Incision and Geomorphic Development of Rivers on Eastern and Western Sides of the Northern Sobaek Mountains

소백산맥 북부 영동영서 하천의 하각과 지형 발달

This study tries to analyze topographic distribution and characteristics of as well as formative age and incision rate of fluvial terraces in Danyang River on western side and Geum River on eastern side of the northern Sobaek Mountains and to estimate geomorphic development during the late Quaternary in the mountains regarded as one of the uplift axes in the Korean Peninsula. OSL age dating shows that the fluvial terrace I with an altitude above riverbed of approximately 7~13 m in Danyang River has a formative age of approximately 18 ka (MIS 2) and incision rate in the river is approximately 0.156~0.194 m/ka based on the age. Altitudes above riverbed of the fluvial terrace I in Geum River range from approximately 7 to 14 m and the terrace is thought to be older than 70 ka based on age result from aeolian sediments above the terrace deposits, suggestive of an incision rate less than approximately 0.10 m/ka. These results indicate lower uplift rate in the northern Sobaek Mountains than in the Taebaek Mountains. Moreover, it can be suggested that the northern Sobaek Mountains has experienced asymmetric uplift during the late Quaternary, because the river on western side of the northern Sobaek Mountains shows greater uplift rate than the eastern side river does. Low incision rate in Geum River can be attributed to low altitude of the river basin with little difference in altitude from the base level as well as to gentle river slope due to influence of Nakdong River.