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Mountain height might be controlled by tectonic force, rather than erosion

What controls the height of mountain ranges? An analysis of the forces acting on mountains near tectonic-plate boundaries suggests that tectonic forces are the main controller, rather than climate-driven erosion.
  1. Kelin Wang

    1. Kelin Wang is at the Pacific Geoscience Centre, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 4B2, Canada.

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It is common knowledge that mountain ranges were created by tectonic forces, but how their height is maintained today is a matter of debate. A widely held view is that climate-controlled erosion limits their height1,2. In a paper in Nature, Dielforder et al.3 take a different stance. They show that, at least for mountain ranges that are near convergent tectonic-plate boundaries, tectonic force has a dominant role in controlling height.

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Nature 582, 189-190 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-01601-4

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