Topographic criteria to identify the anthropic origing of the badland networks

Abstract

In semi-arid or sub-humid environments, there are isolate gullies or badland areas that could be caused by human activity. In some cases, particularly in cultivated areas, it is possible to identify artificial disturbances of the drainage network whose incision is the responsible for gully development. A detailed study of the gullies and the basic layout of the drainage can show anomalies that are incompatible with a natural evolution. The anomalous layout of a gully that does not follow the axis of a small valley, the existence of gullies that cross obliquely a hillslope, or a sudden change in the path of the gully use to be the most frequent criteria. The identification of one of several anomalies can allow us to deduce the anthropic origin of badland networks originally attributed to a natural origin.