Snæfellsjökull volcano-centred ice cap landsystem, West Iceland

Abstract

A 1:10,526 scale map of Snaefellsjökull and its forelands is presented as the first landsystem exemplar of volcano-centred ice caps, for application to understanding glacierized volcanic terrains globally. Mapping of surface materials and landforms was undertaken using orthorectified aerial photographs taken in 2002 and results of ground truth fieldwork in 2010. Nine natural surficial geology units were identified in addition to bedrock, glacier ice and made ground associated with pumice mining. The spatial distribution of landforms and sediments throughout the forelands comprises extensive areas of ice-cored moraine, developed at the limit of the Little Ice Age readvance and located distal to extensive areas of fluted till and glacially abraded bedrock with occasional eskers. This is a widely recognized landsystem signature typical of former polythermal snout conditions at the Little Ice Age maximum. Proglacially, thrust pumice sheets also occur on the east flanks of the volcano where pre-existing deformable materials were susceptible to thrust block development. ARTICLE HISTORY

The glacial landsystem of a tropical glacier: Charquini Sur, Bolivian Andes

“…The boulder walls within M8, M9 and MA are also consistent with minor frontal re-advances into a boulder field and the bulldozing of small ridges. Flutings are visible between the MB ridges, similar to the landform pattern observed at active temperate glacier margins in Iceland (Evans and Twigg, 2002;Evans, 2003b;Chandler et al, 2016aChandler et al, , 2016bEvans et al, 2016aEvans et al, , 2016bEvans et al, , 2017. The presence of annual moraines suggests that, up to 2005 at least, Charquini Sur had a seasonally-oscillating active margin.…”

“…The Charquini Sur cirque glacier landsystem shares more characteristics with the high-mountain (alpine) clean glacier end-member of the glaciated valley landsystem, as synthesized by Benn et al (2003). Evans et al, 2006aEvans et al, , 2006bEvans et al, , 2016aEvans et al, , 2016bEvans, 2010), have also been reported from other high-mountain, clean glaciers (e.g. Annual moraines and/or fluted intermorainic zones, typical at lowland clean valley glaciers (e.g.…”

“…Evans and Twigg, 2002;Evans, 2003b;Bradwell, 2004;Chandler et al, 2016b), and plateau-icefield outlet glaciers (e.g. Evans et al, 2006aEvans et al, , 2006bEvans et al, , 2016aEvans et al, , 2016bEvans, 2010), have also been reported from other high-mountain, clean glaciers (e.g. in the European Alps; Lukas, 2012).…”

“…Benn and Owen, 2002;Owen et al, 2003), mid-latitude (e.g. Fitzsimons, 2003;Glasser and Hambrey, 2003;Lukas et al, 2005;Evans et al, 2006aEvans et al, , 2016bEvans, 2010;Brynjólfsson et al, 2012) settings. Fitzsimons, 2003;Glasser and Hambrey, 2003;Lukas et al, 2005;Evans et al, 2006aEvans et al, , 2016bEvans, 2010;Brynjólfsson et al, 2012) settings.…”

“…Benn, 1989;Kirkbride, 2000;Glasser and Hambrey, 2002;Deline and Orombelli, 2005;Roberson, 2008;Burki et al, 2009;Lukas, 2012;Bendle and Glasser, 2012;Chandler and Lukas, 2017), and high-latitude (e.g. Fitzsimons, 2003;Glasser and Hambrey, 2003;Lukas et al, 2005;Evans et al, 2006aEvans et al, , 2016bEvans, 2010;Brynjólfsson et al, 2012) settings. To our knowledge, tropical glaciers are yet to be the subject of detailed geomorphological investigation.…”