Present and Former Equilibrium-Line Altitudes near Mount Everest, Nepal and Tibet

Williams, V.S.

doi:10.2307/1550922

Cited by 41 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Numerous studies have been undertaken on the Quaternary glacial and associated landforms in this region (Benedict, 1976;Iwata, 1976;Fushimi, 1977Fushimi, , 1978Mü ller, 1980;van Williams, 1983;Richards et al, 2000b;Finkel et al, 2003;Barnard et al, 2006a). The earliest geochronological studies involved radiocarbon dating of late Holocene moraines (Benedict, 1976;Fushimi, 1978;Mü ller, 1980).…”

Section: Key Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quaternary glaciation of the Himalayan–Tibetan orogen

Owen

Caffee

Finkel

et al. 2008

J Quaternary Science

205

141

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Glacial geological evidence from throughout the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen is examined to determine the timing and extent of late Quaternary glaciation in this region and its relation to similar changes on a global scale. The evidence summarised here supports the existence of expanded ice caps and extensive valley glacier systems throughout the region during the late Quaternary. However, it cannot yet be determined whether the timing of the extent of maximum glaciation was synchronous throughout the entire region or whether the response was more varied. The lack of organic material needed for radiocarbon dating has hindered past progress in glacial reconstruction; however, application of optically stimulated luminescence and terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclide methods has recently expanded the number of chronologies throughout the region. Limits to the precision and accuracy available with these methods and, more importantly, geological uncertainty imposed by processes of moraine formation and alteration both conspire to limit the time resolution on which correlations can be made to Milankovitch timescales (several ka). In order to put all studies on a common scale, well-dated sites have been re-evaluated and all the published terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide ages for moraine boulders and glacially eroded surfaces in the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen have been recalculated. Locally detailed studies indicate that there are considerable variations in the extent of glaciation from one region to the next during a glaciation. Glaciers throughout monsoon-influenced Tibet, the Himalaya and the Transhimalaya are likely synchronous both with climate change resulting from oscillations in the South Asian monsoon and with Northern Hemisphere cooling cycles. In contrast, glaciers in Pamir in the far western regions of the Himalayan-Tibet orogen advanced asynchronously relative to the other regions that are monsooninfluenced regions and appear to be mainly in phase with the Northern Hemisphere cooling cycles. Broad patterns of local and regional variability based on equilibrium-line altitudes have yet to be fully assessed, but have the potential to help define changes in climatic gradients over time.

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Section: Key Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quaternary glaciation of the Himalayan–Tibetan orogen

Owen

Caffee

Finkel

et al. 2008

J Quaternary Science

205

141

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“…Sissons and Sutherland, 1976;Williams, 1983;Sutherland, 1984;Burbank and Fort, 1985;Ballantyne, 1989;Locke, 1990;Holmes, 1993), on the basis of present day mass balance studies which show a critical link…”

Section: Palaeoclimatic Reconstructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…with a resurgence of in the problems of glaciation over the last fifteen years (e.g. Williams, 1983;Burbank Fort, 1985;Holmes and Street-Perrott, 1989;Osmaston, 1989Osmaston, , 1994, in a; Burbank and Kang, 1991;Shiraiwa and Watanabe, 1991;KulkamL 1992: ; Mann et aI., 1996Mann et aI., : 1996Mitchell et ai., 1996;Owen et af., 1998~ (Fort, 1995). In spite of these difficulties and of distinguishing between glacial and non-glacial diamicts (Derbyshire and Owen, 1990;Hewitt, 1999), the sediments and landforms relating to Himalayan glaciations have been successfully employed in palaeoglacier reconstruction (e.g.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Williams, 1983;Holmes, 1993) ELA depression for the southern part of the Zanskar Range is put at 400-600m for the maximum of the last glaciation (Osmaston, 1994 respectively. Neither study has an absolute chronology, however, and the former figure better fits the general pattern of modest depression.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1998). Many of these glacial chronologies claim to record one or two Middle Pleistocene glaciations and produce Late Pleistocene ELA depressions smaller than those required by the ice sheet hypothesis (Williams, 1983;Shi et aL 1992aShi et aL , 1992b. In addition, all the Himalayan studies provide convincing evidence for locally nourished LGM valley glaciers, without input from a Tibetan Plateau ice-sheet.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Quaternary glacial history of the Zanskar Range, north-west Indian Himalaya

Taylor

2000

Quaternary International

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Quaternary glaciations of the Rongbuk Valley, Tibet

1996

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Randomisation tests on boulder weathering data distinguish moraines of four different ages in the Rongbuk Valley, all deposited by valley glaciers flowing northward into Tibet from the Himalaya. Lichenometry utilising subgenus Rhizocarpon distinguishes two groups of moraines, those <100 yr old and those older than several thousand years. The degree of soil development has a similar, limited utility in relative‐age dating these moraines. The radiocarbon ages of calcium carbonate coatings in the lower horizons of moraine soils provide minimum‐limiting ages of 1900 yr BP for the penultimate advance of the Rongbuk glacier (Samdopo moraine) and 9500 yr BP for the Rongbuk moraine, the moraine suggested by previous workers to represent the last glacial maximum. Equilibrium‐line depression associated with the Rongbuk moraine probably was slight, <200 m. The small magnitude of this depression relative to glaciers in other mountain ranges could relate to a weakening of the monsoon in full glacial times, recent tectonic uplift, and/or to the insensitivity of these high‐altitude glaciers to lowering temperatures in the rain shadow of Mount Everest.

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Present and Former Equilibrium-Line Altitudes near Mount Everest, Nepal and Tibet

Cited by 41 publications

References 7 publications

Quaternary glaciation of the Himalayan–Tibetan orogen

Quaternary glaciation of the Himalayan–Tibetan orogen

The Quaternary glacial history of the Zanskar Range, north-west Indian Himalaya

Quaternary glaciations of the Rongbuk Valley, Tibet

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