The Glacial Buzzsaw in the Northern Basin and Range: the Importance of Glacier Size and Uplift Rates

The role of glaciers in limiting mountain range elevations is an important component of studies linking tectonic uplift and climate-driven erosion. Recent investigations suggesting that a glacial buzzsaw effect can efficiently offset rock uplift in tectonically active settings have concentrated on regions that have held large glaciers (10s km long at Last Glacial Maximum, LGM). However, little work has addressed the role small glaciers may play in controlling range topography. This study looks at the effectiveness of smaller (<10 km) glaciers at limiting peak and ridge elevations in both slow and relatively rapid rock uplift settings. The Lost River and Lemhi Ranges, Idaho, and the Beaverhead-Bitterroot Mountains, Idaho-Montana all experience slow rock uplift, with slip rates <0.3 mm/yr on the range-bounding normal faults. Here, swath-elevation profiles show that maximum elevations correlate well to estimates of both LGM and mean Quaternary equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs). Furthermore, peaks in hypsometry and minima in slope-elevation profiles correspond to ELAs, suggesting that small glaciers can efficiently limit range elevations where rock uplift is slow. The Teton Range, Wyoming, experiences 5-10 times faster rock uplift. In general, elevations, slope profiles, and hypsometry all correlate to both LGM and mean Quaternary ELA estimates, although supra-elevated peaks do penetrate through this zone. Comparisons of valley long-profiles show that glacier size is important in controlling valley form under more rapid rock uplift. Small (<5km) glacial valleys perched high on the range front have profiles that have steepened in response to the rapid rock uplift. In contrast, larger (>8km) valleys extend back beyond the high peaks of the range front, and have housed glaciers that have eroded deep into the range, maintaining shallow gradients. Feedback mechanisms are important in snow accumulation on the larger glaciers, which receive extra inputs of snow from the neighbouring high peaks. Glacier size is apparently key in controlling a glacier's ability to keep pace with rock uplift.