Long-runout landslides with associated longitudinal ridges in Iceland as analogues of Martian landslide deposits

• Published in: Earth Surface Dynamics
• Main Authors: Magnarini, Giulia, Champagne, Anya, Morino, Costanza, Beck, Calvin, Philippe, Meven, Conway, Susan, J, Decaulne, Armelle
• Other Authors: The Natural History Museum London (NHM), Department of Earth Science and Engineering Imperial College London, Imperial College London, Environnements, Dynamiques et Territoires de Montagne (EDYTEM), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (Fédération OSUG), Università degli Studi di Padova = University of Padua (Unipd), Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière (M2C), Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Rouen Normandie (UNIROUEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences UMR_C 6112 (LPG), Le Mans Université (UM)-Université d'Angers (UA)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Nantes université - UFR des Sciences et des Techniques (Nantes univ - UFR ST), Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Sciences et technologie, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ), Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique (LETG - Nantes), Université de Brest (UBO)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique UMR 6554 (LETG), Université de Brest (UBO)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes (Nantes Univ - IGARUN), Nantes Université - pôle Humanités, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université - pôle Humanités, Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Nantes Université (Nantes Univ)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes (Nantes Univ - IGARUN), Observatoire Sciences de l’Univers Nantes Atlantique (OSUNA), CNES, ANR-19-CE01-0010,Permolards,Les molards, marqueurs de l'évolution de la dégradation du pergélisol de montagne(2019)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2024
• Subjects: [SDU.STU.GM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Geomorphology; Dalvík; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-04667680; https://hal.science/hal-04667680v1/document; https://hal.science/hal-04667680v1/file/esurf-12-657-2024.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-657-2024

International audience Much work has been done to study the behaviour of long-runout landslides and their associated longitudinal ridges, yet the origin of the hypermobility of such landslides and the formation mechanism of longitudinal ridges are poorly understood. As terrestrial long-runout landslides emplaced on glaciers commonly exhibit longitudinal ridges, the presence of these landforms has been used to infer the presence of ice on Mars, where hundreds of well-preserved long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges are found. However, the presence of the same landforms in regions where extensive glaciations did not occur, for instance, on the Moon and in the Atacama region on Earth, suggests that ice is not the only factor influencing the formation of long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges. Iceland is a unique region for its high spatial density of well-preserved long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges. Here, we compiled the first catalogue of Icelandic long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges, and we compared them with Martian long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges of similar length. Moreover, we present detailed morphological observations of the Dalvík landslide deposit, in the Tröllaskagi peninsula, Iceland, and compare them with morphological observations of Martian landslides. Our results show that Icelandic long-runout landslides share key features with Martian analogue deposits, including splitting of longitudinal ridges and development of associated en echelon features. Therefore, Icelandic long-runout landslides with longitudinal ridges represent good morphological analogues of Martian long-runout landslides. Moreover, Iceland offers an opportunity to investigate the occurrence of these landforms at a regional scale, as well as their link with deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum, which could also provide insights into Martian palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental conditions.