TecGeoTools v1.0: An open-source toolbox for tectonic geomorphology methods and software implementation on the MATLAB platform
摘要
Tectonic movement and climate change have jointly shaped the topography and geomorphology of orogenic belts. As critical geomorphic units, fluvial systems record key information about geomorphic evolution. Topographic analysis and calculating geomorphic parameters serve as the fundamental approaches for extracting tectonic and/or climatic information, which represents the research frontiers in the field of tectonic geomorphology. Since the beginning of this century, with the development of mathematical and physical models and computer technology, scholars have successively developed a variety of toolboxes and codes for geomorphic analysis based on various software platforms. However, existing open-source toolboxes are developed on different platforms and for specific purposes. Then, users often have to switch among different platforms and write scripts for data preprocessing and format conversion. In this study, we developed an open-source toolbox, TecGeoTools v1.0, based on the MATLAB platform that combines previously published function libraries—TopoToolbox, Topographic Analysis Kit, Transient-profiler, and RiverProAnalysis. Our toolbox integrates three major functional modules: DEM data preprocessing, river elevation profile analysis, and basin areal feature analysis, which cover nearly all commonly used functions of existing open-source programs in the field of tectonic geomorphology. Besides, TecGeoTools v1.0 has a user-friendly visual operation and parameter configuration interface. The DEM data preprocessing module enables the extraction of flow direction, discharge (flow rate), and river network from DEM data. The river elevation profile analysis module includes functions such as river selection, longitudinal profile analysis, paleochannel projection, and uplift history simulation. The basin areal feature analysis module encompasses basin extraction and parameter statistics, hypsometric integral (HI), river junction angle calculation, and swath profile extraction. We took the Wenyu River basin that drains the western side of the Taiyuan Basin in the Shanxi Graben System as a case study to show how to use our toolbox to conduct tectonic geomorphic analysis. First, we performed DEM data processing (smoothing, river network extraction, and basin division), selected river channels, analyzed their elevation profiles and slope-area logarithmic plots, identified channel knickpoints, and estimated the minimum incision depth using paleochannel projection. Then, we calculated the steepness index (ksn) and χ values, extracted all sub-basins that drain into the main channel, and analyzed HI and the river junction angles of the sub-basins to investigate the maturity of geomorphic development. Finally, using the statistical relationship between slope and ksn values, we fitted the erosion coefficient, thereby inverting the tectonic uplift history of the basin. The results indicate two phases of accelerated uplift in the Wenyu River basin during the Early Pliocene and Early Pleistocene. The algorithms and scripts of this toolbox are fully open to users and will be continuously updated. We hope that our work can provide efficient technical support for the quantitative study of tectonic geomorphology.