| 1. |
- Chandler, Benjamin M. P., et al.
(author)
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Glacial geomorphological mapping : A review of approaches and frameworks for best practice
- 2018
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In: Earth-Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0012-8252 .- 1872-6828. ; 185, s. 806-846
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Geomorphological mapping is a well-established method for examining earth surface processes and landscape evolution in a range of environmental contexts. In glacial research, it provides crucial data for a wide range of process-oriented studies and palaeoglaciological reconstructions; in the latter case providing an essential geomorphological framework for establishing glacial chronologies. In recent decades, there have been significant developments in remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), with a plethora of high quality remotely-sensed datasets now (often freely) available. Most recently, the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has allowed sub-decimetre scale aerial images and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) to be obtained. Traditional field mapping methods still have an important role in glacial geomorphology, particularly in cirque glacier, valley glacier and icefield/ice-cap outlet settings. Field mapping is also used in ice sheet settings, but often takes the form of necessarily highly-selective ground-truthing of remote mapping. Given the increasing abundance of datasets and methods available for mapping, effective approaches are necessary to enable assimilation of data and ensure robustness. This paper provides a review and assessment of the various glacial geomorphological methods and datasets currently available, with a focus on their applicability in particular glacial settings. We distinguish two overarching 'work streams' that recognise the different approaches typically used in mapping landforms produced by ice masses of different sizes: (i) mapping of ice sheet geomorphological imprints using a combined remote sensing approach, with some field checking (where feasible); and (ii) mapping of alpine and plateau-style ice mass (cirque glacier, valley glacier, icefield and ice-cap) geomorphological imprints using remote sensing and considerable field mapping. Key challenges to accurate and robust geomorphological mapping are highlighted, often necessitating compromises and pragmatic solutions. The importance of combining multiple datasets and/or mapping approaches is emphasised, akin to multi-proxy approaches used in many Earth Science disciplines. Based on our review, we provide idealised frameworks and general recommendations to ensure best practice in future studies and aid in accuracy assessment, comparison, and integration of geomorphological data. These will be of particular value where geomorphological data are incorporated in large compilations and subsequently used for palaeoglaciological reconstructions. Finally, we stress that robust interpretations of glacial landforms and landscapes invariably requires additional chronological and/or sedimentological evidence, and that such data should ideally be collected as part of a holistic assessment of the overall glacier system.
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| 2. |
- Heyman, Jakob, et al.
(author)
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Boulder height - exposure age relationships from a global glacial Be-10 compilation
- 2016
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In: Quaternary Geochronology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1871-1014 .- 1878-0350. ; 34, s. 1-11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cosmogenic exposure dating of glacial boulders is commonly used to estimate the timing of past glaciations because the method enables direct dating of the duration a boulder has been exposed to cosmic rays. For successful dating, the boulders must have been fully shielded from cosmic rays prior to deposition and continuously exposed to cosmic rays ever since. A common assumption is that boulder height (the distance between the top of the boulder and the surrounding surface) is important, and that tall boulders are more likely to have been continuously exposed to cosmic rays than short boulders and therefore yield more accurate exposure ages. Here we test this assumption 'based on exposure age clustering for groups of glacial boulders (and single cobbles) Be-10 exposure ages that have recorded boulder heights (3741 boulders; 579 boulder groups with >= 3 boulders). Of the full set of boulder groups with >= 3 boulders, 21% fulfill a reduced chi square criterion (chi(2)(R) < 2) for well-clustered exposure ages. For boulder groups containing only tall boulders, the fraction of well-clustered exposure age groups is consistently larger. Moreover, this fraction of well-clustered exposure age groups increases with the minimum boulder height in each group. This result confirms the common assumption that tall boulders are generally better targets for cosmogenic exposure dating compared to short boulders. Whereas the tall boulder groups have a significantly larger fraction of well-clustered exposure age groups, there is nonetheless a dominant fraction (>50%) of the boulder groups with scattered exposure ages, highlighting the problem with prior and incomplete exposure for cosmogenic dating of glacial boulders. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 3. |
- Jansen, John D., et al.
(author)
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Inner gorges cut by subglacial meltwater during Fennoscandian ice sheet decay
- 2014
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 5, s. 3815-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The century-long debate over the origins of inner gorges that were repeatedly covered by Quaternary glaciers hinges upon whether the gorges are fluvial forms eroded by subaerial rivers, or subglacial forms cut beneath ice. Here we apply cosmogenic nuclide exposure dating to seven inner gorges along similar to 500 km of the former Fennoscandian ice sheet margin in combination with a new deglaciation map. We show that the timing of exposure matches the advent of ice-free conditions, strongly suggesting that gorges were cut by channelized subglacial meltwater while simultaneously being shielded from cosmic rays by overlying ice. Given the exceptional hydraulic efficiency required for meltwater channels to erode bedrock and evacuate debris, we deduce that inner gorges are the product of ice sheets undergoing intense surface melting. The lack of postglacial river erosion in our seven gorges implicates subglacial meltwater as a key driver of valley deepening on the Baltic Shield over multiple glacial cycles.
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| 4. |
- Patton, H., et al.
