Journal
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
Volume 48, Issue 5, Pages -Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1029/2020GL090305
Keywords
critical zone; frost weathering; geomorphology; LGM; paleoclimate; periglacial
Categories
Funding
- NSF [EAR-1603907, EAR-0952186, EAR-1452694]
- Fulbright College
- Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas
- U.S. Geological Survey Climate Research and Development Program
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The study reveals the significant impact of frost weathering on erosion and climate in unglaciated terrain, especially in North America around 21,000 years ago. This highlights the importance of temperature control on surficial process efficacy in both glacial periods and modern climates.
In unglaciated terrain, the imprint of past glacial periods is difficult to discern. The topographic signature of periglacial processes, such as solifluction lobes, may be erased or hidden by time and vegetation, and thus their import diminished. Belowground, periglacial weathering, particularly frost cracking, may have imparted a profound influence on weathering and erosion rates during past climate regimes. By combining a mechanical frost-weathering model with the full suite of Last Glacial Maximum climate simulations, we elucidate the meters-deep magnitude and continent-spanning expanse of frost weathering across unglaciated North America at similar to 21 ka. The surprising extent of modeled frost weathering suggests, by proxy, the broad legacy of diverse periglacial processes. Complementing previous studies that championed the role of precipitation-driven changes in Critical Zone evolution, our results imply an additional strong temperature control on surficial process efficacy across much of modern North America, both during glacial periods and modern climes.
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