Processes and rates of formation of Holocene alluvial terraces in Harris Wash, Escalante River basin, south-central Utah

Research Article| March 01, 1986 Processes and rates of formation of Holocene alluvial terraces in Harris Wash, Escalante River basin, south-central Utah PETER C. PATTON; PETER C. PATTON 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06457 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar PAUL J. BOISON PAUL J. BOISON 2Earth Sciences Board, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information PETER C. PATTON 1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut 06457 PAUL J. BOISON 2Earth Sciences Board, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1986) 97 (3): 369–378. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1986)972.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation PETER C. PATTON, PAUL J. BOISON; Processes and rates of formation of Holocene alluvial terraces in Harris Wash, Escalante River basin, south-central Utah. GSA Bulletin 1986;; 97 (3): 369–378. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1986)972.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Harris Wash, a tributary of the Escalante River in south-central Utah, has two well-preserved alluvial terraces of compound origin in its lower reaches. The alluvial stratigraphy of the deposits that compose these terraces reflects the complex processes of canyon filling and erosion. The compound terraces were formed by general aggradation of the valley, by deposition from large floods that also resulted in alluvial-fill incision, and by aggradation of flood-plain surfaces during periods of base-level stability. The alluvial chronology indicates that Harris Wash was aggrading for most of the Holocene and that only two late Holocene periods of rapid incision, between 2500 and 1900 yr B.P. and between 1000 and 300 yr B.P., are evident from the terrace stratigraphy. Rapid aggradation of flood plains during the past 150 yr produced historic flood-plain deposits 5 m above the elevation of the stream. The historic flood-plain deposits and other similar deposits in other Escalante River tributaries are attributed to increased runoff and erosion related to land-use changes in the basin during this time interval. Older alluvial deposits in Harris Wash cannot be correlated with alluvial sequences in other western tributaries of the Escalante River basin. In these drainages, valley aggradation and incision are apparently more sensitive to intrabasin processes of sediment production and storage and less dependent on regional factors such as climate change. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.