(author)
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Deglaciation of the Eurasian ice sheet complex
- 2017
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 169, s. 148-172
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Eurasian ice sheet complex (EISC) was the third largest ice mass during the Last Glacial Maximum with a span of over 4500 km and responsible for around 20 m of eustatic sea-level lowering. Whilst recent terrestrial and marine empirical insights have improved understanding of the chronology, pattern and rates of retreat of this vast ice sheet, a concerted attempt to model the deglaciation of the EISC honouring these new constraints is conspicuously lacking. Here, we apply a first-order, thermo-mechanical ice sheet model, validated against a diverse suite of empirical data, to investigate the retreat of the EISC after 23 ka BP, directly extending the work of Patton et al. (2016) who modelled the build-up to its maximum extent. Retreat of the ice sheet complex was highly asynchronous, reflecting contrasting regional sensitivities to climate forcing, oceanic influence, and internal dynamics. Most rapid retreat was experienced across the Barents Sea sector after 17.8 ka BP when this marine-based ice sheet disintegrated at a rate of similar to 670 gigatonnes per year (Gt a(-1)) through enhanced calving and interior dynamic thinning, driven by oceanic/atmospheric warming and exacerbated by eustatic sea-level rise. From 14.9 to 12.9 ka BP the EISC lost on average 750 Gt a(-1), peaking at rates >3000 Gt a(-1), roughly equally partitioned between surface melt and dynamic losses, and potentially contributing up to 2.5 m to global sea-level rise during Meltwater Pulse 1A. Independent glacio-isostatic modelling constrained by an extensive inventory of relative sea-level change corroborates our ice sheet loading history of the Barents Sea sector. Subglacial conditions were predominately temperate during deglaciation, with over 6000 subglacial lakes predicted along with an extensive subglacial drainage network. Moreover, the maximum EISC and its isostatic footprint had a profound impact on the proglacial hydrological network, forming the Fleuve Manche mega-catchment which had an area of similar to 2.5 x 10(6) km(2) and drained the present day Vistula, Elbe, Rhine and Thames rivers through the Seine Estuary. During the Bolling/Allerod oscillation after c. 14.6 ka BP, two major proglacial lakes formed in the Baltic and White seas, buffering meltwater pulses from eastern Fennoscandia through to the Younger Dryas when these massive proglacial freshwater lakes flooded into the North Atlantic Ocean. Deglaciation temporarily abated during the Younger Dryas stadial at 12.9 ka BP, when remnant ice across Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Fennoscandia and Scotland experienced a short-lived but dynamic re-advance. The final stage of deglaciation converged on present day ice cover around the Scandes mountains and the Barents Sea by 8.7 ka BP, although the phas-lagged isostatic recovery still continues today. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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| 5. |
- Schneider, Ramona A. A., et al.
(author)
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Paleoglacial footprint and fluvial terraces of the Shaluli Shan, SE Tibetan Plateau
- 2021
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In: Journal of Maps. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1744-5647. ; 17:2, s. 439-452
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study provides mapping of glacial and fluvial geomorphology in the Shaluli Shan region on the eastern margin of the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau. Based on TanDEM-X 12 m elevation data and GoogleEarth imagery, glacial valleys, ice-marginal moraines, glacial lineations, scoured terrain and fluvial terraces were mapped. Covering around 11,000 km2, this map is the first for this region to display geomorphology at a spatial resolution of 0.4 arcsec (= c. 11 m) and to include fluvial terraces. Its glacial landform distribution is largely consistent with previous mapping. The substantially higher level of detail in this study is reflected in an approximately tenfold number and smaller median sizes of individual landforms such as moraines and glacial lineations. These results underscore the importance of high-resolution DEM data such as TanDEM-X for the identification of glacial and fluvial geomorphology. The map presented here will be used for detailed paleoglacial reconstructions and landscape evolution studies combining both glacial and fluvial landforms.
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| 6. |
- Andersen, J. L., et al.
(author)
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Ice surface changes during recent glacial cycles along the Jutulstraumen and Penck Trough ice streams in western Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica
- 2020
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 249
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Reconstructing past ice-sheet surface changes is key to testing and improving ice-sheet models. Data constraining the past behaviour of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet are sparse, limiting our understanding of its response to past, present and future climate change. Here, we report the first cosmogenic multinuclide (Be-10, Al-26, Cl-36) data from bedrock and erratics on nunataks along the Jutulstraumen and Penck Trough ice streams in western Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. Spanning elevations between 741 and 2394 m above sea level, the samples have apparent exposure ages between 2 ka and 5 Ma. The highest-elevation bedrock sample indicates (near-) continuous minimum exposure since the Pliocene, with a low apparent erosion rate of 0.15 +/- 0.03 m Ma(-1), which is similar to results from eastern Dronning Maud Land. In contrast to studies in eastern Dronning Maud Land, however, our data show clear indications of a thicker-than-present ice sheet within the last glacial cycle, with a thinning of similar to 35-120 m during the Holocene (similar to 2-11 ka). Difficulties in separating suitable amounts of quartz from the often quartz-poor rock-types in the area, and cosmogenic nuclides inherited from exposure prior to the last deglaciation, prevented robust thinning estimates from elevational profiles. Nevertheless, the results clearly demonstrate ice-surface fluctuations of several hundred meters between the current grounding line and the edge of the polar plateau for the last glacial cycle, a constraint that should be considered in future ice-sheet model simulations.
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| 7. |
- Blomdin, Robin, et al.
