Exposure age dating and Equilibrium Line Altitude reconstruction of an Egesen moraine in the Maritime Alps, Italy

Abstract

2008 (May): Exposure age dating and Equilibrium Line Altitude reconstruction of an Egesen moraine in the Maritime Alps, Italy.

Little Ice Age glaciers in the Balkans: low altitude glaciation enabled by cooler temperatures and local topoclimatic controls

“…Thus, assuming this value of temperature depression occurred during the 19th century like elsewhere in Europe (Grove, 2004), then it is probable that the regional ELA was positioned close to the highest Durmitor peaks between 2400 and 2500 m, with local controls such as avalanche, windblown snow and shading depressing the ELA in the northern cirques to 2130-2210 m (Table 3). This is lower than many of the Little Ice Age glaciers in the European Alps at any time during the Holocene and equivalent to some Alpine glaciers during the Younger Dryas (cf Federici et al, 2008;Ivy-Ochs et al, 2009). For example, in the Maritime Alps the ELA of the Piano del Praiet glacier during the Younger Dryas was between 2380 and 2390 m (Federici et al, 2008).…”

“…This is lower than many of the Little Ice Age glaciers in the European Alps at any time during the Holocene and equivalent to some Alpine glaciers during the Younger Dryas (cf Federici et al, 2008;Ivy-Ochs et al, 2009). For example, in the Maritime Alps the ELA of the Piano del Praiet glacier during the Younger Dryas was between 2380 and 2390 m (Federici et al, 2008).…”

Quaternary glaciation in the Mediterranean mountains: a new synthesis

“…Examples are found in Morocco (Hughes et al 2011a), in the Maritime Alps (Federici et al 2008(Federici et al , 2016 and in Greece (Pope et al 2015). The presence of glaciers (rather than rock glaciers) in these areas during the Younger Dryas suggests an excess of snow accumulation over the supply of debris.…”

“…There have been numerous studies in the last decade or so in the western Balkans, but large areas remain unstudied, including most of Bosnia and parts of Greece. In Italy, only a few areas have seen both mapping and dating applied to the glacial successions (Giraudi & Frezzotti 1997;Kotarba et al 2001;Federici et al 2008Federici et al , 2012Federici et al , 2016Giraudi et al 2011;Giraudi Giraudi & Giaccio 2015). In Morocco, the mapping and advanced phases are only just beginning and here too this work is restricted to a relatively small area around the SW High Atlas.…”

“…Recent cosmogenic exposure dating by Federici et al (2008Federici et al ( , 2012 has helped constrain the timings of advances, revealing a classic Alpine succession of LGM, Gschnitz (equivalent in time to Heinrich Event I) and Egesen (Younger Dryas) moraines. This work is further refined in this volume by Federici et al (2016), who present more ages from moraines to reinforce the view that the classic Alpine succession is evident in the Maritime Alps.…”