Reply on RC3

Abstract

The retreat of glaciers since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the European Alps has left an imprint on topography through glacial and non-glacial erosional processes. However, few methods are currently capable of resolving these mechanisms on Lateglacial to Holocene timescales. Quantifying the relative contributions of mountain erosion, during these different climate cycles, is useful for understanding long-term landscape evolution and the links between global climate and erosion. Here, we combine three Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) exposure dating signals with 10Be surface exposure dating to constrain the post-glacier erosion rates of bedrock samples down a vertical transect adjacent to the Gorner glacier in Zermatt, Switzerland. The results reveal erosion rates on the order of 10-2 to 10-1 mm a-1, in general agreement with other studies in the region, as well as a strong negative correlation between erosion rates and elevation. Finally, at present glacial erosion is assumed to have a greater influence on landscapes, yet a global compilation of both glacial and non-glacial erosion rates in deglaciated environments shows that erosion rates during interglacial times could be equally important.