(author)
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Evaluating the timing of former glacier expansions in the Tian Shan : A key step towards robust spatial correlations
- 2016
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 153, s. 78-96
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The timing of past glaciation across the Tian Shan provides a proxy for past climate change in this critical area. Correlating glacial stages across the region is difficult but cosmogenic exposure ages have considerable potential. A drawback is the large observed scatter in Be-10 surface exposure data. To quantify the robustness of the dating, we compile, recalculate, and perform statistical analyses on sets of 10Be surface exposure ages from 25 moraines, consisting of 114 new and previously published ages. We assess boulder age scatter by dividing boulder groups into quality classes and rejecting boulder groups of poor quality. This allows us to distinguish and correlate robustly dated glacier limits, resulting in a more conservative chronology than advanced in previous publications. Our analysis shows that only one regional glacial stage can be reliably correlated across the Tian Shan, with glacier expansions occurring between 15 and 281 a during marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 2. However, there are examples of older more extensive indicators of glacial stages between MIS 3 and MIS 6. Paleoglacier extent during MIS 2 was mainly restricted to valley glaciation. Local deviations occur: in the central Kyrgyz Tian Shan paleoglaciers were more extensive and we propose that the topographic context explains this pattern. Correlation between glacial stages prior to late MIS 2 is less reliable, because of the low number of samples and/or the poor resolution of the dating. With the current resolution and spatial coverage of robustly-dated glacier limits we advise that paleoclimatic implications for the Tian Shan glacial chronology beyond MIS 2 are speculative and that continued work toward robust glacial chronologies is needed to resolve questions regarding drivers of past glaciation in the Tian Shan and Central Asia.
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| 8. |
- Blomdin, Robin, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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Glacial geomorphology of the Altai and Western Sayan Mountains, Central Asia
- 2016
-
In: Journal of Maps. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1744-5647. ; 12:1, s. 123-136
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article, we present a map of the glacial geomorphology of the Altai andWestern Sayan Mountains, covering an area of almost 600,000 km2. Although numerous studies provide evidence for restricted Pleistocene glaciations in this area, others have hypothesized the past existence of an extensive ice sheet. To provide a framework for accurate glacial reconstructions of the Altai and Western Sayan Mountains, we present a map at a scale of 1:1,000,000 based on a mapping from 30 m resolution ASTER DEM and 15 m/30 mresolution Landsat ETM+ satellite imagery. Four landform classes have been mapped: marginal moraines, glacial lineations, hummocky terrain, and glacial valleys. Our mapping reveals an abundance of glacial erosional and depositional landforms. The distribution of these glacial landforms indicates that the Altai and Western Sayan Mountains have experienced predominantly alpine-style glaciations, with some small ice caps centred on the higher mountain peaks. Large marginal moraine complexes mark glacial advances in intermontane basins. By tracing the outer limits of present-day glaciers, glacial valleys, and moraines, we estimate that the past glacier coverage have totalled to 65,000 km2 (10.9% of the mapped area), whereas present-day glacier coverage totals only 1300 km2 (0.2% of the mapped area). This demonstrates the usefulness of remote sensing techniques for mapping the glacial geomorphology in remote mountain areas and for quantifying the past glacier dimensions. The glacial geomorphological map presented here will be used for further detailed reconstructions of the paleoglaciology and paleoclimate of the region.
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| 9. |
- Blomdin, Robin, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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Paleoglaciation on opposite flanks of the Ikh-Turgen Mountains, Central Asia : Importance of style of moraine deposition for 10-Be surface exposure dating
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The ages of marginal moraines that record extensive glacier expansions across the Altai Mountains of Central Asia are poorly documented. We present 18 10Be exposure ages from moraines in valleys on opposite flanks of the Ikh-Turgen Mountains. On the eastern side, exposure ages from a latero-frontal moraine indicate deglaciation during MIS 3 (45.3±2.7 ka) and MIS 2 (22.8±3.5 ka). Corresponding exposure ages, from the western side, indicate a more complex story with large scatter (~14-53 ka). Owing to their close proximity, the paleoglaciers should have responded similarly to climate forcing, yet they exhibited a distinctly different behavior. We propose that differences in glacier dynamics caused differences in ice-marginal depositional environments, explaining the scatter in exposure ages on the western side. This study shows the importance of style of deposition in chronological studies of glacial landforms and demonstrates that certain moraine types can be difficult to use as paleoclimate proxies.
