Monitoring of Mountain Permafrost in the Central Andes, Cordon del Plata, Mendoza, Argentina

Abstract

Sixty per cent of the Rio Blanco basin (54 km 2 ), located between 32854' and 33801'S and between 69827' and 69815'W, in the Cordo n del Plata, Frontal Cordillera, can be considered to be periglacial. The most important forms in the area are rock glaciers, two of which, Morenas Coloradas and El Salto, are active down to 3400 and 3600 m ASL respectively. The rock glaciers are not in equilibrium with the present climate since the mean annual air temperature is 1.6 8C at 3560 m ASL and the 0 8C air isotherm is calculated to be at 3860 m ASL. A third landform is the cryoplanation surface Lagunita del Plata which, at an elevation of approximately 4000 m ASL, has a mean annual temperature of À2 8C and contains bodies of insular permafrost. # 1997 by John

Logistic regression modeling of rock glacier and glacier distribution: Topographic and climatic controls in the semi-arid Andes

“…area, reaching sizes of 1.3-2.5 km 2 (Brenning, 2005a). Further studies in the Argentinian part of the study area were presented by Trombotto et al (1997Trombotto et al ( , 1999.…”

Periglacial water paths within a rock glacier‐dominated catchment in the Stepanek area, Central Andes, Mendoza, Argentina

“…Recent changes in those glaciers not covered by debris in the area were compared to those of the past (cf. ), using SPOT 5 (17/02/2015) images, Google Earth and field observations, showing that the ice bodies have decreased remarkably in area.…”

“…The Vallecitos river basin near the city of Mendoza, Argentina, presents many creeping cryoforms including the Morenas Coloradas rock glacier, which showed a positive correlation between the temperatures of the active layer at varying depth and river discharge . However, the hydrogeology of periglacial Andean high mountain environments is little known, and the origin of groundwater flow has been barely studied.…”

Status and evolution of the cryosphere in the Andes of Santiago (Chile, 33.5°S.)

“…In the Laguna Negra catchment as well as in the larger part of the semiarid Andes around 33.5°S., glaciers, debris-covered glaciers, and rock glaciers form a cryospheric continuum found in many valleys (e.g., Lliboutry, 1953;Corte, 1978;Trombotto et al, 1997;Brenning, 2005a,b). Trombotto et al (1997) also described on the Argentinean side of the Andes at similar latitudes (33-34°S.)…”

“…Trombotto et al (1997) also described on the Argentinean side of the Andes at similar latitudes (33-34°S.) a transition zone between ∼3400 and ∼3700 m asl where glacial and periglacial features coexist.…”