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Rock glaciers and periglacial phenomena in the southern Carpathians
Author(s) -
Urdea Petru
Publication year - 1992
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/ppp.3430030317
Subject(s) - rock glacier , geology , solifluction , glacier , lithology , schist , permafrost , geomorphology , glacial period , physical geography , geochemistry , metamorphic rock , oceanography , geography
Glacial and periglacial phenomena in the southern Carpathians are an undoubted reality. Climatic conditions and lithology favour the existence of rock glaciers, block fields, cryoplanation terraces, ploughing blocks and solifluction. The highest frequency and the most complex of rock glaciers are found in granites and granodiorites within northerly cirques and valleys of the Paring and Retezat Mountains, whereas less frequent and predominantly embryonic, protalus rampart‐type forms occur in epimetamorphic precrystalline schists. Water temperatures below 2 °C of the springs emerging in summer from the fronts of some rock glaciers point to local permafrost conditions possibly still existing today.