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| 10. |
- Blomdin, Robin, 1986-
(author)
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Paleoglaciology of the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains, Central Asia
- 2016
-
Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The mountain-systems of Central Asia, act as barriers to atmospheric circulation patterns, which in turn impose striking climate gradients across the region. Glaciers are sensitive indicators of climate change and respond to changes in climate gradients over time by advancing during cold and wet periods and receding during warm and dry periods. The aim of this thesis is to investigate whether there are large-scale patterns in how past glaciers in the Tian Shan and the Altai Mountains of Central Asia responded to climate change. Multiple methods have been used, including: remote sensing, terrain analysis, field investigations, and cosmogenic nuclide (CN) dating. The glacial landform records indicate that the region experienced mainly alpine-style glaciations in the past. Large complexes of ice-marginal moraines in high elevation basins are evidence of outlet glaciers sourced from large valley glaciers, ice caps and ice-fields, and these moraine sequences, record the maximum extent of paleoglaciation. In the Ikh-Turgen Mountains, located in the continental, eastern Altai Mountains, deglaciation of these moraines occurred during marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 3 at ~45 ka. This is consistent with a colder and wetter climate during this time, inferred from ice core and lake level proxies. Another deglacial phase occurred during MIS 2 at ~23 ka, synchronous with the global Last Glacial Maximum. In the Russian Altai Mountains, lobate moraines in the Chuya Basin indicate deglaciation at ~19 ka, by a highly dynamic paleoglacier in the Chagan-Uzun catchment, which experienced surge-like behaviour. Furthermore, across the Tian Shan, an evaluation of new and existing CN glacial chronologies (25 dated moraines) indicates that only one regional glacial stage, between 15 and 28 ka (MIS 2), can be defined and spatially correlated across the region. These paleoglaciers were mainly restricted to valleys as a result of arid conditions during this time and variation in their extents is interpreted to reflect topographic modulation on regional climate. The ages of the oldest evidence for robust local glacial stages in the Tian Shan are not yet well constrained, however, moraines in the central Kyrgyz Tian Shan and the eastern Chinese Tian Shan have apparent minimum ages overlapping with MIS 5 and MIS 3 (with missing MIS 4 and 6 stages). However, different geological processes, such as inheritance and post-depositional shielding (e.g. deposition by surging glaciers or hummocky terrain deposition), have influenced the dating resolution, making several moraine ages inappropriate for regional comparison. Finally, to quantify regional patterns of paleoglaciation, the hypsometry (area-elevation distribution) of glacial landforms is used to estimate average paleo equilibrium line altitudes for the region. This analysis shows that while present-day ELAs mirror strong climate gradients, paleoglaciation patterns were characterised by more gentle ELA gradients. The paleo-ELA depressions across Central Asia were most prominent in the continental southern and eastern regions (500–700 m). Finally, the results from this thesis, show that Central Asia was repeatedly glaciated in the past, but underscore the importance of considering 1) catchment characteristics and styles of glaciation and 2) other non-climatic factors controlling glacier dynamics when interpreting CN chronologies to make paleoclimate inference.
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| 11. |
- Blomdin, Robin, et al.
(author)
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Timing and dynamics of glaciation in the Ikh Turgen Mountains, Altai region, High Asia
- 2018
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In: Quaternary Geochronology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1871-1014 .- 1878-0350. ; 47, s. 54-71
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Spanning the northern sector of High Asia, the Altai region contains a rich landform record of glaciation. We report the extent, chronologies, and dynamics of two paleoglaciers on opposite flanks of the Ikh Turgen mountains (In Russian: Chikhacheva Range), straddling the border between Russia and Mongolia, using a combination of remote sensing-based glacial geomorphological mapping, 10Be surface exposure dating, and geomorphometric analysis. On the eastern side (Mongolia), the Turgen-Asgat paleoglacier, with its potential for developing a large accumulation area (∼257 km2), expanded 40 km down valley, and mean ages from a latero-frontal moraine indicate deglaciation during marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 3 (45.1 ± 1.8 ka, n = 4) and MIS 2 (22.8 ± 3.3 ka, n = 5). These minimum age constraints are consistent with other 10Be glacial chronologies and paleoclimate records from the region, which indicates glacier culmination during cold and wet conditions coinciding with MIS 3 (piedmont-style glaciation; inferred for a few sites across the region) and glacier culmination during cold and dry conditions coinciding with MIS 2 (mainly valley-style glaciation; inferred from several sites across the region). On the western side (Russia), the Boguty paleoglacier had a smaller accumulation area (∼222 km2), and advanced 30 km down valley across a low gradient forefield. Surface exposure ages from two moraine complexes on this side of the mountains exhibit wide scatter (∼14–53 ka, n = 8), making paleoclimate inferences and comparison to other proxies difficult. Ice surface profile reconstructions imply that the two paleoglaciers likely shared an ice divide. © 2018 Elsevier B.V.
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| 12. |
- Blomdin, Robin, et al.
(author)
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Topographic and climatic controls on paleoglaciation patterns across the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains, Central Asia
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Reconstructing spatial patterns of the extents and dynamics of paleoglaciers across Central Asia is key in understanding the mechanisms of global environmental change. The Tian Shan and Altai Mountains are located in the continental interior of Eurasia, at the confluence of several major climate systems. In order to test hypothesized patterns in paleoglacier extent, and to test the role of paleoclimate and mountain topography in modulating the evolution of these glacial systems, we perform a domain-wide terrain analysis. We first divide the Tian Shan and the Altai Mountains into six physiographic regions delineated by major drainage divides and outlining generalised climate zones. Thereafter we mine published datasets on the distribution of glaciers and glacial landforms, calculate their area-elevation distributions (hypsometry), and extract present-day regional equilibrium line altitudes (ELAs) and long-term average ELAs (paleo-ELAs). We show that the use of glacial landform hypsometry is an effective tool to quantify broad-scale paleoglaciation patterns and find that there is a regional variability in glacier extents across the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains. Reconstructed ELAs show pronounced spatial gradients; increasing ELAs from northern to southern Tian Shan, and increasing ELAs from the northern to both the southeastern and southwestern Altai Mountains. In contrast, maximum paleoglaciation patterns and paleo-ELAs were more uniform across the two mountain systems, with inter-regional topographic variability influencing moraine distributions and thus complicating regional paleo-ELA determinations. Because estimated paleo-ELAs were relatively uniform across the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains, the paleo-ELA lowering were most pronounced in the more continental southern and eastern regions. Our current data is insufficient to explain whether this observation is the result of a different regional paleoclimatic regime than today, or if paleoglaciers responded dynamically different to a paleoclimate forcing of the same magnitude. Our ELA reconstructions also lack temporal constraints, so we furthermore propose that future studies systematically compare hypsometry-derived ELA reconstructions with those stemming from surface energy mass balance models, other proxy records (i.e. lake- and ice core records), and from chronologically constrained ice-marginal moraines.
