DOCSLIB.ORG

Glaciares-Rocosos-Del-Santuario-De-La

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Glaciares-Rocosos-Del-Santuario-De-La UNIVERSIDAD DE CHILE Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo Escuela de Pregrado Carrera de Geografía LOS GLACIARES ROCOSOS DEL SANTUARIO DE LA NATURALEZA YERBA LOCA, COMUNA DE LO BARNECHEA, REGIÓN METROPOLITANA Memoria para optar al título de Geógrafa HELENA CONCEPCIÓN VALENZUELA-ASTUDILLO Profesor Guía: Dr. Francisco Ferrando Acuña SANTIAGO – CHILE 2020 Expresión de gratitud La gratitud como una virtud superior a través de la cuál valoro y honro a todas y todos quienes acompañaron, guiaron, apoyaron y celebraron este camino personal de descubrimiento de la maravillosa y envolvente Criósfera Primero y antes que todo, expreso mi gratitud hacia la vida y la energía por su maravillosa existencia, por ser el origen de la mía propia, de estas palabras y también por ser el origen de quienes leen esto en su presente relativo. A mi profesor guía Dr. Francisco Ferrando Acuña por ser con quien conocí este extraordinario mundo de la criósfera. Gracias por las múltiples conversaciones donde aprendí términos y perspectivas nuevas, gracias por incluirme en eventos y entregarme herramientas para desarrollarme en esta disciplina. Gracias por apoyarme sin titubeo al emprender este viaje, primero siendo monitora de su electivo, luego para irme a mi Práctica Profesional en Punta Arenas, y este último año, por idear juntos y revisar dedicada y minuciosamente este trabajo de memoria. Gracias infinitas, profesor. A mi madre, Blanca Astudillo Torres por ser tremenda, increíble, jugada, fan de mis proyectos, visiones, anhelos y reflexiones desde que tengo memoria. Gracias por impulsarme con tu linaje, con tu energía, con tu vida, con tus valores, con tu fuerza, por enseñarme a confiar en mí misma, y por mostrarme desde pequeña, el lado intangible y sutil de la existencia. A mis cuatro hermanas y a mis tres hermanos, por elegirnos en esta vida para recorrer un camino lleno de aprendizajes. Gracias por el apoyo, por la nutrición espiritual, emocional, e intelectual; gracias por los conflictos y por las resoluciones, gracias por la potencia que cada una y cada uno tiene y desarrolla, celebro su existencia y les amo infinito. A mi padre, Gonzalo Valenzuela Vargas por ser catalizador y espejo de grandes eventos de vida que me han hecho crecer, confiar y creer en mi incondicionalmente. A Eduardo Gallardo Portillo por tu amor y amistad incondicional, además de la confianza, escucha y apoyo durante estos cinco años de evolución mutua tan maravillosa que hemos vivido. A Eduardo Gallardo Santander por tanto amor y apoyo, por recibirme como a una hija, agradezco a la vida por la amistad y cariño que hemos cultivado en el paso de los años. A mis amigas y amigos de ayer y del hoy, gracias por su amistad, compañía, apoyo, por caminar juntes y por compartir este camino de la madurez y definición de nosotres mismes a través de las risas, llantos, experiencias, reflexiones, y múltiples aprendizajes. Que la vida les de todo lo bueno, porque se lo merecen sin ninguna duda. Resumen Las iniciativas de investigación sobre glaciares rocosos en Los Andes centrales chilenos han aumentado en las últimas décadas, sin embargo, sigue siendo insuficiente la información técnica existente sobre las características generales y específicas de estas crioformas. Por esta razón, el presente trabajo busca aportar con una revisión actualizada de estas expresiones de permafrost andino en el Santuario de la Naturaleza de Yerba Loca, cuenca ubicada en la parte superior de la cuenca del Río Mapocho, a 50 km del centro de la ciudad de Santiago de Chile. Para lograr este objetivo, se reconocen y analizan los glaciares rocosos a partir de imágenes de alta resolución del software Google Earth Pro del año 2019, desde un punto de vista cualitativo y cuantitativo respecto de sus dimensiones, morfología, dinámica y en su relación con el espacio donde se ubican. Los resultados obtenidos indican en primer lugar, la presencia de 4 glaciares cubiertos y 23 glaciares rocosos – 17 en estado activo y 6 en estado relicto -. En segundo lugar, se identifica la presencia de las cuatro tipologías morfológicas asociadas a glaciares rocosos: 11 glaciares rocosos de valle, 4 glaciares rocosos de talud, 4 glaciares rocosos lobulados de talud y 4 glaciares de rampart protalus. En tercer lugar, de un total de 112 km² de superficie en la cuenca estudiada, el conjunto de glaciares rocosos y cubiertos representa 4,65 km² (un 4,15% del total de superficie). Por último, en cuarto lugar, se concluye con un mapa glaciogeomorfológico donde se sintetiza la información y los análisis realizados sobre el conjunto de glaciares rocosos y cubiertos estudiados. Palabras claves: Glaciares rocosos, tipología, clasificación, geomorfología glacial. Índice de contenidos CAPÍTULO I: PRESENTACIÓN .......................................................................................... 8 1.1 Introducción .................................................................................................................. 8 1.2 Planteamiento del problema ........................................................................................ 10 1.3 Antecedentes del área de estudio ................................................................................ 11 1.3.1 Sistema físico ....................................................................................................... 11 1.3.1.1 Características geológicas y morfológicas .................................................... 11 1.3.1.2 Características altimétricas ............................................................................ 13 1.3.1.3 Características hidrológicas y glaciológicas .................................................. 14 1.3.1.4 Características climáticas .............................................................................. 