Tectonic Accretion Controls Erosional Cyclicity in the Himalaya

The evolution of Earth's climate over geological timescales is linked to surface erosion via weathering silicate minerals and burial organic carbon. However, methodological difficulties in reconstructing rates through time feedbacks among tectonics, climate, spurred an ongoing debate on mountain sensitivity tectonic forcing. At the heart this question whether late Cenozoic cooling has increased global or not. Himalaya plays a prominent role as its produces large fraction sediments delivered ocean basins. We report 6-Myr-long record B e 10 -derived from north-western Himalaya, which indicates that region varied quasi-cyclically with period ∼1 Myr gradually toward present. hypothesize observed pattern occurred response growth by punctuated basal frontal accretion rocks underthrusting Indian plate concomitant changes topography. In scenario, episodically rock-uplift patterns, brings landscapes out equilibrium results quasi-cyclic variations rates. used numerical landscape simulations demonstrate hypothesis physically plausible. attribute long-term increase erosional topography due frequent relative accretion. Because processes are inherent collisional orogenesis, they likely confound climatic interpretations rate histories.