Articles | Volume 7, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-147-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-7-147-2019
Research article
 | 
31 Jan 2019
Research article |  | 31 Jan 2019

Glacial limitation of tropical mountain height

Maxwell T. Cunningham, Colin P. Stark, Michael R. Kaplan, and Joerg M. Schaefer

Data sets

PHdata Maxwell T. Cunningham and Colin P. Stark https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2538223

PHanalysis Maxwell T. Cunningham and Colin P. Stark https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2538230

Model code and software

PHtools Maxwell T. Cunningham and Colin P. Stark https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2538233

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Short summary
Glacial erosion is known to limit the height of midlatitude mountain ranges affected by substantial glaciation during cold periods. Our study examines this phenomenon in the tropics. A new form of hypsometric analysis, along with other evidence, of 10 tropical ranges reveals widespread signs of a perched glacial base level at the ELA. Although glacial influence is moderate to weak in these environments, the evidence suggests that glacial erosion acts to limit the height of tropical ranges.