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  1. Temporal and spatial variations of tectonic rock uplift are generally thought to be the main controls on long-term erosion rates in various landscapes. However, rivers continuously lengthen and capture drainages in strike-slip fault systems due to ongoing motion across the fault, which can induce changes in landscape forms, drainage networks, and local erosion rates. Located along the restraining bend of the San Andreas Fault, the San Bernardino Mountains provide a suitable location for assessing the influence of topographic disequilibrium from perturbations by tectonic forcing and channel reorganization on measured erosion rates. In this study, we measured 17 new basin-averaged erosion rates using cosmogenic 10Be in river sands (hereafter, 10Be-derived erosion rates) and compiled 31 10Be-derived erosion rates from previous work. We quantify the degree of topographic disequilibrium using topographic analysis by examining hillslope and channel decoupling, the areal extent of pre-uplift surface, and drainage divide asymmetry across various landscapes. Similar to previous work, we find that erosion rates generally increase from north to south across the San Bernardino Mountains, reflecting a southward increase in tectonic activity. However, a comparison between 10Be-derived erosion rates and various topographic metrics in the southern San Bernardino Mountains suggests that the presence of transient landscape features such as relict topography and drainage-divide migration may explain local variations in 10Be-derived erosion rates. Our work shows that coupled analysis of erosion rates and topographic metrics provides tools for assessing the influence of tectonic uplift and channel reorganization on landscape evolution and 10Be-derived erosion rates in an evolving strike-slip restraining bend.

     
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available August 17, 2024
  2. Numerical analyses can aid design exploration, but there are several computational approaches available to consider design options. These range from “brute-force” search to optimization. However, the implementation of optimization can be challenging for the complex, time-intensive analyses required to assess seismic performance. In response to this challenge, this study tests several optimization strategies for the direct displacement-based design of a lateral force-resisting system (LFRS) using mass timber panels with U-shaped flexural plates (UFPs) and post-tensioning high-strength steel rods. The study compares two approaches: (1) a brute-force sampling of designs and data filtering to determine acceptable solutions, and (2) various automated optimization algorithms. The differential evolution algorithm was found to be the most efficient and robust approach, saving 90% of computational cost compared to brute-force sampling while producing comparable solutions. However, every optimization formulation did not return best range of design options, often requiring reformulation or hyperparameter tuning to ensure effectiveness. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available June 28, 2024
  3. Abstract. Cosmogenic-nuclide concentrations in subglacial bedrock cores show that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) at a site between Thwaites and Pope glaciers was at least 35 m thinner than present in the past several thousand years and then subsequently thickened. This is important because of concern that present thinning and grounding line retreat at these and nearby glaciers in the Amundsen Sea Embayment may irreversibly lead to deglaciation of significant portions of the WAIS, with decimeter- to meter-scale sea level rise within decades to centuries. A past episode of ice sheet thinning that took place in a similar, although not identical, climate was not irreversible. We propose that the past thinning–thickening cycle was due to a glacioisostatic rebound feedback, similar to that invoked as a possible stabilizing mechanism for current grounding line retreat, in which isostatic uplift caused by Early Holocene thinning led to relative sea level fall favoring grounding line advance. 
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  5. The development and application of luminescence dating and dosimetry techniques have grown exponentially in the last several decades. Luminescence methods provide age control for a broad range of geological and archaeological contexts and can characterize mineral and glass properties linked to geologic origin, Earth-surface processes, and past exposure to light, heat, and ionizing radiation. The applicable age range for luminescence methods spans the last 500,000 years or more, which covers the period of modern human evolution, and provides context for rates and magnitudes of geological processes, hazards, and climate change. Given the growth in applications and publications of luminescence data, there is a need for unified, community-driven guidance regarding the publication and interpretation of luminescence results. This paper presents a guide to the essential information necessary for publishing and archiving luminescence ages as well as supporting data that is transportable and expandable for different research objectives and publication outlets. We outline the information needed for the interpretation of luminescence data sets, including data associated with equivalent dose, dose rate, age models, and stratigraphic context. A brief review of the fundamentals of luminescence techniques and applications, including guidance on sample collection and insight into laboratory processing and analysis steps, is presented to provide context for publishing and data archiving. 
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  7. This is the 3-m resolution digital elevation model from "Microcontinent Breakup and Links to Possible Plate Boundary Reorganization in the Northern Gulf of California, México". Digital elevation was constructed from two 0.5-m resolution Pleiades satellite images (product type: 50cm Panchromatic + 2m (4-Band) Multispectral Bundle) using the NASA Ames Stereo Pipeline software. WGS1984 UTM Zone 12N. 
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  8. Dosimetry data, equivalent doses, and single grain post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (p-IR IRSL) ages from "Microcontinent Breakup and Links to Possible Plate Boundary Reorganization in the Northern Gulf of California, México". Also shown in Table S2 of publication's supplementary file. 
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