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The Fraser Lowland: A Polygenetic Paraglacial Landsystem

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Landscapes and Landforms of Western Canada

Part of the book series: World Geomorphological Landscapes ((WGLC))

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Abstract

The Fraser Lowland is a landsystem that has been modified in its entirety by non-glacial processes conditioned by glaciation. The Late Pleistocene and Holocene paraglacial processes of landform modification include slope erosion, glacimarine, marine, glacifluvial, fluvial, glacilacustrine, lacustrine, organic, mass movement, and aeolian. This complex paraglacial landsystem has transitioned from proglacial through marine to its present dominantly fluvial character. Landforms representative of each sediment redistribution process are described, and a conceptual model is developed with relative sea level and sediment source changes as the primary drivers. Accelerated anthropogenic modification during the past two centuries (the Anthropocene) has complicated the paraglacial story and is shown to impact the incidence of natural hazards, especially in the context of hydroclimate change.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Steve Litke of the Fraser Basin Council for use of raw LiDAR data. We also acknowledge helpful discussions with Colin Ballantyne and Mike Church. Figures 26.4, 26.7, 26.8, 26.9, 26.10, and 26.11 and Table 26.1 are reprinted from Geomorphology, Vol. 232, Kovanen and Slaymaker, The paraglacial geomorphology of the Fraser Lowland, southwest British Columbia and northwest Washington, 78–93, 2015, with permission from Elsevier. Cartography by D. Kovanen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada

    Dori J. Kovanen & Olav Slaymaker

Authors
  1. Dori J. Kovanen
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  2. Olav Slaymaker
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Correspondence to Dori J. Kovanen .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Olav Slaymaker

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Kovanen, D.J., Slaymaker, O. (2017). The Fraser Lowland: A Polygenetic Paraglacial Landsystem. In: Slaymaker, O. (eds) Landscapes and Landforms of Western Canada . World Geomorphological Landscapes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44595-3_26

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