Late <scp>Q</scp>uaternary glaciation in the <scp>N</scp>un‐<scp>K</scp>un massif, northwestern <scp>I</scp>ndia

Lee, Su Young; Seong, Yeong Bae; Owen, Lewis A.; Murari, Madhav K.; Lim, Hyoun Soo; Yoon, Ho Il; Yoo, Kyu‐Cheul

doi:10.1111/bor.12022

Cited by 50 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 78 publications

(69 reference statements)

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“…The presence of sorted circles and patterned ground within the inter‐drumlin depressions indicates a climatic reversal towards lower temperatures that was probably coeval with the minor re‐advance after the SGS‐3 glaciation and is speculatively assigned to the Little Ice Age, also reported by Taylor and Mitchell () and more recently by Lee et al . () and Saha et al . () in the Zanskar valley.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Similar observations were made by Damm (), and Lee et al . () in the Zanskar Himalaya and by Seong et al . () from the central Karakoram.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lee et al . () suggested five stages of glaciation from the Nun‐Kun Massif, Zanskar valley and a synchronous response of the Zanskar valley glaciation with that of the central and northern Karakoram ranges. More recently, Saha et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Glacial advance and retreat are not only asynchronous but also show inter-regional variability on centennial to multimillennial timescales in the Himalaya (Benn and Owen, 1998;Richards et al, 2000;Owen et al, 2006Owen et al, , 2008Ali et al, 2013;Dortch et al, 2013). Additionally, the relicts of past glaciation show a strong dependency on topography, precipitation and temperature gradients (Owen et al, 2006(Owen et al, , 2008Dortch et al, 2010;Pratt-Sitaula et al, 2011;Ali et al, 2013;Lee et al, 2014). The Himalayan glaciers are fed by two major climate systems, namely the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and the mid-latitude westerlies, the influence of which varies along and across the Himalaya (Benn and Owen, 1998;Yang et al, 2008;Owen and Dortch, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors responsible for driving the glaciation in the Sarchu Plain, eastern Zanskar Himalaya, during the late Quaternary

Sharma

Chand

Bisht

et al. 2016

J Quaternary Science

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Detailed geomorphological investigation supported by field stratigraphy and optical dating enabled us to identify three major events of glaciation in the eastern Zanskar Himalaya (Sarchu Plain). The oldest and most extensive glaciation is the Sarchu Glaciation Stage‐1 (SGS‐1) that pre‐dates the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and is assigned to the cold and wet Marine Isotope Stage‐4 (MIS‐4). The second glacial advance (SGS‐2) is optically dated to ∼20 ka and the youngest SGS‐3 is assigned to the 8.2 ka cooling event. Evidence of deglaciation is preserved as outwash terrace gravels and is assigned to the pluvial MIS‐3 and the early Holocene (∼9 ka). Increased strength of westerlies (winter precipitation) and associated temperature decline were responsible for driving the glaciation in the study area, a conclusion that accords well with modern meteorological data showing a reasonable correlation between the modern equilibrium line altitude, enhanced mid‐latitude westerlies (winter precipitation) and winter temperatures. The phases of deglaciation occurred during periods of warmer climatic excursions. Overall a broad correspondence between the Sarchu Plain glaciation phases and northern latitude ice sheet dynamics is suggested, implying that the glaciers in the trajectory of the mid‐latitude westerlies are likely to respond in phase with northern latitude glaciation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Similar observations were made by Damm (), and Lee et al . () in the Zanskar Himalaya and by Seong et al . () from the central Karakoram.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors responsible for driving the glaciation in the Sarchu Plain, eastern Zanskar Himalaya, during the late Quaternary

Sharma

Chand

Bisht

et al. 2016

J Quaternary Science

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“…Accordingly suggested that regional glacial stages older than 21 ka are broadly correlated with strong monsoons whereas stages that are 21 ka or younger, correlate with global ice volume given by Marine Isotope Stages, and northern hemisphere climatic events (Dortch et al, 2013). Lee et al (2014) reconstructed late Quaternary glacial history of the Nun-Kun massif, located on the boundary between the Greater Himalaya and the Zanskar range in north-western India and identified five glacial stages, namely: (i) the Achambur glacial stage dated to 62.7-38.7ka (MIS-4 to 3); (ii) the Tongul glacial stage dated to the early part of the Lateglacial (17.4-16.7ka); (iii) the Amantick glacial stage to the later part of the Lateglacial (14.3 ka, 12.4-11.7ka); (iv) the Lomp glacial stage dated to the Little Ice Age; and (v) the Tanak glacial stage probably dating to the last few decades. Given the style and timing of glaciation in the study area, they suggested that climate in the Nun-Kun region is linked to Northern Hemisphere climate oscillations with teleconnections via the mid-latitude westerlies.…”

Section: Semi-arid Western Himalayan Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies on Quaternary Glaciations in India During 2010-2016

Sharma

Chand²

2016

Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy

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In the recent years, number of studies were carried out to define the timing and extent of Quaternary glaciation throughout the Himalayan region. Such studies have helped to understand the past climate changes and further develop predictive futuristic models. There have been 22 research studies that were carried out during the past six years (2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016) with equal contribution from Indian researcher and their international counterparts in terms of research output. Most of these studies have focused on the north-western Himalaya, with only a few studies being carried out in the eastern part. Recently published new glacial succession chronology (Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclide ( 10 Be TCN), Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL), Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Radiocarbon ( 14 C)) in these studies provide a synoptic picture of glacial episode for most the Himalayan regions. Major glacial advances occurred during the Last glacial stage and early Holocene, with minor fluctuations during the mid-Holocene. However, recent study suggests contrary to the earlier suggestions that a reasonably large valley glacier expansion occurred during the global Last Glacial Maxmium (LGM), likely in response to global variations in temperature. Keywords IntroductionThe Himalayan region altered large-scale climate systems including the Asian monsoon and considerably influenced the regional and global atmospheric circulation that may have played a key role in the onset of Quaternary glaciation (Molnar and England, 1990;Ruddiman and Kutzbach, 1991;Prell and Kutzbach, 1992;Raymo and Ruddiman, 1992;Benn and Owen, 1998;Owen et al., 2002). Information on the geographic extent and magnitude of Quaternary glaciations in this largest glaciated area outside the polar region is important for understanding the climatic, erosional, and tectonic evolution of this giant orogenic system (Brozovic et al., 1997;Zeitler et al., 2001;Norton et al., 2010;Willett, 2010). Practically in the context of contemporary global warming, climate variability, and associated societal impacts and for a better assessment of regional and global forcing factors for future glacier behavior, it is important to characterize and quantify past glacial changes (Owen, 2009;Scherler, 2010).There is a growing number of chronologic data and studies in recent years, yet there is no general consensus concerning the timing, extent, and climatic forcing of glaciations in the Himalayan region (Gillespie and Molnar, 1995;Owen et al., 2008;Scherler et al., 2010;Owen and Dortch, 2014). This region is fed by two dominant climate systems viz. the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and the mid-latitude westerlies. The influence of these weather systems varies spatially so much that most of the southern and eastern part of the Himalaya experiences a pronounced summer precipitation which sharply declines northward across the Himalaya. The mid-latitude westerlies are responsible for a winter precipitation maximum at the extreme west of the Himalaya, Trans-Himalaya an...

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