The Curve of Stream Erosion

Abstract

A Study of stream action very soon shows that things are by no means so simple as they appear at first sight. Stream erosion is the basis of earth sculpture in temperate regions, except where direct differential weathering carves some of the details; yet its mechanism and the evolution of its topographical effects do not seem to be understood with any certainty. Even the classic discussions by G.K. Gilbert in his Geology of the Henry Mountains, and by W.M. Davis in his collected Geographical Essays, are, to the present writer at least, unconvincing at those points where the deductive structure is carried over, so to speak, to fit the work of actual streams, particularly with regard to the development of the curves of their longitudinal profiles. The parts given to this subject in the geological and geographical text-books are too short to allow a fully reasoned argument, but all appear to adopted the conclusions of Gilbert and Davis; though the line adopted in the present paper is to some extent approached by Chamberlin and Salisbury.