Geometric evolution of the Horcones Inferior Glacier (Mount Aconcagua, Central Andes) during the 2002–2006 surge

Abstract

The Central Andes of Chile and Argentina (31–35°S) contain a large number and variety of ice masses, but only two surging glaciers have been studied in this region. We analyzed the 2002–2006 surge of the Horcones Inferior Glacier, Mount Aconcagua, Argentina, based on medium spatial resolution (15–30 m) satellite images and digital elevation models. During the buildup phase the glacier was stagnant, with velocities lower than 0.1 m/d. In the active‐phase velocities reached 14 m/d and the glacier front advanced 3.1 km. At the peak of the active phase (2003–2004), the area‐averaged elevation change was −42 m in the reservoir zone (2.53 km2) and +30 m in the receiving zone (3.31 km2). The estimated ice flux through a cross section located at 4175 meter above sea level was 108 m3 during a period of 391 days, a flux that suggests a mean glacier thickness at this location of ~90 m. The depletion phase showed a recovery of the reservoir zone elevation, the down wasting of the receiving zone (−17 m, 2007–2014), and a return to quiescent velocities. The short active phase, the abrupt change in the velocities, and the high level of the proglacial stream indicate a hydrological switch (Alaska type) trigger. The 2002–2006 and 1984–1990 surges of Horcones Inferior were synchronous with the surges of nearby Grande del Nevado Glacier. These events occurred after periods of positive mass balance, so we hypothesize a climate driver.

Reconstructing the annual mass balance of the Echaurren Norte glacier (Central Andes, 33.5° S) using local and regional hydroclimatic data

“…Two recent surges of Horcones Inferior glacier in the nearby Mt. Aconcagua area also occurred in the mid-1980s and again between 2002 and 2006, suggesting a possible connection between the development of surging events and the periods with overall positive massbalance conditions in this region (Pitte et al, 2016).…”

“…The clearest example is the relationship between the peak in cumulative mass balances in the mid-to-late 1980s and the 11 documented glacier advances in the following decade. It is also interesting to note that several of the glacier events that occurred after periods of positive mass balances have been identified as surges (Helbling, 1935;Espizua, 1986;Masiokas et al, 2009;Pitte et al, 2016). The well-known surges of Grande del Nevado glacier (in the Plomo massif area) in 1933-1934, 1984-1985 and 2004-2007 are particularly noteworthy as they consistently occurred near the culmination of the three periods with overall positive mass balances in the 1920s, 1930s, 1980s and in the first decade of the 21st century (Fig.…”

A Glacier Surge of Bivachny Glacier, Pamir Mountains, Observed by a Time Series of High-Resolution Digital Elevation Models and Glacier Velocities

“…Most detailed studies concentrated on the evolution of ice flow velocity during the surge (e.g., [15][16][17][18], with only few examples of time series of elevation changes during a surge (e.g., [19,20]). …”

Repeat Glacier Collapses and Surges in the Amney Machen Mountain Range, Tibet, Possibly Triggered by a Developing Rock-Slope Instability

“…Glacier surges have recently been in the focus of several scientific studies [1], largely because remote sensing data with a sufficiently high spatial and temporal resolution allow accurate tracking of surface and morphological changes as well as creation of dense time-series of flow velocities [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. During a surge, large amounts of ice are transported at comparably high velocities (several m/day) from an upper reservoir area downward to a receiving zone, possibly creating a strong advance of the terminus.…”