Ice can sculpt extraordinary landscapes, yet the efficacy of, and controls governing, glacial erosion on geological timescales remain poorly understood and contended, particularly across Polar continental shields. Here, we assimilate geophysical data with modelling of the Eurasian Ice Sheet — the third largest Quaternary ice mass that spanned 49°N to 82°N — to decipher its erosional footprint during the entire last ~100 ka glacial cycle. Our results demonstrate extreme spatial and temporal heterogeneity in subglacial erosion, with rates ranging from 0 to 5 mm a⁻¹ and a net volume equating to ~130,000 km³ of bedrock excavated to depths of ~190 m. A hierarchy of environmental controls ostensibly underpins this complex signature: lithology, topography and climate, though it is basal thermodynamics that ultimately regulates erosion, which can be variously protective, pervasive, or, highly selective. Our analysis highlights the remarkable yet fickle nature of glacial erosion — critically modulated by transient ice-sheet dynamics — with its capacity to impart a profound but piecemeal geological legacy across mid- and high latitudes.

冰可以塑造非凡的景观，但人们对地质时间尺度上冰川侵蚀的功效和控制作用仍然知之甚少，也缺乏争论，尤其是在极地大陆地盾上。在这里，我们将地球物理数据与欧亚冰原（横跨 49°N 至 82°N 的第三大第四纪冰块）建模相结合，以破译其在整个最后约 100 ka 冰川周期中的侵蚀足迹。我们的结果表明冰下侵蚀具有极端的空间和时间异质性，速率范围为 0 至 5 mm a ⁻¹，净体积约为 130,000 km ³基岩挖掘深度约为 190 m。环境控制的层次结构表面上支撑着这一复杂的特征：岩性、地形和气候，尽管最终调节侵蚀的是基础热力学，侵蚀可以具有不同的保护性、普遍性或高度选择性。我们的分析强调了冰川侵蚀显着而多变的性质——受瞬态冰盖动力学的严格调节——它有能力在中高纬度地区留下深刻但零碎的地质遗产。