Orogenic plateaus and their margins are integral parts of modern mountain ranges and offer unique opportunities to study the feedback between tectonics and climate through the Earth’s surface. Complex interactions and feedbacks occur among a wide range of parameters, including crustal and deep-seated deformation, basin growth, uplift, precipitation and erosion, landscape and biological change; and lead to (i) the growth, recycling, and destruction of the lithosphere; (ii) shifts in surface elevation; and (iii) high topography that can affect atmospheric circulation. These controlling factors result in plateau lateral growth and its characteristic morpho-climatic domains: humid, high-relief margins that contrast with (semi-)arid, low-relief plateau interiors.

This session aims at creating a discussion forum on the complex interactions and feedbacks among climatic, surficial and geodynamic processes that challenge the notion of a comprehensive mechanism for surface uplift and topographic growth in orogenic plateaus and their margins. To fuel the exchange, we welcome studies of orogenic plateaus worldwide at various scales, from the Earth’s mantle and crust to its surface and atmosphere. We particularly encourage contributions that aim at bridging temporal and spatial gaps between datasets using an interdisciplinary approach or novel techniques.