Glaciation as a destructive and constructive control on mountain building

Stuart N. Thomson (), Mark T. Brandon, Jonathan H. Tomkin, Peter W. Reiners, Cristián Vásquez and Nathaniel J. Wilson
Additional contact information
Stuart N. Thomson: University of Arizona
Mark T. Brandon: Yale University
Jonathan H. Tomkin: University of Illinois
Peter W. Reiners: University of Arizona
Cristián Vásquez: Universidad de Chile, Casilla 13518, Correo 21, Santiago, Chile
Nathaniel J. Wilson: Yale University

Nature, 2010, vol. 467, issue 7313, 313-317

Abstract: Moving mountains: glaciers cut them down — and build them up Glacial erosion is thought to have an important role in controlling mountain height. A common perception is that glaciers are powerful erosive agents, inhibiting the ability of active mountains to rise significantly above the elevation of permanent glaciation — through a process known as the glacial buzzsaw. But now a study of erosion patterns and climate data from the late Cenozoic in the glaciated Patagonian Andes suggests that glaciation can also have the reverse effect — in effect making mountains higher. At these polar latitudes, glaciation acts as a protective layer, preserving the uplifting mountains from erosion and allowing them to reach heights well above those predicted had a glacial buzzsaw been active.

Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1038/nature09365

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