Diagram from the study.
The flow of the Earth’s mantle creates tectonic stresses beneath the lithosphere, the Earth’s rigid outer shell. The stress inside the lithosphere causes its shattering, forming fault-and-fracture networks. As the faulting and fracturing shape the surface, these networks create natural highs and lows becoming preferential routes for rivers. An example is provided in which the mantle flowing around subducting plates creates mountain and volcanic arcs, determining natural environment for faulting, fracturing and mountain building. The fractures and faults (black thin lines) are distinguished according to the stress, whether these are compressive or allow for extension (white arrows), resulting in either normal, strike-slip or reverse faults, associated with basins and ranges. Credit: Kuhasubpasin et al. [2025], Figure 1
Editors’ Highlights are summaries of recent papers by AGU’s journal editors.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters

How do the deep forces of the Earth’s interior shape surface faults, fractures and rivers? The results of a new global analysis show that rivers, faults, and stresses often align, but the degree of correspondence depends on fault type, stress source, and river size.

Kuhasubpasin et al. [2025] present a new framework to quantify the relative roles of lithospheric structures and mantle dynamics, offering fresh insights into how deep Earth processes govern the surface. A novel procedure is proposed to assess the relative role of mantle flow and lithospheric differences to the surface features, which may help constrain the individual forces acting to deform the lithosphere, creating topography. This holistic perspective on the coupled evolution of Earth’s interior and its surface shows how the interior of the Earth affects and perhaps even controls the surface.

Citation: Kuhasubpasin, B., Moon, S., & Lithgow-Bertelloni, C. (2025). Unraveling the connection between subsurface stress and geomorphic features. Geophysical Research Letters, 52, e2025GL116798. https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL116798

—Fabio A. Capitanio, Editor, Geophysical Research Letters

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