Abstract
Research Article| November 01, 2015 Mid-latitude glacial erosion hotspot related to equatorial shifts in southern Westerlies Frédéric Herman; Frédéric Herman * 1Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland *E-mail: frederic.herman@unil.ch Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mark Brandon Mark Brandon 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Frédéric Herman * 1Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland Mark Brandon 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA *E-mail: frederic.herman@unil.ch Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 25 May 2015 Revision Received: 31 Aug 2015 Accepted: 02 Sep 2015 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online Issn: 1943-2682 Print Issn: 0091-7613 © 2015 Geological Society of America Geology (2015) 43 (11): 987–990. https://doi.org/10.1130/G37008.1 Article history Received: 25 May 2015 Revision Received: 31 Aug 2015 Accepted: 02 Sep 2015 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Frédéric Herman, Mark Brandon; Mid-latitude glacial erosion hotspot related to equatorial shifts in southern Westerlies. Geology 2015;; 43 (11): 987–990. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G37008.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Glaciation has affected the shape of mountain ranges and has induced a global increase in erosion rates during the past 2 m.y. The observed increase in erosion rates appears to vary with latitude, reaching a maximum at mid-latitudes that is particularly well defined in the Southern Hemisphere. Although it is likely that climate played an important role, the processes responsible for such latitudinal distribution of erosion are unclear. Here we exploit the meridional extent of the Patagonian Andes and identify an erosion hotspot at ∼44°S. Using a glacial erosion model and formally inverting the available thermochronometric and geobarometric data, we show that this hotspot coincides with the location of maximum precipitation that follows the Southern Hemisphere Westerlies during glacial periods. We propose that the increased precipitation rates at ∼44°S led to greater ice sliding velocities and faster glacial erosion. Our results imply that the migration of the westerly wind belt toward the equator since 2–3 Ma may have played an important role in determining the distribution of mountain erosion in the Southern Hemisphere. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.
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