Rock glaciers of the Beartooth and northern Absaroka ranges, Montana, USA

Abstract

Six hundred sixty‐one rock glaciers in the northern Absaroka and Beartooth Ranges of south‐central Montana were digitized and evaluated using geographic information systems technology and an array of topographic and environmental parameters. Beartooth rock glaciers are larger, occur at higher elevations, receive more precipitation, and are subject to lower temperatures than northern Absaroka rock glaciers. Elevation is strongly correlated with rock glacier activity. Comparative analysis of these adjacent mountain ranges indicates that Beartooth geomorphic landscapes are shifting from predominantly glacial to periglacial regimes, and that the northern Absarokas have largely completed this transition. Because glaciers are declining in response to climate warming, rock glaciers could soon become the most important source of ice in the region.

Inventory, motion and acceleration of rock glaciers in Ile Alatau and Kungöy Ala-Too, northern Tien Shan, since the 1950s

“…This indicates a significant increase in sediment and ice fluxes through these rock glaciers, and potentially for the entire study region if one assumes that speed increases apply in overall also to the other rock glaciers mapped using radar interferometry. Together with the shrinkage of glaciers in the region (Narama et al, 2010;Farinotti et al, 2015;Severskiy et al, 2016;Treichler et al, 2019), this implies that periglacial sediment transport seems to gain currently importance relative to glacial sediment transport (c.f., Monnier and Kinnard, 2017;Seligman et al, 2019).…”

Permafrost and periglacial processes in mid‐ and low‐latitude mountain regions

“…The scale of periglacial landscapes in the mountains of North America is highlighted in the paper by Seligman et al ., who identify 661 rock glaciers in the Beartooth and northern Absaroka ranges, Montana, USA. Landscapes in these areas are shifting from predominantly glacial to periglacial regimes.…”