Minimal erosion of Arctic alpine topography during late Quaternary glaciation

Alpine topography in Europe has been shaped by recent glaciations. Cosmogenic dating of summits in Svalbard suggest that Arctic alpine topography is a million years old and that subsequent glaciations have preserved rather than eroded the landscape. The alpine topography observed in many mountainous regions is thought to have formed during repeated glaciations of the Quaternary period1,2. Before this time, landscapes had much less relief1,2,3....