More featured publications
Hydrologically driven modulation of cutoff regime in meandering rivers The lateral migration of meanders is primarily controlled by the frequency of bend cutoff. This processe takes place when a new channel shortcuts through a meander (chute cutoff), or when two bends intersect each other and isolate an oxbow (neck cutoff). These processes are intuitively modulated by discharge regime, but how? This paper published in Geology shows that chute cutoffs are more likely the result of sudden, large floods, whereas neck cutoffs are more common in rivers characterized by consistent bankfull discharge over the years. |
Modelling fire-induced perturbations in sediment flux based on stream widening and accelerated bank migration Wildfires affect many watershed processes, including sediment flux, due to enhanced soil erosion. However, only experimental data from controlled watersheds are available to understand fire-induced changes in sediment yield. This paper published in CATENA presents a model linking catchment physiography and channel dynamics to investigate change in the natural Bonaparte River (B.C., Canada) after the Elephant Hill mega-fire of 2017. |
Detrital Zircon Geochronology and Provenance of the Mesoproterozoic Husky Creek Formation: A fluvial sandstone recording the waning stages of one of Earth’s largest magmatic episodes Little is known about how river networks adapt to the emplacement of large igneous provinces. The Husky Creek Formation, exposed along the iconic Coppermine River, records fluvial surface processes in the aftermath of the Mackenzie Igneous Province's emplacement. This publication the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences presents detrital-zircon provenance results from a whitewater expedition conducted along the river. |
Linking sediment flux to river migration in arid landscapes through mass balance Sediment flux is known to be one of the driving forces behind meander migration, although linking the two has proven challenging to date in arid landscapes, where direct measurements of sediment yield are rare. To address this shortcoming, this Current Ripples published in the Journal of Sedimentary Research presents a simple mass-balance approach to estimate sediment flux based on catchment erosion and sediment trapping in watersheds of western USA's Great Basin. |
The initiation of the Mesoproterozoic Bylot basins (Nunavut, Arctic Canada) as recorded in the Nyeboe Formation, Fury and Hecla Group The Bylot basins of eastern Arctic Canada and Greenland are known for their exceptional record of early eukaryotic life, and yet the paleoenvironmental settings of this complex basin system are still not fully characterized. In this study published in the Journal of Sedimentary Research, we present a first detailed facies and stratigraphic analysis of the Nyeboe Formation, which records the Bylot basins' initiation in their southern area, across what is now the Fury and Hecla Strait. |
A reappraisal of the Nonacho Basin (Northwest Territories, Canada): Record of post-orogenic collapse and marine flooding in the Palaeoproterozoic of the Rae Craton How do we distinguish marine from continental sediments in Precambrian basins that otherwise lack any paleontological indicators? This question guided our study published in Precambrian Research, where we provide a re-interpretation of an enigmatic basin that was classically considered as solely continental. We demonstrate how refined facies analysis is the key to not just palaeoenvironmental interpretations, but also basin analysis. |
Planform-asymmetry and backwater effects on river-cutoff kinematics and clustering Bend cutoff is a fascinating process in meandering rivers: it contributes to creating riparian environments, it offers temporary storage for sediment, and efficiently isolates channel reaches that become too sinuous. Bend cutoffs are often observed in clusters, but why? In this paper published in the Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, we explore this question, and provide evidence that both planform-asymmetry and backwater effects influence the dynamics and grouping of meander cutoffs. |
Channel mobility drives a diverse stratigraphic architecture in the dryland Mojave River (California, USA) Desert rivers have been classically considered as capable of depositing only broad and shallow sand bodies, but this assumption has been hardly tested in modern systems. Owing to the availability of compelling data sets of hydrology, channel migration, and basin subsidence, this paper published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms debunks such assumptions, and instead demonstrates that ephemeral streams draining desert areas can in fact generate a surprisingly wide range of depositional architectures. |
