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Open AccessEditorial

Editorial for Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography Special Issue

by Ramón Pellitero Ondicol

Geosciences 2018, 8(11), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8110424 - 20 Nov 2018

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Abstract

Landforms are the most superficial part of the earth’s crust. [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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11 pages, 4502 KiB

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Topographic Anaglyphs from Detailed Digital Elevation Models Covering Inland and Seafloor for the Tectonic Geomorphology Studies in and around Yoron Island, Ryukyu Arc, Japan

by Hideaki Goto, Kohsaku Arai and Taichi Sato

Geosciences 2018, 8(10), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8100363 - 29 Sep 2018

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4183

Abstract

Anaglyphs produced using a digital elevation model (DEM) are effective to identify the characteristic tectono–geomorphic features. The objective of this study is to reinvestigate the tectonic geomorphology and to present novel tectonic maps of the late Quaternary in and around the Yoron island [...] Read more.

Anaglyphs produced using a digital elevation model (DEM) are effective to identify the characteristic tectono–geomorphic features. The objective of this study is to reinvestigate the tectonic geomorphology and to present novel tectonic maps of the late Quaternary in and around the Yoron island based on the interpretation of extensive topographical anaglyphs along the map areas that cover the inland and seafloor. Vintage aerial photographs are used to produce the 3-m mesh inland digital surface model (DSM); further, the 0.6-s to 2-s-mesh seafloor DEM is processed using the cloud point data generated through previous surveys. Thus, we identify anticlinal deformation on both the Pleistocene marine terrace and the seafloor to the north of the island. The deformation axis extends in a line and is parallel to the general trend of the island shelf. The Tsujimiya fault cuts the marine terraces, which extend to the Yoron basin’s seafloor. If we assume that the horizontal compressive stress axis is perpendicular to the island shelf, these properties can easily explain the distribution and style of the active faults and deformation. This study presents an effective methodology to understand the island arc tectonics, especially in case of small isolated islands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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36 pages, 18331 KiB

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Prospecting Glacial Ages and Paleoclimatic Reconstructions Northeastward of Nevado Coropuna (16° S, 73° W, 6377 m), Arid Tropical Andes

by Jose Úbeda, Martí Bonshoms, Joshua Iparraguirre, Lucía Sáez, Ramón De la Fuente, Lila Janssen, Ronald Concha, Pool Vásquez and Pablo Masías

Geosciences 2018, 8(8), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8080307 - 20 Aug 2018

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6773

Abstract

This work investigates the timing, paleoclimatic framework and inter-hemispheric teleconnections inferred from the glaciers last maximum extension and the deglaciation onset in the Arid Tropical Andes. A study area was selected to the northeastward of the Nevado Coropuna, the volcano currently covered by [...] Read more.

This work investigates the timing, paleoclimatic framework and inter-hemispheric teleconnections inferred from the glaciers last maximum extension and the deglaciation onset in the Arid Tropical Andes. A study area was selected to the northeastward of the Nevado Coropuna, the volcano currently covered by the largest tropical glacier on Earth. The current glacier extent, the moraines deposited in the past and paleoglaciers at their maximum extension have been mapped. The present and past Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELA and paleoELA) have been reconstructed and the chlorine-36 ages have been calculated, for preliminary absolute dating of glacial and volcanic processes. The paleoELA depression, the thermometers installed in the study area and the accumulation data previously published allowed development of paleotemperature and paleoprecipitation models. The Coropuna glaciers were in maximum extension (or glacial standstill) ~20–12 ka ago (and maybe earlier). This last maximum extension was contemporary to the Heinrich 2–1 and Younger Dryas events and the Tauca and Coipasa paleolake transgressions on Bolivian Altiplano. The maximum paleoELA depression (991 m) shows a colder (−6.4 °C) and moister climate with precipitation ×1.2–×2.8 higher than the present. The deglaciation onset in the Arid Tropical Andes was 15–11 ka ago, earlier in the most southern, arid, and low mountains and later in the northernmost, less arid, and higher mountains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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24 pages, 12335 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cryomorphological Topographies in the Study of Ice Caves

by Manuel Gómez-Lende and Manuel Sánchez-Fernández

Geosciences 2018, 8(8), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8080274 - 26 Jul 2018

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4253

Abstract

The current interest in ice caves requires that their varied manifestations be known as accurately as possible in view of their responses to a global change and also to their great potential as paleoenvironmental witnesses. This phenomenon has been known about for a [...] Read more.

