Quaternary drainage network reorganization in the Colombian Eastern Cordillera plateau. Issue 8 (26th March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Struth, Lucía; Giachetta, Emanuele; Willett, Sean D.; Owen, Lewis A.; Tesón, Eliseo
• Is Part Of: Earth surface processes and landforms. Volume 45:Issue 8(2020)
• Page Start: 1789
• Page End: 1804
• Publication Date: 2020-03-26
• Subjects: drainage evolution -- fluvial capture -- cosmogenic nuclides -- chi analysis -- Eastern Cordillera of Colombia; Geomorphology -- Periodicals; 551.4
• DOI: 10.1002/esp.4846
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0197-9337

Abstract

Abstract: Dramatic drainage reorganization from initial longitudinal to transversal domains has occurred in the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. We perform a regional analysis of drainage basin geometry and transformed river profiles based on the integral form of the slope‐area scaling, to investigate the dynamic state of drainage networks and to predict the degree of drainage reorganization in this region. We propose a new model of drainage rearrangement for the Eastern Cordillera, based on the analyses of knickpoint distribution, normalized river profiles, landforms characteristic of river capture, erosion rates and palaeodrainage data. We establish that the oldest longitudinal basin captured by the Magdalena River network was the Suárez Basin at ≈409 ka, inferring the timing of abandonment of a river terrace using in situ produced cosmogenic beryllium‐10 ( 10 Be) depth profiles and providing a first estimation of incision rate of 0.07 mm/yr. We integrate published geochronologic data and interpret the last capture of the Sabana de Bogotá, providing a minimum age of the basin opening to the Magdalena drainage at ≈38 ka. Our results suggest that the Magdalena basin Increased its drainage area by integrating the closed basins from the western flank of the Eastern Cordillera. Our study also suggests that the Magdalena basin is an aggressor compared to the basins located in the eastern flank of the orogen and provides a framework for examining drainage reorganization within the Eastern Cordillera and in similar orogenic settings. The results improve our understanding of headward integration of closed basins across orogenic plateaux. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Abstract : New model of drainage reorganization for the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia based on fluvial analysis and cosmogenic nuclides. Reopening and base level fall of Magdalena basin was the precursor of the southward propagating incision wave along the Magdalena valley. First main basin capture dated on 405 ka, based on 10 Be dating of an abandoned river terrace. The Bogotá plateau suffered two consecutive captures by two different Magdalena tributaries with a minimum capture age of 38 ka.