Climate’s Limited Role in Shaping Mountains

A long-standing debate in the Earth Sciences bears on the question of whether top-down erosion processes govern mountain building processes, but how do we measure the topographic signature of the climate drivers independent of tectonics?  I’ll discuss use two natural experiments to detangle topographic signatures previously attributed to climate. I’ll demonstrate that tectonic drivers almost completely explain the heights of mountains and orogen asymmetry.

Host: Claire Masteller

This week, in addition to our regular colloquium, the EPS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee will host a screening of the recent film Picture a Scientist, which features Jane Willenbring, with discussion to follow.

By joining department-hosted virtual colloquia, you agree to uphold our code of conduct for Zoom sessions.