River erosion explains uneven uplift of Basque-Cantabrian Range
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Researchers at the University of the Basque Country-EHU and the University of Salamanca have explained why the Atlantic slope of the Basque. Cantabrian Range, a mountain range between the Cantabrian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea in northern Spain, has risen more than the Mediterranean slope.
The group quantified a 255 meter (837 feet) uplift on the Atlantic side and a 167 meter (548 feet) uplift on the Mediterranean side, finding that greater erosion on the Atlantic slope caused this difference.
Like a boat rising as weight is removed, Earth’s crust lifts when surface rocks erode. The scientists determined that approximately 2,019 cubic kilometers of rock have eroded from the Atlantic slope, compared to 1,408 cubic kilometers from the Mediterranean slope, driving isostatic adjustment, the process where the crust rises to maintain stability. This adjustment isn’t just about mountains; understanding it helps scientists track sea level changes and how landscapes evolve.
The team analyzed rivers across 13,190 square kilometers of the range’s 35 basins. They discovered that rivers on the Atlantic slope run crosswise, while those on the Mediterranean slope flow longitudinally, and that the uplift has affected river formation and topography. The researchers noted this phenomenon is less studied in river-eroded areas, as most research focuses on glacial regions.
Martín Iván Martín, a researcher at the University of the Basque Country-EHU, believes erosion will continue to cause the relief to rise in the future.
