| Abstract: | Sediment budgets since the Late-glacial were constructed for five alluvial-fan–source-basin systems in Japan. The Late-glacial and Holocene sediment yield from each source area was estimated based on digital elevation data and the morphometric analyses of geomorphological maps, in which all hillslopes and fluvial surfaces were classified. Late-glacial and Holocene sediment storage in each fan was calculated from stratigraphical data. The results have revealed that the ratio of sediment storage in a fan to sediment supply is between ca. 0.3 and 0.8. Such high ratios of sediment storage over long time periods cast doubt on the previously proposed steady-state theory of alluvial fan development. The storage ratio decreases if fan sediments are removed by neighbouring large rivers. The maximum storage ratio of 0.8 reflects the ratio of washload to total load for Japanese mountain rivers. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
