Slope-Channel Coupling as a Factor in the Evolution of Mountains

Abstract

Numerous works have been published on the mechanisms of relief evolution in mountain areas but new questions and research problems still arise during field observations. One of these is the issue of determining the importance of coupling between geomorphic processes on slopes and fluvial erosion and deposition in valley bottoms for the evolution of montane relief at a general scale. This thesis undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the links between slope and channel subsystems in small mid-mountain catchments so as to propose on that basis some generalisations and conclusions of broader importance, which would lead to the development of a schema for relief evolution in mid-altitude mountains. This objective was accomplished through studies in ten stream catchments located in the Western Carpathians and Sudetes in the Czech Republic.