Ice exposures in rock glaciers

Whalley, W. Brian; Palmer, Cheryl; Hamilton, Samantha J.; Gordon, John E.

doi:10.1017/s0022143000007516

Cited by 29 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…With the advent of new technology and increased interest in recognizing and studying rock glaciers, these ideas have been affirmed and expanded through subsequent studies. A few of these studies provide evidence of thick massive ice in the rock glacier interior and suggest that these forms are debris‐covered glaciers [ Potter , 1972; Whalley , 1974; Clark et al , 1994; Whalley et al , 1994; Potter et al , 1998] or forms that originated as perennial snowbanks or glacierets Haeberli [2000].…”

Section: Results: Implications For Landforms On Marsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subsurface investigation of a rock glacier using ground‐penetrating radar: Implications for locating stored water on Mars

Degenhardt

Giardino

2003

J. Geophys. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

[1] The discovery of rock glacier-like features on Mars suggests the presence of flowing, or once-flowing, ice-rock mixtures. These landforms, which include lobate debris aprons, concentric crater fill, and lineated valley fill, hold significant promise as reservoirs of stored water ice that could be used as fuel sources for human exploration of Mars and provide a frozen record of the climatic history of the planet. To understand the deformation and distribution of ice within these landforms, fundamental descriptions of their internal structure and development are required. To this end, a ground-penetrating radar investigation was initiated using rock glaciers in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado as surrogates for similar Martian landforms. Results obtained from one of these rock glaciers show that the interior of the landform is composed of a layered permafrost matrix of ice, sediment, and ice lenses that comprise thicker depositional units formed through highmagnitude debris falls. Folds in the uppermost layers correspond to the surface expression of ridges and furrows, suggesting that compressive stresses originating in the accumulation zone are transmitted downslope through the rock glacier. Rock glacier features on Mars may also consist of layered permafrost, which would suggest a history of development involving seasonal frost accumulation and/or water influx from below. In terms of water storage within Martian analogs, consideration must include the possibility that some water ice may be stored in relatively pure form within lenses and vein networks such as observed in the surrogate rock glacier of this study.

show abstract

Section: Results: Implications For Landforms On Marsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subsurface investigation of a rock glacier using ground‐penetrating radar: Implications for locating stored water on Mars

Degenhardt

Giardino

2003

J. Geophys. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In some terrestrial cases, glacier ice can be traced directly back from a cirque glacier through to the snout [ Whalley et al , 1994]. There are now many observations of massive bodies of glacier ice within features which are clearly rock glaciers according to the morphological definition.…”

Section: Terrestrial Observationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rock glaciers and protalus landforms: Analogous forms and ice sources on Earth and Mars

2003

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

[1] The basic features and terminology of terrestrial ''rock glaciers'' are reviewed together with associated forms termed ''protalus lobes'' and ''protalus ramparts.'' Two basic models of rock glacier formation and flow invoke either the creep of ice derived from permafrost or glacial/former glacial activity; a third possible mechanism invokes landslide emplacement. Observations on terrestrial rock glaciers and similar forms suggest that the ice component can be produced via ground ice or from a glacier system. Finite element modeling of simple slope systems containing (1) a continuous ice layer buried by debris and (2) a mixture of ice and rigid blocks can both show creep but with very low rates, especially at low temperatures. Possible Martian examples of rock glacier and protalus lobe features are identified from Candor Chasma by wide-angle Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) imagery, although the topography does not allow unambiguous interpretation. Some possible ways in which MOC and Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) and other Mars orbiter data could help future interpretation of rock glaciers, related protalus landforms, and ice presence are discussed.

show abstract

“…The most influential are the first scientific papers [53,54], which are still the basis for the development of new viewpoints, especially, the ones which are most characteristic for the development of this field of research [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64]. The number of interesting polemics in which sharp differences of opinion emerge also indicate scientists' engagement, and are essential for understanding the development of this field of knowledge [65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75]. Many of the articles contain a classification scheme for rock glaciers [76][77][78][79][80].…”

Section: Rock Glaciersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cryosphere and glacial permafrost as its integral component

Dobiński

2012

Open Geosciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Since Earth sciences have undertaken studies of other celestial bodies, its various fields have moved beyond the scope of study assigned to them by name. Interest in space makes it necessary to abandon research geocentrism and reverse relations when comparing the structure of the Earth with other celestial bodies. As an exceptional place in the universe, it should not be the Earth which constitutes a reference point, especially in cryospheric research, but rather the other celestial bodies of our planetary system. This approach, referred to as "Spatial Uniformitarianism," is the basis for determining the place of ice in the environment and for assigning it to the lithosphere. Ice can be penetrated by frost just as other minerals and rocks, so the occurrence of permafrost may yet be attributed to glaciers and ice-caps. In the article, the occurrence of glacial permafrost has been worked out on the basis of a thermal classification of glaciers with a thorough understanding of the phenomenon. This allows us to specify permafrost's presence beneath glaciers and ice-caps, a concept which had been needlessly vague. Further, by considering rock glaciers as a mixture of two types of rocks, and by understanding the importance of movement in their evolution, we are now closer to fruitfully determining their role in the environment, their geomorphological significance. Keywords

show abstract

Ice exposures in rock glaciers

Cited by 29 publications

References 10 publications

Subsurface investigation of a rock glacier using ground‐penetrating radar: Implications for locating stored water on Mars

Subsurface investigation of a rock glacier using ground‐penetrating radar: Implications for locating stored water on Mars

Rock glaciers and protalus landforms: Analogous forms and ice sources on Earth and Mars

The cryosphere and glacial permafrost as its integral component

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About