The first high-resolution model of Earth’s surface evolution

Climate, plate tectonics, and various surface processes—particularly the transport and accumulation of sediment from the land to the oceans—continue to shape the land over time. Researchers from the University of Sydney, in collaboration with French researchers, now present a highly detailed geological model of how our planet’s surface has evolved over the past 100 million years. This new model can help predict how the Earth will change in the face of climate change.

Geomorphology is a discipline that studies landforms and all the processes that shape them. Understanding how landscapes have evolved in the past, and the different factors that play a role, can help predict future changes. ” To predict the future, we must understand the past. But our geological models have provided only a fragmented understanding of how our planet’s modern physical features formed. », explains Dr. Tristan Salesresearcher at the University of Sydney’s School of Geosciences and first author of the study.

He and his collaborators are in science Results of a high-resolution model of surface physics, which provides an understanding of how the current geophysical landscape was created and how millions of tons of sediment have flowed into the oceans over the past 100 million years. It is the first high-resolution, global-scale computer simulation of the continuous interaction between river basins, erosion, and sediment deposition. For Dr. Sallis, this is a huge step forward, one that will help scientists understand and predict the future.

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