Available online http://amq.aiqua.it ISSN (print): 2279-7327, ISSN (online): 2279-7335 Alpine and Mediterranean Quaternary, 27 (2), 2014, 85 - 104 GLACIAL AND PROGLACIAL DEPOSITS OF THE RESIA VALLEY (NE ITALY): NEW INSIGHTS ON THE ONSET AND DECAY OF THE LAST ALPINE GLACIAL MAXIMUM IN THE JULIAN ALPS. Renato R. Colucci1, Giovanni Monegato2, Manja Žebre1,3 1 C.N.R. - Institute of Marine Sciences, Trieste, Italy 2 C.N.R. - Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, Torino, Italy 3 Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia Corresponding author: G. Monegato <
[email protected]> ABSTRACT: The Resia Valley is located in the south-eastern sector of the Alps, where small glacial remnants are still preserved despite the average low-elevation of the reliefs. The abundance of glacigenic deposits related to the Last Glacial Maximum allowed to discuss and reconstruct the onset and decay of the glaciation. The initial glacier expansion from the Canin-Toudule and the Barman cirques led to the infilling of the former valley with fluvioglacial and glaciolacustrine successions. Then, the spread of the Resia Glacier during the LGM cli- max covered and over-consolidated these units. On the valley flanks, the interaction of the base of the trunk glacier with the sharp pre- glacial topography caused the formation of subglacial deposits containing large-size sub-angular boulders and glaciolacustrine fines. Dur- ing the LGM the Resia Glacier reached the maximum thickness of about 550 m, and was tributary of the Fella Glacier at Resiutta. During the Late Glacial, two main stadial phases are characterised by frontal moraines and ice-dammed deposits.