Quantifying the topographic evolution of mountain ranges through time is essential for our understanding of geodynamic forces that shape Earth’s surface, orographic and regional climate change, and the distribution of biodiversity.
Altough being one of the most studied mountain ranges worldwide, the surface elevation history of the European Alps is not well constrained. Stable isotope paleoaltimetry relies on the systematic decrease of oxygen (𝛿18O) and hydrogen (𝛿D) isotopic composition of precipitation with increasing elevation. Contrasting temperature-corrected near-sea level pedogenic carbonate 𝛿18O values with time-equivalent 𝛿D of K-Ar dated, clay-bearing fault gouges allows for the calculation of the differential elevation between a foreland basin and an orogen’s interior through time. Recent paleoaltimetry research with focus on the Central Alps indicates elevations >4 km during the Mid-Miocene. With a spatio-temporally enhanced coverage of the European Alps, we present estimates of the paleoelevation covering the time interval between ca. 23 and 12 Ma. By integrating our results with paleoclimate simulations across various topographic scenarios, the contribution of local elevation, complex climate change and regional topographic configuration may be isolated. Our estimations indicate peak elevations of >4 km in the Central Alps already during the Early Miocene (ca. 23 Ma). 𝛿D values from fault gouges suggest that the Eastern Alps were significantly lower than the Central Alps between 21 and 16 Ma. Finally, our results highlight the Mont Blanc massif in the Western Alps, did not exceed an average elevation of ca. 1 km until the end of the Miocene.