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Postglacial adjustment of steep, low‐order drainage basins, Canadian Rocky Mountains

It is generally argued that Pleistocene glaciation results in increased sediment flux in mountain systems. An important, but not well constrained, aspect of Pleistocene glacial erosion is the geomorphic decoupling of cirque basins from main river systems. This study provides a quantitative link between glacier‐induced basin morphology, postglacial erosion, and sediment delivery for mountain headwaters (with basin area <10 km2). We analyze the morphology of 57 headwater basins in the Canadian Rockies and establish postglacial sediment budgets for select basins. Notable differences in headwater morphology suggest different degrees of erosion by cirque glaciers, which we classify into headwater basins with either cirque or noncirque morphology. Despite steeper slope gradients in cirque basins, higher‐mean postglacial erosion rates in basins with noncirque morphology (0.43–0.6 mm a−1) compared to those in cirques (0.19–0.39 mm a−1) suggest a more complex relationship between hillslope erosion and slope gradient in calcareous mountain environments than implied by the threshold hillslope concept. Higher values of channel profile concavity and lower channel gradients in cirques imply lower transport capacities and, thus, lower sediment delivery ratios (SDR). These results are supported by (i) postglacial SDR values for cirques and noncirque basins of <15% and >28%, respectively, and (ii) larger fan sizes at outlets of noncirque basins compared to cirques. Although small headwater basins represent the steepest part of mountain environments and erode significant postglacial sediment, the majority of sediment remains in storage under interglacial climatic conditions and does not affect large‐scale mountain river systems.