River rejuvenation

The disturbance enables a rise in the river's gravitational potential energy change per unit distance, increasing its riverbed erosion rate.

All of these cause the river to erode its bed vertically (downcutting) faster as it gains gravitational potential energy.

That causes effects such as incised meanders, steps where the river suddenly starts flowing faster, and fluvial terraces derived from old floodplains.

An example is Seljalandsfoss in southern Iceland, where isostatic (dynamic) uplift has occurred as a result of both construction and deglaciation.

Static rejuvenation may also occur, in rare instances, when a downstream knickpoint erodes its way upstream to a lake which establishes base level for its tributaries.

At some point in the future, a quite dramatic example will appear when Niagara Falls cuts its way back to Lake Erie.

These forms result from accelerated entrenchment caused by recent tectonic activity such as especially vertical uplift.

The uplift creates high-standing plateaus and as a result, perpetuates the downward erosive power of existing rivers.