Building Topography in a Continental Subduction Orogen: Insights From Geomorphic Analysis and 10Be Denudation Rates of the Albanides

Abstract

Understanding the relationship between surface and deep geological processes in tectonically active settings is crucial for unraveling the factors controlling landscape evolution and topographic growth. Here, we present the first basin-averaged 10Be-derived denudation rates for the Albanides, a subduction orogen in the Central Mediterranean. By integrating these data with topographic and fluvial analyses, we quantify Quaternary uplift rates and better constrain the spatial and temporal distribution of tectonic deformation, linking the existing long-term thermochronological data with short-term river incision rates. Denudation rates from nine basins range from 0.18 to 1.28 mm/yr, showing a general increase from the external compressional domain to the internal extensional domain. The denudation rates, calculated in catchments assumed to be in dynamic equilibrium and hence interpreted as proxies for uplift, reveal a consistent spatial pattern of tectonic uplift that aligns with active tectonic structures. Higher rates are observed in basins located at the hanging wall of thrust faults or at the footwall of normal faults. The imprint of active tectonics in the landscape is indicated by evidence of river network reorganisation and in the topography. A broad, across-strike increase in mean elevation, combined with local topographic variations along faults, suggests tectonic control on relief, modulated by lithological contrasts. We considered this uplift signal to be potentially controlled by a combination of both deep (e.g., crustal accretion) and shallow (i.e., surface faulting) processes. The former appears to drive the regional topographic pattern, while the latter contributes to localized uplift signals, enhanced denudation rates, and drainage reorganisation.