Rock glaciers in Svalbard and Norway
Abstract Rock glaciers made by talus creep are common landforms in Svalbard. This area has continuous permafrost with thicknesses varying from about 150 m to 500 m. Most rock glaciers are located in coastal areas at altitudes just above sea level, often situated below the escarpment which delimits t...
| Published in: | Permafrost and Periglacial Processes |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
1992
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppp.3430030307 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fppp.3430030307 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ppp.3430030307 |
| Summary: | Abstract Rock glaciers made by talus creep are common landforms in Svalbard. This area has continuous permafrost with thicknesses varying from about 150 m to 500 m. Most rock glaciers are located in coastal areas at altitudes just above sea level, often situated below the escarpment which delimits the inner part of the strandflat. Most rock glaciers are active (at one rock glacier, annual movement rates of 3–10 cm were measured), but inactive rock glaciers with no movement in their frontal parts also exist in many areas. Their stagnation is due to topography and not to climate. In Norway relic rock glaciers are found in coastal areas in the northern part of the country. Together with other relic permafrost features such as tundra polygons and ice‐cored moraines, the distribution of relic rock glaciers indicates that coastal areas in northern Norway had continuous permafrost during the Younger Dryas and earlier phases of the deglaciation. |
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