Progressive impact of glaciation on mountain erosion since the Late Miocene

Abstract:

Here we review an ensemble of observations that point toward a global increase of erosion rates in regions of elevated mountain belts, or otherwise high relief. This increase is first observed since the Late Pliocene, and hasthen progressively migrated from high to mid-latituderegions, to ultimately globally intensify since the onset of Northern Hemisphere glaciation about 2.7 Myr ago. During that period of the Earth's history, atmospheric CO2 concentrations may have dropped, and global climate both cooled and evolved towards high amplitude oscillating conditions that are associated with the waxing and waning of continental ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere. Although we observe a positive correlation between climate change, increased erosion rates and relief production, whether climate and erosion are linked through feedback mechanism is still unclear.