内陸部における侵食速度の指標に関する検討; 環流丘陵を伴う旧河谷を用いた研究

Study on index of erosion rate in inland mountains; Case study using old river valley around detached meander core

安江 健一; 高取 亮一*; 谷川 晋一*; 二ノ宮 淳*; 棚瀬 充史*; 古澤 明*; 田力 正好*

Yasue, Kenichi; Takatori, Ryoichi*; Tanikawa, Shinichi*; Ninomiya, Atsushi*; Tanase, Atsushi*; Furusawa, Akira*; Tajikara, Masayoshi*

侵食は、日本における高レベル放射性廃棄物の地層処分の実現可能性を考える上で、重要な自然現象の一つである。本研究では、侵食速度の指標として、環流丘陵を伴う旧河谷に着目した。この旧河谷は、分布が乏しい流域があるものの、日本列島の各地に分布し、様々な比高を持つことから、侵食速度を算出する際の有効な指標になると考えられる。この旧河谷を用いた事例研究を、熊野川(十津川)の中流域において行った結果、旧河床堆積物を覆う角礫層は最終間氷期以前の堆積物と考えられ、離水年代は12.5万年前かそれより古いと考えられる。この離水年代と旧河床堆積物の現河床からの比高から算出した下刻速度は、約0.9m/kyかそれより遅い可能性がある。より確度の高い侵食速度の算出には、環流旧河谷に分布する旧河床堆積物や斜面堆積物などを対象とした年代測定が今後の課題である。

Estimating the rate of change in landforms and geological environments due to erosion is important when assessing the safety of the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste in Japan. The aim of this study is to develop an index of erosion rates in inland mountains. We focused on circular abandoned channels, which are old river valleys around detached meander cores formed by the cut-off of incised meandering rivers. The channels can be useful for estimating incision rates because they occur at a range of elevations throughout the Japanese Islands. We undertook a case study to determine the incision rate using a circular abandoned channel in the middle reaches of the Kumanogawa River in the Kii Peninsula, where many circular abandoned channels have been identified. We obtained undisturbed core samples of old river channel deposits and angular gravel deposits that overlie the circular abandoned channel. The old river channel deposits have been emergent since at least MIS5, based on an analysis of the soil color in angular gravel deposits. The incision rate, as calculated from this age and the difference in elevation between the abandoned and present channels, is less than about 0.9 m/ky. This study shows that analyses of circular abandoned channels can yield estimates of incision rates and potentially also uplift rates. More accurate estimates of incision rates require further studies of the dating and evolution of sediments that overlie circular abandoned channels.