The key role of global solid‐Earth processes in preconditioning Greenland's glaciation since the Pliocene |
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| Authors: | Bernhard Steinberger Wim Spakman Peter Japsen Trond H Torsvik |
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| Institution: | 1. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, Potsdam, Germany;2. Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics (CEED), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway;3. Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands;4. Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Copenhagen, Denmark;5. Geological Survey of Norway (NGU), Trondheim, Norway;6. School of Geosciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa |
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| Abstract: | After >500 Ma of absence, major Northern Hemisphere glaciations appeared during the Plio‐Pleistocene, with Greenland leading other northern areas. Here, we propose that three major solid‐Earth processes underpinned build‐up of the Greenland ice‐sheet. First, a mantle‐plume pulse, responsible for the North Atlantic Igneous Province at ~60 Ma, regionally thinned the lithosphere. Younger plume pulses led to uplift, which accelerated at ~5 Ma, lifting the parts of the East Greenland margin closest to Iceland to elevations of more than 3 km above sea level. Second, plate‐tectonic reconstruction shows a ~6° northward component of Greenland motion relative to the mantle since ~60 Ma. Third, a concurrent northward rotation of the entire mantle and crust towards the pole, dubbed True Polar Wander (TPW), contributed an additional ~12° change in latitude. These global geodynamic processes preconditioned Greenland to sustain long‐term glaciation, emphasizing the role of solid‐Earth processes in driving long‐term global climatic transitions. |
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