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| 13. |
- Dulfer, Helen E., et al.
(author)
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Reconstructing the advance and retreat dynamics of the central sector of the last Cordilleran Ice Sheet
- 2022
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 284
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The advance of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet (CIS) towards its Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) configuration and its subsequent retreat remain poorly understood. We use the glacial landform record to determine ice dynamics for the central sector of the CIS in northern British Columbia, Canada, beneath the LGM ice divide. We classify seventy ice-flow indicator flowsets based on morphology, elevation, orientation and cross-cutting relationships into one of three stages, whereby stage 1 is oldest and stage 3 youngest. Combined with ice-contact geomorphology, our reconstruction highlights complex changes in ice flow over time as a result of ice divide migrations through the LGM and deglacial phases. The orientation and distribution of landforms indicates active post-LGM ice retreat westward through the Cassiar and Omineca mountains. We map the regional distribution of independent mountain glaciers, ice caps, and ice fields that regrew during a cooling event in the Late Glacial and show that some of these readvance glaciers were subsequently overrun by advancing outlet glaciers of the CIS. We use the cross-cutting relationship between readvance glaciers and CIS outlet glaciers and available chronological data to reconstruct the eastern CIS margin during the Late Glacial for the first time.
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| 14. |
- Fu, Ping, 1982-, et al.
(author)
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Complex erosion patterns produced by the Haizishan paleo-ice cap
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Determining patterns and rates of glacial erosion is important in understanding landscape evolution, topographic relief production, geochemical cycles, climate change, and glacial thermal regimes of paleo glaciers and ice sheets. Combining in situ $^{10}$Be and $^{26}$Al apparent exposure age dating, geomorphological mapping, and field investigations, we examine glacial erosion patterns of the almost 4 000 km$^2$ Haizishan paleo-ice cap on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Our results show that ice caps developed several times on the low relief Haizishan Plateau and produced a zonal pattern of landscape modification. In locations where apparent exposure ages on bedrock are consistent with last deglaciation, complete resetting of the cosmogenic exposure age clock indicates that more than 2 m of glacial erosion occurred during the last major glaciation (which in this area correlates with the global Last Glacial Maximum (gLGM)). However, older apparent exposure ages on bedrock and in saprolites profiles in areas known to have been covered by the paleo ice cap during gLGM indicate inheritance and thus limited or no erosion by the last ice cap in several areas, including the central zone of the paleo ice cap and at the head of an outlet glacier. Similarly, cosmogenic radionuclide depth profiles in saprolites show erosion of $>$2 m in an outlet valley bottom and in the mountains that make up the northern border of the paleo ice cap, while samples from saprolites in areas of otherwise scoured terrain have a large nuclide inheritance indicating limited erosion. As patterns of glacial erosion intensity are largely driven by basal thermal regime, our results are consistent with a hypothesis of complex thermal regimes for the paleo Haizishan ice cap during gLGM that was proposed previously on the basis of landform patterns. Future work, including glaciological modeling, is required to fully understand the implications and mechanisms of the complex thermal regime of this paleo ice cap.
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| 15. |
- Fu, Ping, 1982-, et al.
(author)
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Glacial geomorphology and paleoglaciation patterns in Shaluli Shan, the southeastern Tibetan Plateau — Evidence for polythermal ice cap glaciation
- 2013
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In: Geomorphology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-555X .- 1872-695X. ; 182, s. 66-78
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Glacial geomorphological mapping from satellite imagery and field investigations provide the basis for a reconstructionof the extent and style of glaciation of the Shaluli Shan, a mountainous area on the southeastern TibetanPlateau. Our studies provide evidence for multiple glaciations, including the formation of regional ice caps andvalley glaciers. The low-relief topographywithin the Shaluli Shan, the Haizishan Plateau, and Xinlong Plateau displayzonal distributions of glacial landforms that is similar to those imprinted by Northern Hemisphere ice sheetsduring the last glacial cycle, indicating the presence of regional, polythermal ice caps. Abundant alpine glaciallandforms occur on high mountain ranges. The pattern of glaciated valleys centered on high mountain rangesand ice-scoured low relief granite plateaus with distinctive patterns of glacial lineations indicate a strong topographiccontrol on erosional and depositional patterns by glaciers and ice caps. In contrast to the Shaluli Shan,areas farther north and west on the Tibetan Plateau have not yielded similar landform evidence for regionalice capswith complex thermal basal conditions. Such spatial differences across the Tibetan Plateau are the resultof variations in climate and topography that control the extent and style of glaciations and that reinforce the importanceof detailed geomorphological mapping for understanding paleoclimate variations and characteristics offormer glaciations.
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| 16. |
- Fu, Ping, et al.
