[Rockhounds] Historic logging site shows first human-caused bedrock erosion along an entire river

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Geologic time is supposed to be slow, and the most solid object should be
bedrock. But new University of Washington research upends both concepts:
Effects of logging show that human activity can significantly erode
bedrock, causing geology to fast forward.

The study, published April 15 in the *Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences*, focuses on the Teanaway River, a picturesque river in central
Washington state.

"In the last century, we have more river incision in this area than
expected. Something caused these rivers to start eroding a lot more," said
lead author Sarah Schanz, a former UW doctoral student who is now a
postdoctoral researcher at Indiana University. "We know the Teanaway River
has eroded into bedrock before, naturally—it has some terraces that are
1,800 years old. But this current cycle is anthropogenic, or human-driven."


https://phys.org/news/2019-04-historic-site-human-caused-bedrock-erosion.html