Glacial and erosional contributions to Late Quaternary uplift of the European Alps
The European Alps are uplifting by up to 2 mm per year. However, there is no consensus on which processes drive the observed uplift and how much they contribute. In this project, we focus on isostatic adjustment to surface unloading due to the ice retreat after the last ice age and long-term erosion - processes that could at least partially explain the uplift of the Alps. We aim to test the hypothesis that spatially and temporally variable, transient changes in glaciation as well as in erosion have a significant influence on isostatic adjustments.
This project is part of the second phase of the DFG-funded priority program "Mountain Building Processes in Four Dimensions" (www.spp-mountainbuilding.de, MB-4D SPP 2017). The project is supervised by Prof. Dirk Scherler and Prof. Ricarda Winkelmann (https://www.pik-potsdam.de/members/ricardaw, PIK)
In the first part of the project, we use numerical modelling to simulate the temporal evolution of ice cover and erosion during the last glacial cycle. These results will be combined in collaboration with Dr. Volker Klemann (GFZ section 1.3) with a lithosphere model to determine rock uplift rates due to isostatic adjustment of glacier retreat and erosion. Comparing the modelled uplift rates with field data will allow us to clarify the role of glaciation and erosion in the present-day uplift of the Alps and to relate the remaining uplift to tectonic and/or geodynamic processes.
Project partners
- Prof. Dr. Ricarda Winkelmann, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)
- Volker Klemann, GFZ Section 1.3 Earth System Modelling
- Guillaume Jouvet, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Time frame
- 2021 - 2024
Funding
- DFG SPP MB-4D: "Mountain Building Processes in Four Dimensions", www.spp-mountainbuilding.de
