Nebraska Academy of Sciences
Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings
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ORCID IDs
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0977-1544
Date of this Version
2026
Document Type
Presentation
Citation
Gallis, Kaitlyn E. and Burberry, Caroline M. (2026). Expanded Abstracts of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting, vol. 1, pp. 7–11.
Abstract
When a collision of two tectonic plates occurs, fold thrust belts develop, which are widely recognized as the most common mode in which the crust accommodates shortening. Most analog models do not consider erosion when documenting fold thrust belt formation. The lack of experiments on this topic means there are limited consistent studies on the relationship between erosion and deformation. Preliminary experiments suggest that the typical forward breaking thrust sequence is altered by eroding the hinterland, something this experiment series aims to prove or disprove. The new contribution of this work is a systematic evaluation of the variation in initial wedge thickness and amount of erosion of the hinterland. This research utilized analog models to replicate fold-thrust environments, monitoring the effects of varied erosion amounts, as well as different initial unit thicknesses. Preliminary results indicate that there is a delicate balance between erosion depth and initial layer thickness. We observed cases where the typical foreland-breaking thrust sequence was essentially unaffected, and cases where the erosion depth was such that the hinterland-most thrust was reactivated. Conducting this research allowed further insight into a topic lacking significant research, paving the way for further understanding the tie between erosion and hinterland deformation.