Sean D. Willett
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View article: Drainage Pattern Changes in Southeastern Tibet Inferred from Eocene–Modern Sediment Provenance of the Yanyuan Basin
Drainage Pattern Changes in Southeastern Tibet Inferred from Eocene–Modern Sediment Provenance of the Yanyuan Basin Open
The geometry and evolution of the rivers originating from the Tibetan Plateau have been influenced by topography and climate changes during the India–Asia collision. One notable example is the Jinsha (upper Yangtze) River, which expanded i…
View article: Madagascar’s landscape evolution: A tale of two rifts
Madagascar’s landscape evolution: A tale of two rifts Open
The topography of Madagascar reflects a dynamic history of water divide migration, initially driven by rift events on both coasts separated by ~80 million years and later modified by Late Cenozoic volcanic and tectonic activity. This study…
View article: Spatial and temporal variations in erosion rate in a landslide-dominated basin, the Lao-Nung River, SW Taiwan
Spatial and temporal variations in erosion rate in a landslide-dominated basin, the Lao-Nung River, SW Taiwan Open
As an island with high tectonic uplift and a humid climate with frequent typhoons, landsliding is one of the primary processes that shapes the landscape in Taiwan. To investigate the impact of landslides on long-term erosion in a landslide…
View article: Uplift, erosion, and advection within the orogenic wedge of the Northern Apennines (Italy)
Uplift, erosion, and advection within the orogenic wedge of the Northern Apennines (Italy) Open
View article: A comprehensive interpretation of thermochronological data in the Hengduan Mountains with tectonic implications
A comprehensive interpretation of thermochronological data in the Hengduan Mountains with tectonic implications Open
View article: Drainage Reorganization and Intraspecific Genetic Diversity of Riverine Fish in the Ligurian Alps and Northern Apennines
Drainage Reorganization and Intraspecific Genetic Diversity of Riverine Fish in the Ligurian Alps and Northern Apennines Open
Mountain building reorganizes drainage networks, influencing riverine biodiversity. Northern Italy offers a natural experiment in the impact of tectonic and geomorphic processes on aquatic species distribution. We combined geomorphic analy…
View article: Eastern Himalayan syntaxis formation controlled by slab flattening and transient crustal channel flow
Eastern Himalayan syntaxis formation controlled by slab flattening and transient crustal channel flow Open
Plate corners in collisional orogens are often characterised by sharply curving orogenic syntaxis zones, where plate tectonic mountain building processes and surface processes interact vigorously. The formation and evolution of these zones…
View article: Tectonic and climatic controls on plant biodiversity in the Hengduan Mountains, China
Tectonic and climatic controls on plant biodiversity in the Hengduan Mountains, China Open
Mountainous regions contain some of the most dynamic landscapes in the world and host a majority of the world's biodiversity hotspots. The Hengduan Mountains, located at the syntax of Eurasia and India, have a complex geological history as…
View article: Simulating High-Resolution Climate over East Asia for the Last Glacial Maximum Utilising the Pseudo-Global Warming Approach
Simulating High-Resolution Climate over East Asia for the Last Glacial Maximum Utilising the Pseudo-Global Warming Approach Open
View article: Quantitative analysis of the fluvial geomorphology and erosion on Hainan island: implications for the source-to-sink system in the NW South China Sea
Quantitative analysis of the fluvial geomorphology and erosion on Hainan island: implications for the source-to-sink system in the NW South China Sea Open
The sediment delivery from Hainan island into the NW South China Sea during the Quaternary is less well-defined. An investigation into the uplift, exhumation and fluvial geomorphology of the Hainan island is crucial for improving our under…
View article: New data on tributary terraces and a reappraisal of the incision history of the Jinshan Gorge, middle Yellow River
New data on tributary terraces and a reappraisal of the incision history of the Jinshan Gorge, middle Yellow River Open
View article: Geomorphic indicators of continental-scale landscape transience in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet, China
Geomorphic indicators of continental-scale landscape transience in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet, China Open
Landscapes are sculpted by a complex response of surface processes to external forcings, such as climate and tectonics. Several major river captures have been documented in the Hengduan Mountains, leading to the hypothesis that the region …
View article: Inferring the evolutionary history of the Sino-Himalayan biodiversity hotspot using a Bayesian birth–death skyline model
Inferring the evolutionary history of the Sino-Himalayan biodiversity hotspot using a Bayesian birth–death skyline model Open
The current status of the Sino-Himalayan region as a biodiversity hotspot, particularly for flora, has often been linked to the uplift of the Sino-Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan and Hengduan Mountains. However, the relationship between the …
View article: Segmentation of the Tashkurgan normal fault in the eastern Pamir: Insights from geomorphology and thermochronology and implications for fault-slip transfer
Segmentation of the Tashkurgan normal fault in the eastern Pamir: Insights from geomorphology and thermochronology and implications for fault-slip transfer Open
At the northwestern end of the India–Asia collision zone, in the eastern Pamir interior, the Kongur Shan extensional system extends for ∼250 km as a composite system of normal faults. As the southernmost segment of the extensional system, …
View article: Assessing the Regional Climate Response to Different Hengduan Mountains Geometries With a High‐Resolution Regional Climate Model
Assessing the Regional Climate Response to Different Hengduan Mountains Geometries With a High‐Resolution Regional Climate Model Open
The Hengduan Mountains (HM) are located on the southeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and feature high mountain ridges (>6,000 m MSL) separated by deep valleys. The HM region also features an exceptionally high biodiversity, believed to …
View article: Appropriate Thermal Modelling Approaches for Interpreting Topographic and Tectonic Change from Thermochronometer Data (Remembering the Geotherm and 200 years of Lord Kelvin’s legacy)
