Rock glaciers in the Western and High Tatra Mountains, Western Carpathians

• Main Authors: Tomáš Uxa, Mida, Peter
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2017
• Subjects: Medicine; 59999 Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified; FOS Earth and related environmental sciences; Ecology; FOS Biological sciences; 20199 Astronomical and Space Sciences not elsewhere classified; FOS Physical sciences; Immunology; FOS Clinical medicine; 69999 Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified; permafrost
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.5537854; https://tandf.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Rock_glaciers_in_the_Western_and_High_Tatra_Mountains_Western_Carpathians/5537854/1

A detailed map of rock glaciers at a scale of 1 : 40 000 is produced for the Western and High Tatra Mts., Western Carpathians, based on remotely sensed mapping. We inventoried a total of 383 rock glaciers, covering a total area of 13.84 km 2 . Most rock glaciers (85 %) are considered relict (without permafrost). These landforms have an average lower limit of 1684 m asl and occupy a total area of 12.50 km 2 . In contrast, intact rock glaciers (containing permafrost) cover a total area of 1.34 km 2 and their average lower limit is located at 1986 m asl, which is 56 m above the previously suggested lower limit of discontinuous permafrost. The inventory adds new information about rock-glacier occurrence in the European high-mountain areas and improves the understanding of present and past environmental conditions in the region.