Detrital-zircon provenance of a Torridonian fluvial-aeolian sandstone: The 1.2 Ga Meall Dearg Formation, Stoer Group (Scotland) The Torridonian of Scotland is one of the most famous records of Precambrian sedimentation worldwide, although some facets of its paleogeography remain understudied. In this paper published in Precambrian Research, we investigate the provenance of fluvial and aeolian deposits in the Meall Dearg Formation through U-Pb geochronology, and present a refined model detailing what terranes of the underlying Lewisian Gneiss Complex sourced its detritus. |
Planform and stratigraphic signature of proximal braided streams: remote-sensing and ground-penetrating-radar analysis of the Kicking Horse River, Canadian Rocky Mountains The Kicking Horse River is an iconic stream that served as reference for proximal-braided fluvial facies models since the 1970s. This article published in the Journal of Sedimentary Research integrates time-lapse satellite imagery and hydrologic data with ground-penetrating radar analysis, providing an updated framework for fluvial depositional processes in inter-mountain basin reaches. |
Barren meandering streams in the modern Toiyabe Basin of Nevada, U.S.A., and their relevance to the study of the pre-vegetation rock record In this paper published in the Journal of Sedimentary Research, we present a remote-sensing and field-based study of a small fluvial system entirely devoid of macroscopic life. By employing classic sedimentologic and time-lapse analysis, we demonstrate how such fluvial systems may yield great insight on how ancient landscapes looked prior to the evolution of land plants, and on how to recognize their peculiar deposits in the rock record. |
Morphodynamics of meandering streams devoid of plant life: Amargosa River, Death Valley, California Whether river landscapes that predated the evolution of macroscopic life could or could not develop sinuous channels is a polarizing question of key relevance for Precambrian and planetary geologists alike. This paper published in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America presents the first comprehensive sedimentologic and morphodynamic analysis of perhaps the most iconic barren meandering river in North America: the terminal Amargosa River in Death Valley, California, USA. |
Fluvial floodplains prior to greening of the continents: Stratigraphic record, geodynamic setting, and modern analogues In this invited review published in Sedimentary Geology, we analyze the temporal, spatial, and geodynamic distribution of river-overbank rock records available on Earth's continents during the long time span that preceded the evolution of vegetation. Through comparison with modern barren floodplains in extreme environments, we argue that pre-vegetation overbanks were preferentially preserved in continental basins isolated from the global ocean. |
Fluvial channel-belts, floodbasins, and aeolian ergs in the Precambrian Meall Dearg Formation (Torridonian of Scotland): Inferring climate regimes from pre-vegetation clastic rock records The Torridonian Succession of Scotland has been studied for about two centuries, and yet some of its exposures still lacked a full sedimentologic characterization. In this paper published in Sedimentary Geology, we present a detailed facies analysis of the thus-far overlooked Meall Dearg Formation, and depict a fascinating Precambrian landscape that featured ephemeral rivers, floodplain ponds, and large aeolian dunes. |
Controls on sinuosity in the sparsely vegetated Fossálar River, southern Iceland In this paper published in Geomorphology, we examine what factors may promote the development and tenure of sinuous channels in modern settings with sparse vegetation. Through a combination of time-lapse photogrammetry and analysis of river discharge, we investigate the morphodynamics of a small fluvial system in southern Iceland, and highlight how the creation and destruction of sinuous channel bends largely depends on discharge modulation rather than bank stabilization. |
Deeply channelled Precambrian rivers: Remote sensing and outcrop evidence from the 1.2 Ga Stoer Group of NW Scotland Can we depict the large-scale architecture of Precambrian landscapes? Sedimentology often focusses on minute details, whilst km-scale exposures required to appreciate larger geometries are rare. The Stoer Group of Northwest Scotland is exceptional in that, when investigated through remote sensing and ground-based sedimentology (as in this paper published in Precambrian Research), does in fact reveal the larger-scale architecture of an incredibly complex and varied sedimentary landscape. |
Reappraisal of Precambrian sheet‐braided rivers: Evidence for 1·9 Ga deep‐channelled drainage In this paper published in Sedimentology, we challenge the general notion that most Precambrian rivers were characterized by broad, shallow, and flood-prone channels. We present photogrammetric and sedimentologic data from the Burnside River Formation of Arctic Canada. Investigating outcrops as wide as 12 km, we argue that extensive fluvial sandstones of pre-vegetation vintage were instead likely deposited by deep, well-embanked channels that featured perennial discharge. |
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