Glacially-Influenced Tectonic Geomorphology: The Impact of Glacial Erosion on Topography and Orogenic Systems

Glacial erosion is hyper effective at shaping unique landscapes. Evidence suggests that glacial erosion is commonly more rapid than fluvial erosion. The onset of glaciation associated with late Cenozoic climate change is also hypothesized to have increased global erosion rates and influenced tectonic deformation. Glacial erosion is complex, however, and exhibits extreme variation. While glacial erosion appears to scale with glacier sliding based on field observations and numerical models, it can be highly non-steady and dependent on numerous conditions, including percent glacier cover, ice temperature, subglacial hydrology, the accumulation and discharge of subglacial sediment, glacial basin geometry, subglacial topography, and rock uplift rates.