Cenozoic landscape evolution of the Kruger National Park as derived from cosmogenic nuclide analyses |
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| Authors: | Christoph Glotzbach Alexander Paape Jussi Baade Bastian Reinwarth Kate Rowntree Jordan Miller |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Geology, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Germany;2. Department of Geography, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany;3. Geography Department, Rhodes University Grahamstown, Grahamstown, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | In contrast to active tectonic settings, little is known about the potential feedback between surface processes and climate change in tectonically inactive cratonic regions. Here, we studied the driving forces of erosion and landscape evolution in the Kruger National Park in South Africa using cosmogenic nuclide dating. 10Be‐derived catchment‐wide erosion rates (~2 and ~10 mm ka?1) are similar in magnitude to erosion and rock uplift elsewhere in South Africa, suggesting that (1) rock uplift is solely the isostatic response to erosion and (2) the first‐order topography is likely of Cretaceous age. The topographic maturity is promoted by widespread exposure of rocks resistant to erosion. Our data, however, suggest that local variations in rock resistance lead to transient landscape changes, with local increases in relief and erosion rates. |
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