{"id":{"repo_id":"unm","oai_identifier":"oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:eps_etds-1071"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/unm/oai:digitalrepository.unm.edu:eps_etds-1071","repository":{"repo_id":"unm","name":"University of New Mexico","base_url":"https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"Deep-seated bedrock landsliding in Grand Canyon's Surprise Valley area","abstract":"The effects of large-scale landsliding on the continental-scale Colorado River system in Grand Canyon remain poorly understood. This paper describes deep-seated bedrock landslides in the Surprise Valley area by combining detailed mapping, volume-balanced cross-sections, strath terrace heights, and cosmogenic burial dating of river deposits buried by landslides. Mapping shows failures involving ~1000 m Paleozoic section localized within basal shale detachments, dammed and diverted the Colorado River and local tributaries, and forced the creation of epigenetic gorges. Restored cross-sections show pre-existing paleotopography in Surprise Valley possibly created by an older, through-flowing Colorado River. Two individual landslide segments dated to ~1 Ma with large errors via cosmogenic burial age dating. Detachment height, long-term bedrock incision rates, and structural relationships suggest major failures events occurred at 3 Ma, 1 Ma, <<1 Ma. Paleotopography, groundwater, and bedrock incision likely drove landsliding rather than lava-dammed lakes downstream based on geochronology.","abstract_html":"The effects of large-scale landsliding on the continental-scale Colorado River system in Grand Canyon remain poorly understood. This paper describes deep-seated bedrock landslides in the Surprise Valley area by combining detailed mapping, volume-balanced cross-sections, strath terrace heights, and cosmogenic burial dating of river deposits buried by landslides. Mapping shows failures involving ~1000 m Paleozoic section localized within basal shale detachments, dammed and diverted the Colorado River and local tributaries, and forced the creation of epigenetic gorges. Restored cross-sections show pre-existing paleotopography in Surprise Valley possibly created by an older, through-flowing Colorado River. Two individual landslide segments dated to ~1 Ma with large errors via cosmogenic burial age dating. Detachment height, long-term bedrock incision rates, and structural relationships suggest major failures events occurred at 3 Ma, 1 Ma, &lt;&lt;1 Ma. Paleotopography, groundwater, and bedrock incision likely drove landsliding rather than lava-dammed lakes downstream based on geochronology.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Robertson, Jesse"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Earth and Planetary Sciences","degree_level":"Masters","degree_discipline":"Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Karlstrom, Karl","Huntoon, Peter","Crossey, Laura","Schmandt, Brandon"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:26:14Z","subjects":["landsliding","Colorado River","Grand Canyon","cosmogenic burial age dating"],"languages":["English"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_etds/72"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_etds/72","href":"https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_etds/72","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1928/27955","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Karlstrom, Karl","Huntoon, Peter","Crossey, Laura","Schmandt, Brandon"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Robertson, Jesse"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Earth and Planetary Sciences"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["landsliding","Colorado River","Grand Canyon","cosmogenic burial age dating"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1928/27955","https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_etds/72"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The effects of large-scale landsliding on the continental-scale Colorado River system in Grand Canyon remain poorly understood. This paper describes deep-seated bedrock landslides in the Surprise Valley area by combining detailed mapping, volume-balanced cross-sections, strath terrace heights, and cosmogenic burial dating of river deposits buried by landslides. Mapping shows failures involving ~1000 m Paleozoic section localized within basal shale detachments, dammed and diverted the Colorado River and local tributaries, and forced the creation of epigenetic gorges. Restored cross-sections show pre-existing paleotopography in Surprise Valley possibly created by an older, through-flowing Colorado River. Two individual landslide segments dated to ~1 Ma with large errors via cosmogenic burial age dating. Detachment height, long-term bedrock incision rates, and structural relationships suggest major failures events occurred at 3 Ma, 1 Ma, <<1 Ma. Paleotopography, groundwater, and bedrock incision likely drove landsliding rather than lava-dammed lakes downstream based on geochronology."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Deep-seated bedrock landsliding in Grand Canyon's Surprise Valley area"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Karlstrom, Karl","Huntoon, Peter","Crossey, Laura","Schmandt, Brandon"],"dc:creator":["Robertson, Jesse"],"dc:description.abstract":["The effects of large-scale landsliding on the continental-scale Colorado River system in Grand Canyon remain poorly understood. This paper describes deep-seated bedrock landslides in the Surprise Valley area by combining detailed mapping, volume-balanced cross-sections, strath terrace heights, and cosmogenic burial dating of river deposits buried by landslides. Mapping shows failures involving ~1000 m Paleozoic section localized within basal shale detachments, dammed and diverted the Colorado River and local tributaries, and forced the creation of epigenetic gorges. Restored cross-sections show pre-existing paleotopography in Surprise Valley possibly created by an older, through-flowing Colorado River. Two individual landslide segments dated to ~1 Ma with large errors via cosmogenic burial age dating. Detachment height, long-term bedrock incision rates, and structural relationships suggest major failures events occurred at 3 Ma, 1 Ma, <<1 Ma. Paleotopography, groundwater, and bedrock incision likely drove landsliding rather than lava-dammed lakes downstream based on geochronology."],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/1928/27955","https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/eps_etds/72"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:subject":["landsliding","Colorado River","Grand Canyon","cosmogenic burial age dating"],"dc:title":["Deep-seated bedrock landsliding in Grand Canyon's Surprise Valley area"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Earth and Planetary Sciences"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:26:14Z"}