The current interest in ice caves requires that their varied manifestations be known as accurately as possible in view of their responses to a global change and also to their great potential as paleoenvironmental witnesses. This phenomenon has been known about for a long time but is still scarcely studied from the point of view of its cryological values and the evolution and distribution of many of their morphologies. For this, the development of cryomorphological topographies from traditional techniques to geodetic surveys with different tools, including terrestrial laser scanning, is one of the most current ways to characterize and quantify this type of cryospheric phenomena. It represents a new kind of periglacial cartography whose use is feasible in spite of the difficulties these environments present. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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21 pages, 11617 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Glacial Geomorphology and Preliminary Glacier Reconstruction in the Jablanica Mountain, Macedonia, Central Balkan Peninsula

by Marjan Temovski, Balázs Madarász, Zoltán Kern, Ivica Milevski and Zsófia Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger

Geosciences 2018, 8(7), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8070270 - 23 Jul 2018

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5570

Abstract

Although glacial landforms on the Balkan Peninsula have been studied since the 19th century, only scarce data are available about the extent of the former glaciations in the Central Balkan Peninsula, the transition zone between the Mediterranean and Central Europe. Glacial features of [...] Read more.

Although glacial landforms on the Balkan Peninsula have been studied since the 19th century, only scarce data are available about the extent of the former glaciations in the Central Balkan Peninsula, the transition zone between the Mediterranean and Central Europe. Glacial features of the Jablanica Mt. were mapped, described and classified into morphostratigraphic units. A revised glacio-geomorphological map was produced and glacial landforms were assigned to six morphostratigraphic units. Ten primary and two secondary cirques were identified in the upper parts of the studied valleys, while downstream the valleys were steep and glacially shaped with several glacial steps and thresholds. Cirque and valley morphology indicate that subglacial deepening was limited within the cirques and was more intensive in the valley sections during more extensive glacial phases. The largest reconstructed glaciers were 4.6–7 km long, while the last cirque glaciers were only a few hundred meters long. Using morphostratigraphic data, a glacier reconstruction was carried out for the largest mapped glacial extent. On the basis of glacial geomorphology, a former equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) of ~1800 m and glacier cover of 22.6 km² were estimated during this stage. The local ELA values were compared to the regional ELA record and enabled to tentatively attribute a MIS 6 age for the reconstructed maximum ice extent in the study area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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11 pages, 58003 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Essential Tool for Natural Heritage Management: The Geomorphological Map of Valderejo Natural Park

by María José González-Amuchastegui and Enrique Serrano

Geosciences 2018, 8(7), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8070250 - 08 Jul 2018

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4820

Abstract

This study supports the usefulness of geomorphological mapping as a tool for gaining an understanding of the landscape and assessing natural heritage. Mapping provides an essentially scientific document with great potential for the diffusion of geomorphological knowledge in that it provides a guide [...] Read more.

This study supports the usefulness of geomorphological mapping as a tool for gaining an understanding of the landscape and assessing natural heritage. Mapping provides an essentially scientific document with great potential for the diffusion of geomorphological knowledge in that it provides a guide to the user of natural protected areas as well as serving as a tool for its management regarding geotourist itineraries, geodiversity, and geomorphosites. The example of the Valderejo Natural Park is presented, which is located in Álava (Spain) and whose geomorphology has been mapped following a methodology based on fieldwork, desktop work, and the use of Geographic Information Systems. The map’s applications are presented in the areas of tourism, geotourist maps, and for the assessment of natural heritage, geodiversity, and geomorphosites. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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17 pages, 9642 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Using ArcticDEM to Analyse the Dimensions and Dynamics of Debris-Covered Glaciers in Kamchatka, Russia

by Iestyn D. Barr, Mikhail D. Dokukin, Ioannis Kougkoulos, Stephen J. Livingstone, Harold Lovell, Jakub Małecki and Anton Y. Muraviev

Geosciences 2018, 8(6), 216; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8060216 - 13 Jun 2018

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 7808

Abstract

On the Kamchatka Peninsula, a number of glaciers are covered by thick volcanic debris, which makes their margins difficult to delineate from satellite imagery. Fortunately, high resolution, multi-temporal digital surface models (DSMs) covering the entire peninsula have recently become freely available (i.e., ArcticDEM). [...] Read more.

