present writer at least, unconvincing at those points where the deductive structure is carried over, so to speak, to fit the work of actual streams, particularly with regard to the development of the curves of their longitudinal profiles. The parts given to this subject in the geological and geographical text-books are too short to allow a fully reasoned argument, but all appear to adopted the conclusions of Gilbert and Davis; though the line adopted in the present paper is to some extent approached by Chamberlin and Salisbury.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Geological Magazine , Volume 67 , Issue 2 , February 1930 , pp. 61 - 67
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1930

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References

page 61 note 1 Gilbert, G.K., The Geology of the Henry Mountains, 1877 (section on “Erosion”, pp. 99–114).Google Scholar

page 61 note 2 Davis, W. M., Geographical Essays, edited by Johnson, D. W., 1909; particularly “The Geographical Cycle”Google Scholar (Geog. Journ., vol. xiv, 1899, pp. 481–504Google Scholar) and “Base-level, Grade, and Peneplain” (Journ. Geol., vol. x, 1902, pp.77–111).Google Scholar

page 61 note 3 Chamberlin, T. C. and Salisbury, R. D., Geology, 2nd ed., 1909, vol. i, pp. 57–70. I am indebted to this book for the reference to Bain's work.Google Scholar

page 61 note 4 Bain, H. F., “Relations of the Wisconsin and Kansan Drift Sheets in Central Iowa, and Related Phenomena” (section on “Analysis of Erosion Curves,” pp.449–58), Iowa Geol. Survey, vol. vi, pp. 433–76.Google Scholar

page 66 note 1 The clearest explanation that I know of this principle is given by Lake, P., Physical Geography, 1919, pp. 235–37.Google Scholar