RATE LAW IN FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY

The impact of human activities on geomorphic systems consists primarily of the disruptions of natural processes and the disturbances of steady states. The times required for the systems to achieve new steady states after disruptions (relaxation times) are significant factors in the assessment of man's impact on landform processes. Spatial and dimensional characteristics of fluvial systems can be used as indicators of equilibrium. Dendrochronologic, photographic, and field evidence from gully networks in the Colorado Piedmont indicate that a rate law in the form of a negative exponential function similar to that used for describing relaxation times of radioactive materials and chemical mixtures provides a useful model for relaxation times in geomorphic systems.