1.
Proc Math Phys Eng Sci
; 473(2202): 20170159, 2017 Jun.
Artigo
em Inglês
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28690414
RESUMO
Valleys that form around a stream head often develop characteristic finger-like elevation contours. We study the processes involved in the formation of these valleys and introduce a theoretical model that indicates how shape may inform the underlying processes. We consider valley growth as the advance of a moving boundary travelling forward purely through linearly diffusive erosion, and we obtain a solution for the valley shape in three dimensions. Our solution compares well to the shape of slowly growing groundwater-fed valleys found in Bristol, Florida. Our results identify a new feature in the formation of groundwater-fed valleys: a spatially variable diffusivity that can be modelled by a fixed-height moving boundary.