Relief stability of western Europe middle mountains from morphometry and 10Be denudation rates: the Strengbach catchment case in the central Vosges massif

Assessing the Quaternary topographic stability of western Europe middle mountains characterized by low tectonic activity remains challenging. We suggest to tackle this question in the Vosges – Upper Rhine Graben system where elevation reach up to 1400 m asl. This study is focused on the Strengbach catchment, that flows from the Vosges massif towards the Rhine graben, upstream of Ribeauvillé in the central Vosges. The catchment reaches 29 sq.km between 500 to 1200 m elevation. Morphometric analysis of the main trunk and tributaries is performed to constrain the areas of topographic disequilibrium along the valleys (knickpoints). ¹⁰Be cosmogenic isotope analysis in river sediments from various sites in the catchment is used to constrain the migration rates of these topographic instabilities at the millennial scale.

The morphometric analysis performed in the Strengbach catchment (catchment topography - χ-elevation profiles) provide evidence of relic topographic surfaces upstream of a 2 km-long convex knick-zone located at about 700 m. Below this zone, the catchment is deeply incised and ramified with knick-points in the tributaries at about 500 m. Above the knick-zone, fluvial incision is reduced with a high-standing knickpoint at about 950 m marking the upper section of the Strengbach stream. ¹⁰Be denudation rates points to relatively small variations along the main trunk upstream (36 ± 2 - 44 ± 3 mm/ka), while denudation rates derived from the tributaries range from 38 ± 2 mm/ka to 75 ± 5 mm/ka. We show that these variations are primarily controlled by topographic and lithologic factors, namely the presence of sandstones in the sub-catchments, characterized by higher erodibility than crystalline rocks. The ¹⁰Be cosmogenic isotope concentrations in sediments from both upstream and downstream of the knickpoints, and in the tributaries, constrain at first order the migration rate of the knickpoints along the river profile and the retreat rate of sandstone cliffs upstream some tributaries. Migration rates on the order of 100-200 m/Ma suggest that at the millennial scale, the topography is relatively stable. These data will be used to discuss the source of topographic disequilibrium present in the catchments.