The glaciated valley landsystem of Morsárjökull, southeast Iceland.

• Published in: Journal of Maps
• Main Authors: Evans, D.J.A., Ewertowski, M., Orton, C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Routledge 2017
• Subjects: Morsárjökull; Vatnajökull; glacier; Ice cap; Iceland
• Online Access: http://dro.dur.ac.uk/23860/; http://dro.dur.ac.uk/23860/1/23860.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2017.1401491

A 1:4470 map of the Morsárjökull foreland, southern Iceland shows the spatial distribution of post Little Ice Age glacial sediment–landform associations pertaining to the operation of a typical active temperate outlet glacier of the south Vatnajökull ice cap. The map depicts an exemplar for the debris-charged glaciated valley landsystem, with characteristics further indicative of ‘uncovered alpine glaciers’, such as the uneven distribution of moraine volume, the localized appearance of a fluted subglacial bed and within-valley lateral moraine asymmetry. Such glaciers are characterized by strong glacier-climate coupling, because temporally and spatially sporadic rock avalanche-type medial moraines can only locally retard ablation. This morainic debris also has a short residence time in the glacier system due to its strong coupling with the proglacial fluvial system and resulting in efficient sediment transfer. Areas of more substantial latero-frontal moraine document phases of rock slope failure onto the snout and the passage of the debris to the ice margin.