Frost activity and ice segregation in a palaeosol of the Ligurian Alps (Beigua Massif, Italy) : evidence of past permafrost?

This research is a part of a broader paleopedological investigation aimed at characterising and verifying the extent of the permafrost zone during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Ligurian Alps. The paper presents the results of a micromorphological study of a palaeosol located at an elevation...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rellini I., Trombino L., Rossi P. M., Firpo M.
Other Authors: I, ., R, e, l, i, n, ; L, T, r, o, m, b, ; P, M, ; M, F, p
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Comitato Glaciologico Italiano 2014
Subjects:
Beigua Massif (Liguria
Cryogenic structure
Ice lensing
Italy)
Last Glacial Maximum
Micromorphology
Periglacial processe
Permafrost
Settore GEO/04 - Geografia Fisica e Geomorfologia
Ice
permafrost
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2434/696830
https://doi.org/10.4461/GFDQ.2014.37.4
Description
Summary:This research is a part of a broader paleopedological investigation aimed at characterising and verifying the extent of the permafrost zone during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the Ligurian Alps. The paper presents the results of a micromorphological study of a palaeosol located at an elevation of 650 m a.s.l., near a blockstream deposit on Beigua Massif in northwestern Italy. We examined a profile exposing sandy sediments characterised by macroscopic structures that are clearly cryogenic in origin. These features were interpreted with their micromorphological characteristics, and we found that during the LGM, this unglaciated area of the Ligurian Alps was characterised by a periglacial environment with discontinuous permafrost even at low elevations.

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