(author)
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Glacial geomorphology of the Haizi Shan area, SE Tibetan Plateau
- 2009
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Haizi Shan area on the SE Tibetan Plateau is characterized by an elliptical relatively low relief plateau surrounded by steeper fluvial valleys. Glacial deposits and erosive imprints are widely distributed indicating former glacier expansions of varying extents in a presently ice-free area. We have initiated a project on the glacial history of the Haizi Shan area and we here present some initial mapping results. Glacial landforms have been mapped based on remote sensing (SRTM digital elevation model, Landsat ETM+ satellite imagery, and Google Earth) and one short reconnaissance field season. Well-preserved moraines from different stages and distinctive U-shaped glacial valleys are abundant (Fig. 1). In the Daocheng Valley southwest of the Haizi Shan Plateau we have mapped glacial deposits in the form of discontinued moraine ridges at Sangdui village. This line, which might be the maximum Quaternary glacial extent, can be traced for several kilometers along the western side of the valley as dispersed erratic boulders. This implies that during the maximum glaciation, ice from the Haizi Shan Plateau crossed the valley and reached up to the piedmont of the opposite mountain. Smaller in extent than the former, numerous large moraine ridges reach down towards valley floors along the edges of the Haizi Shan Plateau. In several locations these valleys lack cirque heads indicating former outlet glaciers emanating from a Haizi Shan ice cap. We will use TCN and OSL dates of samples collected from numerous ice marginal moraines of the Haizi Shan Plateau to determine a glacial chronology. Hence, using remote sensing, field investigations and numerical dating techniques for the Haizi Shan we aim to advance our knowledge on Quaternary glaciations of the SE Tibetan Plateau.
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| 17. |
- Fu, Ping, et al.
(author)
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Ice cap erosion patterns from bedrock Be-10 and Al-26, southeastern Tibetan Plateau
- 2019
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In: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. - : Wiley. - 0197-9337 .- 1096-9837. ; 44:4, s. 918-932
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quantifying glacial erosion contributes to our understanding of landscape evolution and topographic relief production in high altitude and high latitude areas. Combining in situ Be-10 and Al-26 analysis of bedrock, boulder, and river sand samples, geomorphological mapping, and field investigations, we examine glacial erosion patterns of former ice caps in the Shaluli Shan of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The general landform pattern shows a zonal pattern of landscape modification produced by ice caps of up to 4000 km(2) during pre-LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) glaciations, while the dating results and landforms on the plateau surface imply that the LGM ice cap further modified the scoured terrain into different zones. Modeled glacial erosion depth of 0-0.38 m per 100 ka bedrock sample located close to the western margin of the LGM ice cap, indicates limited erosion prior to LGM and Late Glacial moraine deposition. A strong erosion zone exists proximal to the LGM ice cap marginal zone, indicated by modeled glacial erosion depth >2.23 m per 100 ka from bedrock samples. Modeled glacial erosion depths of 0-1.77 m per 100 ka from samples collected along the edge of a central upland, confirm the presence of a zone of intermediate erosion in-between the central upland and the strong erosion zone. Significant nuclide inheritance in river sand samples from basins on the scoured plateau surface also indicate restricted glacial erosion during the last glaciation. Our study, for the first time, shows clear evidence for preservation of glacial landforms formed during previous glaciations under non-erosive ice on the Tibetan Plateau. As patterns of glacial erosion intensity are largely driven by the basal thermal regime, our results confirm earlier inferences from geomorphology for a concentric basal thermal pattern for the Haizishan ice cap during the LGM.
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| 18. |
- Fu, Ping, 1982-, et al.
(author)
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Paleoglaciation of Shaluli Shan, southeastern Tibetan Plateau
- 2013
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 64, s. 121-135
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Reconstructing the paleoglaciation of the Tibetan Plateau is critical to understanding linkages between regional climate changes and global climate changes, and here we focus on the glacial history of the Shaluli Shan, an area of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau that receives much of its precipitation from monsoon flow. Based on field investigation, geomorphological mapping, and Be-10 exposure dating of moraines, we identify glacial deposits from the Late Glacial, with minimum ages at 13.0 +/- 1.2 -17.1 +/- 1.6 ka, global Last Glacial Maximum (gLGM) at 21.6 +/- 2.0 ka, and pre-gLGM at 102.3 +/- 10.0-183.6 +/- 17.0 ka. These ages are consistent with and significantly extend the known range from most prior chronological work using terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides in this area, and include a set of dates for the Kuzhaori moraine that raise questions about prior chronologies based on the electron spin resonance technique. Ice caps about 4000 km(2) in size covered the Haizishan Plateau and the Xinlong Plateau during the global LGM, with large glaciers extending far down outlet valleys. The presence of ice cap glaciation, here, contrasts strongly to glaciation elsewhere in the Shaluli Shan and more central regions of the Tibetan Plateau where ice expansion remained constricted to valleys. This work provides important insights into the paleoclimate pattern and monsoon evolution of the Tibetan Plateau over past glacial cycles and indicates that the Shaluli Shan has a glacial chronology more consistent with the Northern Hemisphere paleo-ice sheets than other areas of the Tibetan Plateau.
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| 19. |
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| 20. |
- Goodfellow, Bradley W., et al.
