Stationary Boulders Increase River Seismic Frequency via Turbulence

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 52; no. 6
• Main Authors: Nativ, Ron, Turowski, Jens M., Chang, Jui‐Ming, Hovius, Niels, Yang, Ci‐Jian, Chen, Wen‐Sheng, Chang, Wen‐Yen, Laronne, Jonathan B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 28.03.2025; Wiley
• Subjects: Bed load; bedload transport; Boulders; Creeks & streams; Eddies; Energy; environmental seismology; fluvial processes; Mountain streams; P-waves; Rivers; Sediment; Sediment transport; Seismic activity; Seismic energy; Seismic waves; Streams; Turbulence; Turbulent flow; Vortices; Water depth; Water flow

Despite a century of research, turbulent flows mobilizing bedload remain elusive, while seismic waves generated by surface processes can unravel river dynamics. We studied the seismic signals emitted near rivers in two tributaries characterized by large boulders. Data show an unusually high dominant...