Role of tectonic rock damage in erosional processes: A global analysis
Summary
The role of active faults in driving rock uplift is well known, but their influence on rock damage and erosional efficiency remains unclear globally. Using 1744 beryllium-10 (10Be)-derived erosion rates, we show that erosional efficiency is elevated on average within ~15 kilometers of a fault trace and decreases with distance, up to ~100 kilometers. Reverse faults and those longer than 140 kilometers show the strongest effects. This length scale of decay suggests that tectonic damage exten
Content
# Role of tectonic rock damage in erosional processes: A global analysis
*Published: 2026 May 21*
The role of active faults in driving rock uplift is well known, but their
influence on rock damage and erosional efficiency remains unclear globally.
Using 1744 beryllium-10 (10Be)-derived erosion rates, we show that erosional
efficiency is elevated on average within ~15 kilometers of a fault trace and
decreases with distance, up to ~100 kilometers. Reverse faults and those longer
than 140 kilometers show the strongest effects. This length scale of decay
suggests that tectonic damage extends beyond fault-core pulverization on primary
faults, possibly including fracturing or grain-to-grain contact weakening due to
seismic shaking and distributed deformation on complex fault networks. Machine
learning identified fault proximity as a dominant control on erosional
efficiency, exceeding precipitation and lithology, particularly when a measure
of seismic shaking is included. These findings indicate that active tectonics
are associated with erosion not only through uplift but also by enhancing
erosional efficiency through long-range rock damage.
DOI: 10.1126/science.ady9857