(author)
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Arctic-alpine blockfields in the northern Swedish Scandes : late Quaternary - not Neogene
- 2014
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In: Earth Surface Dynamics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 2196-6311 .- 2196-632X. ; 2:2, s. 383-401
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Autochthonous blockfield mantles may indicate alpine surfaces that have not been glacially eroded. These surfaces may therefore serve as markers against which to determine Quaternary erosion volumes in adjacent glacially eroded sectors. To explore these potential utilities, chemical weathering features, erosion rates, and regolith residence durations of mountain blockfields are investigated in the northern Swedish Scandes. This is done, firstly, by assessing the intensity of regolith chemical weathering along altitudinal transects descending from three blockfield-mantled summits. Clay / silt ratios, secondary mineral assemblages, and imaging of chemical etching of primary mineral grains in fine matrix are each used for this purpose. Secondly, erosion rates and regolith residence durations of two of the summits are inferred from concentrations of in situ-produced cosmogenic Be-10 and Al-26 in quartz at the blockfield surfaces. An interpretative model is adopted that includes temporal variations in nuclide production rates through surface burial by glacial ice and glacial isostasy-induced elevation changes of the blockfield surfaces. Together, our data indicate that these blockfields are not derived from remnants of intensely weathered Neogene weathering profiles, as is commonly considered. Evidence for this interpretation includes minor chemical weathering in each of the three examined blockfields, despite consistent variability according to slope position. In addition, average erosion rates of similar to 16.2 and similar to 6.7 mm ka(-1), calculated for the two blockfield-mantled summits, are low but of sufficient magnitude to remove present blockfield mantles, of up to a few metres in thickness, within a late Quaternary time frame. Hence, blockfield mantles appear to be replenished by regolith formation through, primarily physical, weathering processes that have operated during the Quaternary. The persistence of autochthonous blockfields over multiple glacial-interglacial cycles confirms their importance as key markers of surfaces that were not glacially eroded through, at least, the late Quaternary. However, presently blockfield-mantled surfaces may potentially be subjected to large spatial variations in erosion rates, and their Neogene regolith mantles may have been comprehensively eroded during the late Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Their role as markers by which to estimate glacial erosion volumes in surrounding landscape elements therefore remains uncertain.
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| 21. |
- Goodfellow, Bradley W., et al.
(author)
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Controls of tor formation, Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland
- 2014
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In: Journal Of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. - 2169-9003. ; 119:2, s. 225-246
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tors occur in many granitic landscapes and provide opportunities to better understand differential weathering. We assess tor formation in the Cairngorm Mountains, Scotland, by examining correlation of tor location and size with grain size and the spacing of steeply dipping joints. We infer a control on these relationships and explore its potential broader significance for differential weathering and tor formation. We also assess the relationship between the formation of subhorizontal joints in many tors and local topographic shape by evaluating principle surface curvatures from a digital elevation model of the Cairngorms. We then explore the implications of these joints for tor formation. We conclude that the Cairngorm tors have formed in kernels of relatively coarse grained granite. Tor volumes increase with grain size and the spacing of steeply dipping joints. We infer that the steeply dipping joints largely formed during pluton cooling and are more widely spaced in tor kernels because of slower cooling rates. Preferential tor formation in coarser granite with a wider joint spacing that is more easily grusified indicates that joint spacing is a dominant control on differential weathering. Sheet jointing is well developed in tors located on relatively high convex surfaces. This jointing formed after the gross topography of the Cairngorms was established and before tor emergence. The presence of closely spaced (tens of centimeters), subhorizontal sheeting joints in tors indicates that these tors, and similarly sheeted tors elsewhere, formed either after subaerial exposure of bedrock or have progressively emerged from a regolith only a few meters thick. Key Points Tors form in kernels of coarse-grained granite among finer-grained granite Wide joint spacing in tors attributable to a slow cooling rate of the granite Sheet jointing discounts tor formation within a thick regolith
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| 22. |
- Goodfellow, Bradley W., et al.
(author)
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Last ice sheet recession and landscape emergence above sea level in east-central Sweden, evaluated using in situ cosmogenic 14C from quartz
- 2024
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In: GEOCHRONOLOGY. - 2628-3719. ; 6:2, s. 291-302
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In situ cosmogenic C-14 (in situ C-14) in quartz provides a recently developed tool to date exposure of bedrock surfaces of up to similar to 25 000 years. From outcrops located in east-central Sweden, we tested the accuracy of in situ C-14 dating against (i) a relative sea level (RSL) curve constructed from radiocarbon dating of organic material in isolation basins and (ii) the timing of local deglaciation constructed from a clay varve chronology complemented with traditional radiocarbon dating. Five samples of granitoid bedrock were taken along an elevation transect extending southwestwards from the coast of the Baltic Sea near Forsmark. Because these samples derive from bedrock outcrops positioned below the highest postglacial shoreline, they target the timing of progressive landscape emergence above sea level. In contrast, in situ C-14 concentrations in an additional five samples taken from granitoid outcrops above the highest postglacial shoreline, located 100 km west of Forsmark, should reflect local deglaciation ages. The 10 in situ C-14 measurements provide robust age constraints that, within uncertainties, compare favourably with the RSL curve and the local deglaciation chronology. These data demonstrate the utility of in situ C-14 to accurately date ice sheet deglaciation, and durations of postglacial exposure, in regions where cosmogenic Be-10 and Al-26 routinely return complex exposure results.
