Studies of knickpoints in the Finger Lakes Region of New York have yielded varying rates of erosion in different bedrock-bottomed streams. The variation allows consideration of the subtleties of knickpoint migration in the area as related to different rock types serving as bedrock channel bottom. Comparison of stream profiles, knickpoint migration rates, and stratigraphy indicate that slope conditions are the primary factor affecting knickpoint migration rates (and therefore erosion along bedrock-bottomed streams in the region). For streams in regions with steep initial slopes, lithology is most likely the secondary control on knickpoint migration; for streams with gentle initial slopes, the secondary control seems to be discharge.
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Last updated: 8 January 2001, KAK.