Differential control in the formation of river potholes on basalts of the Paraná Volcanic Province

•Potholes occur commonly in vesicular-amygdaloidal basalts.•The intact rock strength and the joint density are not the main controlling factors.•Potholes in vesicular-amygdaloidal basalts are conditioned by bed irregularities.•Potholes in massive basalts are primarily constrained by stream power.

Variations in rock properties control geomorphic processes and thus landscape evolution. Potholes developed on basaltic riverbeds are generally associated with vesicular-amygdaloidal zones, although they also occur in massive basalts. Until now, this relationship has not been quantified, nor have the parameters controlling the development of these features in basalts been evaluated. Based on field data collected from 71 sites distributed in three rivers in the Paraná Volcanic Province (PVP), southern Brazil, we investigated the relationship between the occurrence of potholes and features of basalt flows. Reaches were analyzed both in areas with potholes and in areas without these features. The data collected refer to the joint density, the intact rock strength measured with a Schmidt hammer and the typology of basaltic units in terms of vesicularity. It was found that potholes preferentially occur in vesicular-amygdaloidal units (86%). This predominance is not associated with the joint density, which is the same in massive basalts (≈5 m/m2); moreover, potholes occur in basalts with very different joint densities. The intact rock strength is lower in vesicular-amygdaloidal basalts (58) than in massive basalts (61) and does not explain fully the preferential abrasion in vesicular-amygdaloidal units because potholes occur with varying resistances. The basalt strength is a secondary variable. The controlling parameter seems to be vesicularity, which by producing irregularities in the bed and flow triggers the formation of potholes. In the massive basalts, irregularities are produced primarily by joints. In massive basalts there seems to be an upper threshold of stream power beyond which the formation of potholes is restricted (drainage area ≈700 km2; slope ≈0.06). A lower threshold in stream power could also exist to massive basalts of the study area and it is suggested by the inexistence of potholes in sites with drainage area less than 100 km2.