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| 23. |
- Gribenski, Natacha, 1986-
(author)
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Comparison of dating methods for paleoglacial reconstruction in Central Asia
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Reconstruction of former Central Asian glaciers extents can provide valuable information about past atmospheric circulation variations. These extents, often marked by terminal moraines, need to be chronologically constrained. Cosmogenic nuclide exposure (CNE) dating is widely used to directly date moraines. In addition, there is increasing interest on using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques for dating glacial landforms. This thesis focuses on the methodological aspects of directly dating glacial landforms to perform paleoglacial reconstructions in Central Asia, with an emphasis on OSL dating.For OSL dating of sediments from glacial settings, it is important to measure the luminescence signal at the single grain scale, because the sediments are likely affected by partial bleaching due to short light exposure during glacial or glaciofluvial transport. The use of an Electron Multiplying Charges Coupled Device (EMCCD)-based imaging system for single grain OSL measurements would offer larger flexibility in light stimulation and sediment type, compared to the current Single Grain Risø reader. An automated image processing procedure has been developed to compensate for sample carrier displacement over repeated measurements and for attributing pixels to each grain for signal integration when using this imaging system. However, significant cross talk contamination, demonstrated by laboratory and simulation experiments, prohibits accurate single grain luminescence measurements. Preliminary experiments using a basic image processing algorithm show good potential for software correction solutions.Paleoglacial reconstructions conducted in the Altai Mountains, Central Asia, using both CNE and OSL dating demonstrate that luminescence measurements of glaciofluvial sediments performed at the multi-grain scale result in large age overestimates, and that single grain measurements allow for more accurate dating of glacial landforms. However, uncertainties remain that are related to the model used for extracting equivalent doses for well-bleached grains and to fading corrections when using feldspar minerals. The timing of glaciation can be inferred from scattered CNE moraine boulder ages if most of the ages are concentrated within a few thousand years, with only few ages clearly older or younger. Overall, combining CNE and OSL techniques for dating a glacial landform is a powerful approach for producing robust glacial chronologies, despite uncertainties inherent to each technique.Paleoglacial reconstructions from the Altai Mountains indicate Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 and MIS 4/late MIS 5 local Last Glacial Maximums. In Central Asia, in addition to a regional MIS 2 glaciation, previous studies indicate a period of major glacial advances during MIS 3 that is out of phase with global ice volume records. However, most MIS 3 glacial chronologies from Central Asia are based on too few or too heavily scattered CNE data sets, or on OSL or Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) ages for which partial bleaching has not been properly investigated. Hence, at this stage, chronological evidence is insufficient to demonstrate a regional MIS 3 glaciation in Central Asia.Surge-related glacial features identified in the Russian Altai also highlight the importance of conducting detailed geomorphology and sedimentology studies to understand former ice dynamics, which is essential for inferring appropriate paleoclimate information from paleoglacial reconstructions.
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| 24. |
- Gribenski, Natacha, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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Complex patterns of glacier advances during the late glacial in the Chagan Uzun Valley, Russian Altai
- 2016
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In: Quaternary Science Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 0277-3791 .- 1873-457X. ; 149, s. 288-305
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Southern part of the Russian Altai Mountains is recognized for its evidence for catastrophic glacial lake outbursts. However, little is known about the late Pleistocene paleoglacial history, despite the interest in such reconstructions for constraining paleoclimate. In this study, we present a detailed paleoglaciological reconstruction of the Chagan Uzun Valley, in the Russian Altai Mountains, combining for the first time detailed geomorphological mapping, sedimentological logging, and in situ cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al surface exposure dating of glacially-transported boulders. The Chagan Uzun Valley exhibits the most impressive glacial landforms of this sector of the Altai, with extensive lobate moraine belts deposited in the intramontane Chuja Basin, reflecting a series of pronounced former glacial advances. Observations of “hillside-scale” folding and extensive faulting of pre-existing soft sediments within the outer moraine belts, together with the geomorphology, strongly indicate that these moraine belts were formed during surge-like events. Identification of surge-related features is essential for paleoclimate inference because these features correspond to a glacier system that is not in equilibrium with the contemporary climate, but instead largely influenced by various internal and external factors. Therefore, no strict relationship can be established between climatic variables and the pronounced distal glacial extent observed in the Chagan Uzun Valley/Chuja basin. In contrast, the inner (up-valley) glacial landforms of the Chagan Uzun valley were likely deposited during retreat of temperate valley glaciers, close to equilibrium with climate, and so most probably triggered by a general warming. Cosmogenic ages associated with the outermost, innermost, and intermediate stages all indicate deposition times clustered around 19 ka. However, the actual deposition time of the outermost moraine may slightly predate the 10Be ages due to shielding caused by subsequent lake water coverage. This chronology indicates a Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 last maximum extent of the Chagan Uzun Glacier, and an onset of the deglaciation around 19 ka. This is consistent with other regional paleoclimate proxy records and with the Northern Hemisphere glaciation chronology. Finally, this study also highlights the highly dynamic environment in this area, with complex interactions between glacial events and the formation and drainage of lakes.
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| 25. |
- Gribenski, Natacha, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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Major glaciation in Central Asia during MIS 3: reality or dating artefact?
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Previous investigations have concluded that a period of major glacial advances occurred during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 (57-29 ka) in Central Asia, out of phase with global ice volume records. We have re-examined the Kanas moraine complex in the Altai Mountains, where an MIS 3 glaciation has been previously inferred. New cosmogenic exposure and single grain luminescence ages indicate that the Kanas complex was formed during MIS 2 (29-12 ka); we regard the initial MIS 3 interpretation as a result of dating artefacts. Building on this example, we reanalyze chronological data associated with proposed major MIS 3 glacial advances in Central Asia (24 sites). We find that chronological data do not allow glaciation timing inferences for most of the sites, and that chronological evidence for major MIS 3 glacial advance only exists at one site.
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