Sediment-laden currents caused by breaching flow slides are hazardous to flood defenses and seabed infrastructure. New research shows that these phenomena must be accounted for in erosion simulations.
erosion & weathering
A Clearer Look at Lunar Surface Hydration
Independent ground-based observations of the Moon confirm prior spacecraft observations that hydration at the lunar surface varies with temperature.
Mount Rushmore’s Six Grandfathers and Four Presidents
Living in Geologic Time: How long will it take for erosion to erase Mount Rushmore?
Self-Repairing Blemishes on the Surface of Mars
A new study of small impact craters at Mars landing sites suggests that active processes degrade and infill depressions at similar rates in locations separated by thousands of kilometers.
Megaripple Migration Offers Insights into Martian Atmosphere
The movement of large sand ripples, documented for the first time, suggests Mars is windier than we thought.
The Ticking Time Bomb of Arctic Permafrost
Arctic infrastructure is under threat from thawing permafrost.
Meteoric 10Be Reveals Lithological Control on Erosion Rates
New meteoric 10Be data quantify fast erosion of slates in the Zhuoshui River catchment in Taiwan and demonstrate the influence of lithology on landscape steepness.
Arctic Coast Erosion Linked to Large-Scale Climate Variability
Changes in rates of Arctic coastal erosion detected from multi-decadal measurements are attributed to the shorter duration in the winter sea ice coverage and large-scale changes in the wind patterns.
Mapping Martian Dunes from Orbit
New research shows how fast the sands shift on the Red Planet and how useful imagery from different orbiting cameras can be in studies of Mars’s dunes.
Precipitation Plays a Key Role in Glacial Erosion
After comparing the climatic conditions at dozens of glaciers worldwide, researchers find that precipitation, not temperature, is the leading environmental factor driving glacial erosion.