Appropriate Thermal Modelling Approaches for Interpreting Topographic and Tectonic Change from Thermochronometer Data (Remembering the Geotherm and 200 years of Lord Kelvin’s legacy) Open
Quantifying rates and magnitudes of topographic change across timescales requires diverse observational and modeling techniques. Low-temperature thermochronometer methods are a powerful tool for quantifying denudation rates, paleotop…
View article: Tectonic advection controls drainage divide asymmetry patterns in the Longmenshan, SE Tibet, China
Tectonic advection controls drainage divide asymmetry patterns in the Longmenshan, SE Tibet, China Open
The lateral movement of Earth’s crust through tectonic advection plays an important role in shaping topography in many active orogens worldwide. Numerical modelling and select field studies have shown that tectonic advection can alte…
View article: Increasing fluvial incision rate in the southern Jinshan Gorge from tributary terraces and river network analysis
Increasing fluvial incision rate in the southern Jinshan Gorge from tributary terraces and river network analysis Open
Base level fall on a tributary is genetically related to its trunk channel incision, and analysis of tributaries thus provides information of the trunk channel evolution history. In the middle Yellow River, for example, several integration…
View article: Escarpment Retreat Drives Diversification of Eastern Madagascar through Allopatric Speciation
Escarpment Retreat Drives Diversification of Eastern Madagascar through Allopatric Speciation Open
Madagascar, as a biodiversity hotspot on Earth, exhibits a high level of endemism as observed from the prevalent vicariant speciation of terrestrial mammals, amphibians, and flora. Species richness of the island is uneven, with the highest…
View article: Plant diversification is associated with habitat disruption in the transient Hengduan Mountains
Plant diversification is associated with habitat disruption in the transient Hengduan Mountains Open
Mountain regions harbor disproportionally high biodiversity levels on Earth, which can hardly be explained solely by contemporary climate and heterogeneity. The complex interactions between the geological and climate dynamics in the mounta…
View article: The tectonic activity of the Central Range Fault in Taiwan: insights from patterns of erosion rate and geomorphic evidence in the eastern Central Range
The tectonic activity of the Central Range Fault in Taiwan: insights from patterns of erosion rate and geomorphic evidence in the eastern Central Range Open
The rapid collision between the continental margin of the Eurasia Plate and the Luzon Arc on the Philippine Sea Plate has built the island of Taiwan. The suture zone of the arc-continental collision that divides the Coastal Range to the ea…
View article: The validity of river steepness as a proxy for erosion rates
The validity of river steepness as a proxy for erosion rates Open
River steepness (Ks) is a crucial geomorphic metric used to characterize river slope, normalized by local river drainage area. According to many erosion laws, Ks should be proportional to erosion rate, offering insights into the dynamic pr…
View article: Long-term denudation and topographic relief evolution of Central and Northern Madagascar
Long-term denudation and topographic relief evolution of Central and Northern Madagascar Open
The landscape of Central and Northern Madagascar is characterized by residual landforms, steep slopes, and low-relief areas, resulting mainly from the processes of dissection of the central high plateau and retreat of two main topographic …
View article: Geogenomics and biogeodynamics in the Northern Apennines and Ligurian Alps (Italy) 
Geogenomics and biogeodynamics in the Northern Apennines and Ligurian Alps (Italy)  Open
Complex interactions between tectonics and surface processes influence the evolution of aquatic species across orogens. These processes are likely to be important in tectonically active areas where faulting and uplift lead to drainage reor…
View article: Escarpment evolution drives the diversification of the Madagascar flora
Escarpment evolution drives the diversification of the Madagascar flora Open
Madagascar exhibits high endemic biodiversity that has evolved with sustained and stable rates of speciation over the past several tens of millions of years. The topography of Madagascar is dominated by a mountainous continental rift escar…
View article: Comment on egusphere-2023-2303
Comment on egusphere-2023-2303 Open
Abstract. Landscapes are sculpted by a complex response of surface processes to external forcings, such as climate and tectonics. Several major river captures have been documented in the Hengduan Mountains, leading to the …
View article: Comment on egusphere-2023-2303
Comment on egusphere-2023-2303 Open
Abstract. Landscapes are sculpted by a complex response of surface processes to external forcings, such as climate and tectonics. Several major river captures have been documented in the Hengduan Mountains, leading to the …
View article: Late Miocene to present synchronous extension and contraction in the eastern Pamir: Insights from inversion of thermochronologic data across the southern Muztaghata dome
Late Miocene to present synchronous extension and contraction in the eastern Pamir: Insights from inversion of thermochronologic data across the southern Muztaghata dome Open
Late Cenozoic gneiss domes cover ~30% of the surface of the Pamir salient in the northwestern end of the India–Asia collision zone. The highest peaks of the Pamir are in the east, where the ~250-km-long, ~N–S-trending Kongur Shan extension…
View article: Geomorphic indicators of continental-scale landscape transience in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet, China
Geomorphic indicators of continental-scale landscape transience in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet, China Open
Landscapes are sculpted by a complex response of surface processes to external forcings, such as climate and tectonics. Several major river captures have been documented in the Hengduan Mountains, leading to the hypothesis that the region …
View article: Supplementary material to "Geomorphic indicators of continental-scale landscape transience in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet, China"
Supplementary material to "Geomorphic indicators of continental-scale landscape transience in the Hengduan Mountains, SE Tibet, China" Open