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Rock Glaciers on Prins Karls Forland. II: GPR Soundings and the Development of Internal Structures
Author(s) -
Berthling Ivar,
Etzelmüller Bernd,
Isaksen Ketil,
Sollid Johan Ludvig
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
permafrost and periglacial processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.867
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1099-1530
pISSN - 1045-6740
DOI - 10.1002/1099-1530(200012)11:4<357::aid-ppp366>3.0.co;2-6
Subject(s) - rock glacier , geology , ground penetrating radar , permafrost , glacier , bedrock , geomorphology , glacier morphology , layering , radar , ice stream , sea ice , oceanography , cryosphere , telecommunications , computer science , botany , biology
Internal structures in four rock glaciers in the continuous permafrost zone on the island of Prins Karls Forland, western Svalbard (78°50′N,10°30′E), were studied utilizing ground penetrating radar (GPR). A comparative study was performed on the Brøggerbreen rock glacier close to Ny‐Ålesund, about 50 km to the east. The bedrock interface was visible on some GPR profiles. Further, the length profiles revealed a system of reflectors that was comparable between the different rock glaciers. A layering structure parallel with the surface was visible in the upper part of the talus cones above the rock glaciers, while further down towards the rock glaciers these reflectors started to slant up against the surface slope. This inclination of the layers prevailed towards the fronts, although a more irregular pattern was discernible in the frontal part of some of the rock glaciers. The layering structure is probably formed by mass movements of higher magnitude, covering either snow patches or the active layer above supersaturated permafrost. We suggest that the structural development along the rock glaciers is caused by an accumulation gradient along the talus‐cone/rock‐glaciers system, causing differences in vertical velocity along a layer. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.