On the Kamchatka Peninsula, a number of glaciers are covered by thick volcanic debris, which makes their margins difficult to delineate from satellite imagery. Fortunately, high resolution, multi-temporal digital surface models (DSMs) covering the entire peninsula have recently become freely available (i.e., ArcticDEM). We use these DSMs to analyse the dimensions and dynamics of debris-covered glaciers in the northern Kluchevskoy Volcanic Group, central Kamchatka. This approach demonstrates that between 2012 and 2016, some of the region’s glaciers advanced despite regional and local climate warming. These glacial advances are part of a long-term trend, presumed to reflect the role of extensive supraglacial debris in limiting ice ablation, though there is also evidence for local ice melt due to supraglacial lava/debris flows. Glacier surface velocities during the period 2012–2015 were typically 5–140 m yr⁻¹. Velocities for the major outlets of the region’s central icefield were typically higher than for other extensively debris-covered glaciers globally, likely reflecting the influence of ice supply from the high altitude Ushkovsky caldera. In all, we find ArcticDEM useful for analysing debris-covered glaciers in Kamchatka, providing important information on flow dynamics and terminus change that is difficult to derive from satellite imagery. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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24 pages, 10634 KiB

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Geomorphological Mapping and Spatial Analyses of an Upper Weichselian Glacitectonic Complex Based on LiDAR Data, Jasmund Peninsula (NE Rügen), Germany

by Anna Gehrmann and Chris Harding

Geosciences 2018, 8(6), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8060208 - 08 Jun 2018

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6597

Abstract

Glacitectonic deformation in the Upper Weichselian led to the tectonic framework of large-scale folds and displaced thrust sheets of Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) chalk and Pleistocene glacial deposits in the southwestern Baltic Sea region. They form surface expressions of sub-parallel ridges and elongated valleys [...] Read more.

Glacitectonic deformation in the Upper Weichselian led to the tectonic framework of large-scale folds and displaced thrust sheets of Maastrichtian (Upper Cretaceous) chalk and Pleistocene glacial deposits in the southwestern Baltic Sea region. They form surface expressions of sub-parallel ridges and elongated valleys in between and on the Jasmund Peninsula. Geomorphological mapping and detailed landform analyses give another insight into the arrangement and the formation history of these proglacial surface structures. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) digital elevation models (DEM) analysis techniques were applied to a proglacial rather than a subglacial environment. Results suggest a division into a northern part with morphological ridges striking NW–SE and a southern part with SW–NE trending ridges. The observation of partly truncated northerly ridges and their superimposition by the southern sub-complex suggest that the northern part was generated earlier than the southern part. The applied spatial analyses tools were used to develop a new, self-consistent genetic model integrating all parts of the 100 km² large Jasmund Glacitectonic Complex. Results suggest a more consistent terminology for the tectonic setting and a revised genetic model for Jasmund, including three evolutional stages that are characterized by different ice flow patterns. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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35 pages, 58464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Glacial Geomorphology of the Ice Cap Piedmont Lobe Landsystem of East Mýrdalsjökull, Iceland

by David J. A. Evans, Marek Ewertowski, Chris Orton and David J. Graham

Geosciences 2018, 8(6), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences8060194 - 30 May 2018

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5576

Abstract

A surficial geology and geomorphology map of the forelands of the Sandfellsjökull and Oldufellsjökull piedmont lobes of the east Mýrdalsjökull ice cap is used to characterise the historical and modern landscape imprint in a glacial landsystems context. This serves as a modern analogue [...] Read more.

A surficial geology and geomorphology map of the forelands of the Sandfellsjökull and Oldufellsjökull piedmont lobes of the east Mýrdalsjökull ice cap is used to characterise the historical and modern landscape imprint in a glacial landsystems context. This serves as a modern analogue for palaeoglaciological reconstructions of ice cap systems that operated outlet lobes of contrasting dynamics, but the subtle variability in process-form regimes is encoded in the geomorphology. The landsystems of the two piedmont lobes reflect significantly different process-form regimes, and hence contrasting historical glacier dynamics, despite the fact that they are nourished by the same ice cap. The Sandfellsjökull landsystem displays the diagnostic criteria for active temperate glacier operation, including arcuate assemblages of inset minor push moraines and associated flutings, kame terrace and ice-dammed lake deposits, linear sandar directed by overridden moraine arcs, and since 1945, features, such as ice-cored, pitted, and glacially pushed outwash fans that are linked to englacial esker networks representative of recession into an overdeepening. Moraine plan forms have also changed from weakly crenulated and discontinuous curvilinear ridges to sawtooth features and crevasse-squeeze ridges and till eskers in response to changing proglacial drainage conditions. The Oldufellsjökull landsystem displays subtle signatures of jökulhlaup-driven surges, including sparse and widely spaced moraine clusters that are separated by exceptionally long flutings. The subtlety of the surge imprint at Oldufellsjökull was recognised only by comparison with nearby Sandfellsjökull, suggesting that palaeo-surging has likely been under-estimated in the ancient landform record. Hence, the simple imprint of sparse and widely spaced moraine clusters that are separated by exceptionally long flutings should be included as possible surge-diagnostic criteria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Glacial and Geomorphological Cartography)

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