Abstract
Geomorphological mapping, sedimentology, lichenometry and dendrochronology were used to assess the nature and timing of glacier recession, moraine development and catastrophic mass movements in a tributary of the Leones valley, east of the Hielo Patagonico Norte, Chile. We show that during the 'Little Ice Age' Glaciar Calafate advanced downvalley to produce a terminal moraine. Recession of the glacier from this position occurred in the 1870s and produced a moraine dammed lake. In late 2000 a large rockfall into the lake breached the moraine and triggered a glacial lake outburst flood ( GLOF) that entrained and subsequently deposited some 2 x 10(6) m(3) of material. We interpret this event as a delayed paraglacial response to the retreat of Glaciar Calafate during the twentieth century.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 611-620 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | The Holocene |
Volume | 16 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2006 |
Keywords
- glacier
- Patagonia
- mass movement
- glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF)
- `Little Ice Age'
- paraglacial
- CHILEAN PATAGONIA
- BRITISH-COLUMBIA
- CLIMATE-CHANGE
- NEW-ZEALAND
- MORAINE
- LICHENOMETRY
- ENVIRONMENTS
- ICEFIELD
- DEPOSITS
- RATES