Fault-driven uplift is known, but this study asks whether damaged rock also erodes more efficiently. A global dataset of 1,744 cosmogenic beryllium-10 erosion rates showed elevated efficiency within about 15 km of faults, decaying to roughly 100 km. Reverse faults and faults longer than 140 km had the strongest effects. The range beyond fault cores suggests fracturing, seismic shaking or distributed deformation. Machine learning ranked fault proximity above precipitation and lithology, especially with a shaking metric.
Key findings
- Efficiency was elevated within about 15 km and decayed to about 100 km; reverse and >140-km faults were strongest; proximity dominated rain and lithology; shaking improved explanatory signal.
Why this matters globally
The findings expand tectonic-landscape coupling from uplift alone to rock weakening, affecting sediment flux, landslide hazard, carbon cycling and landscape forecasts in seismic regions.
Thai researcher contribution
B. Kuhasubpasin of Chulalongkorn University contributes to the global geomorphology analysis published in Science.
Limitations to consider
Spatial observations may be confounded by uplift, slope, climate, sampling and geology. 10Be integration and corrections vary, ML importance is not mechanism, fault catalogs are uneven, and 100 km is an average pattern rather than a hazard boundary.