Rock glacier and protalus rampart inventory in Las Salinas river basin, Central Andes of Argentina

• Published in: Cuadernos de Investigación Geográfica
• Main Authors: Forte, Ana Paula, Villarroel, Cristian Daniel, Esper Angillieri, María Yanina
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de La Rioja 2021
• Subjects: Rock glacier; Mountain Permafrost; protalus rampart; Central Andes of Argentina; Environmental variables; Glaciar rocoso; permafrost de montaña; Andes centrales argentinos; variables ambientales; Argentina; Glaciar Rocoso; Glacier Mountain; permafrost
• Online Access: https://publicaciones.unirioja.es/ojs/index.php/cig/article/view/4922; https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.4922

This paper presents a detailed rock glacier and protalus rampart inventory from Las Salinas river basin, an arid subtropical mountain hydrological system (between 31°02’ and 31°22’ S latitude) located in the northern sector of the Central Andes of Argentina, where permafrost and cryogenic processes prevail. The inventory is based on a geomorphological characterization by means of optical remote sensing and field description data. The study region covers 630 km2, with 3.25% of the area containing 405±8.2 rock glaciers and protalus ramparts in total, of which 231±2.5 are considered protalus rampart and 49±2 are considered active, 61±1 inactive and 64±3 fossil rock glaciers. Frequency ratio and logistic regression were used as statistical methods to determine the relationship between the distribution of these periglacial landforms and different geological, morphometric and climatic variables as elevation, potential incoming solar radiation, slope, aspect and lithology. Results show that elevation, lithology, and aspect are the most influencing factors for the occurrence of active rock glaciers. According to rock glaciers and protalus ramparts distribution, the permafrost occurrence probability is above 3690 m a.s.l. (current and high periglacial environment). However, some inactive rock glaciers and protalus rampart were found below this elevation, thus between 3300 and 3690 m a.s.l. the landscapes are dominated by an unstable periglacial environment. Este artículo presenta un inventario detallado de glaciares rocosos y protalus rampart en la cuenca del río Las Salinas, un sistema hidrológico de montaña subtropical (entre 31°02’ y 31°22’S de latitud), localizado en el sector septentrional de los Andes centrales de Argentina, donde predominan el permafrost y los procesos criogénicos. El inventario se basa en una caracterización geomorfológica mediante teledetección óptica y datos de descripción de campo. La región cubre 630 km2. Un 3,25% del área contiene un total de 405±8,2 glaciares rocosos y protalus rampart, ...