Dominant Glacial Control on Plio‐Pleistocene to Recent Exhumation of the Kyrgyz Range (Tien Shan)

The evolution of mountain ranges results from complex interactions between tectonics and climate, yet their relative contributions to exhumation can be difficult to discern. Previous thermochronological studies in the Kyrgyz Range (Tien Shan) attributed late Cenozoic rapid exhumation primarily to increased tectonic shortening without explicitly considering the effects of evolving topography. Our new apatite (U‐Th‐Sm)/He (AHe) ages from the Ala Archa valley (3.6–7.8 Ma) combined with thermal (QTQt) and thermal‐kinematic (PecubeGUI) modeling reveal three cooling phases, including accelerated cooling from ∼13 to 10 Ma and from ∼3 Ma to the present. Best‐fit Pecube inversions, which systematically test different tectonic and topographic scenarios, indicate that the first rapid cooling phase reflects accelerated rock uplift, consistent with regional compressional deformation. In contrast, the most recent phase of rapid exhumation is best explained by stable or decreasing tectonic rock‐uplift rates (from ∼0.6 to ∼0.3–0.4 km/Myr) combined with substantial topographic change. Modeling suggests that the Kyrgyz Range was characterized by a low‐relief, high‐elevation landscape prior to ∼3 Ma, followed by rapid incision and relief growth. This transition broadly coincides with the onset of northern hemisphere glaciations and the subsequent intensification of glacial‐interglacial cycles during the Pleistocene. We therefore propose that glacial valley erosion, rather than increased tectonic shortening, drove localized, rapid exhumation in the Kyrgyz Range since 3 Ma. These results highlight the importance of accounting for evolving topography when using thermochronological data to disentangle climatic and tectonic controls on mountain belt evolution, with implications for other glaciated mountain ranges.