Abstract
Isostatic rebound effects after the removal of large glacial loads are well known from several parts of the world, but isostatic uplift during glaciation and caused by glacial erosion is less well documented. This is because preglacial landscapes, which provide a datum against which glacial erosion and related uplift is measured, are generally either destroyed by glaciation or not recognized. Remnants of such a preglacial land surface are exposed in the Prince Charles Mountains of East Antarctica. We now report that the amount of glacial erosion here is 1.5 km, measured by the difference in level between the preglacial land surface and the present mean (mostly subglacial) rock surface. The isostatic uplift caused by this erosion is ∼0.8 km. Both amounts are thought to be well above average for East Antarctica and glaciated areas in general because the region is traversed by East Antarctica's largest outlet glacier system, parts of which are believed to surge periodically.
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Wellman, P., Tingey, R. Glaciation, erosion and uplift over part of East Antarctica. Nature 291, 142–144 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/291142a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/291142a0
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