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Permafrost and Little Ice Age glacier relationships, Posets Massif, Central Pyrenees, Spain
Author(s) -
Lugon Ralph,
Delaloye Reynald,
Serrano Enrique,
Reynard Emmanuel,
Lambiel Christophe,
GonzálezTrueba Juan J.
Publication year - 2004
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.494
Subject(s) - permafrost , geology , rock glacier , moraine , glacier , geomorphology , debris , glacier morphology , physical geography , massif , tidewater glacier cycle , holocene , glacial period , cryosphere , ice stream , paleontology , climatology , oceanography , sea ice , pregnancy , lactation , ice calving , biology , geography , genetics
This paper contributes to the study of permafrost in the Pyrenees by reporting geoelectrical investigations and thermal measurement on the Little Ice Age (LIA) forefields of two glaciers. The aim was to assess the internal composition of sedimentary bodies (debris rock glaciers and moraine deposits) located in this proglacial environment. Ground ice was prospected using two DC resistivity techniques: vertical electrical soundings and resistivity mapping at a fixed pseudo‐depth. Extreme specific resistivities ranging between 1 and 25 MΩ m were detected under a thin (1–2 m) unfrozen layer, indicating the presence of a massive ice layer, certainly buried glacier ice. This ice of glacial origin probably covers former permafrost bodies, i.e. a much thicker layer of perennially frozen sediments. Low subsurface temperatures measured on the deposits indicate that buried glacier ice could have been preserved on top of permafrost since the end of the LIA or earlier Holocene glacier advances. This stratigraphy demonstrates that glaciers and pre‐existing perennially frozen sediments (permafrost) were in contact during the LIA. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.