15 1.3.2 Sistema antrópico ................................................................................................. 18 1.3.2.1 Proyecto Yerba Loca ..................................................................................... 18 1.3.2.2. Extracción minera a gran escala ................................................................... 19 1.4 Objetivos ..................................................................................................................... 20 CAPÍTULO II: MARCO TEÓRICO .................................................................................... 21 2.1 Criósfera .................................................................................................................. 22 2.2 Glaciares .................................................................................................................. 23 2.2.1 Concepto general de glaciar y clasificación general para los Andes Centrales 23 2.2.2 Concepto de Glaciar Cubierto y Glaciar Rocoso.............................................. 25 2.2.3 Clasificaciones para Glaciares Rocosos ........................................................... 26 2.3 Permafrost ............................................................................................................... 28 2.3.1 Relación entre permafrost y Glaciares Rocosos (GR) ...................................... 29 CAPÍTULO III: MARCO METODOLÓGICO ................................................................... 30 3.1 Materiales utilizados ............................................................................................... 31 Software e imágenes satelitales ................................................................................. 31 Modelo de Elevación Digital (DEM) ........................................................................ 31 3.2 Pasos Metodológicos ............................................................................................... 32 3.2.1 Objetivo 1: Identificación de los glaciares rocosos presentes en el Santuario de la Naturaleza Yerba Loca .......................................................................................... 32 Identificación, delimitación y clasificación ............................................................... 32 Coordenadas centrales ............................................................................................... 33 3.2.2 Objetivo 2: Descripción de las características morfológicas, posición y actividad dinámica de los glaciares rocosos presentes en el Santuario de la Naturaleza Yerba Loca ........................................................................................................................... 33 Exposición ................................................................................................................. 33 Descripción de las geoformas identificadas .............................................................. 33 Formas de macro relieve............................................................................................ 33 Formas de relieve....................................................................................................... 34 Glacio-morfologías asociadas a la dinámica y sus expresiones topográficas ........... 35 Thermokarst ............................................................................................................... 35 3.2.3 Objetivo 3: Caracterización de los glaciares rocosos identificados según su morfométrica e hidrología cuantitativa...................................................................... 36 Cálculo de altitud máxima y mínima ......................................................................... 36 Cálculo de área .........................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Area Changes of Glaciers on Active Volcanoes in Latin America Between 1986 and 2015 Observed from Multi-Temporal Satellite Imagery
    Journal of Glaciology (2019), 65(252) 542–556 doi: 10.1017/jog.2019.30 © The Author(s) 2019. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons. org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Area changes of glaciers on active volcanoes in Latin America between 1986 and 2015 observed from multi-temporal satellite imagery JOHANNES REINTHALER,1,2 FRANK PAUL,1 HUGO DELGADO GRANADOS,3 ANDRÉS RIVERA,2,4 CHRISTIAN HUGGEL1 1Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 2Centro de Estudios Científicos, Valdivia, Chile 3Instituto de Geofisica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico 4Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Chile, Chile Correspondence: Johannes Reinthaler <[email protected]> ABSTRACT. Glaciers on active volcanoes are subject to changes in both climate fluctuations and vol- canic activity. Whereas many studies analysed changes on individual volcanoes, this study presents for the first time a comparison of glacier changes on active volcanoes on a continental scale. Glacier areas were mapped for 59 volcanoes across Latin America around 1986, 1999 and 2015 using a semi- automated band ratio method combined with manual editing using satellite images from Landsat 4/5/ 7/8 and Sentinel-2. Area changes were compared with the Smithsonian volcano database to analyse pos- sible glacier–volcano interactions. Over the full period, the mapped area changed from 1399.3 ± 80 km2 − to 1016.1 ± 34 km2 (−383.2 km2)or−27.4% (−0.92% a 1) in relative terms.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of the Current State and Recent Changes of the Andean Cryosphere
    feart-08-00099 June 20, 2020 Time: 19:44 # 1 REVIEW published: 23 June 2020 doi: 10.3389/feart.2020.00099 A Review of the Current State and Recent Changes of the Andean Cryosphere M. H. Masiokas1*, A. Rabatel2, A. Rivera3,4, L. Ruiz1, P. Pitte1, J. L. Ceballos5, G. Barcaza6, A. Soruco7, F. Bown8, E. Berthier9, I. Dussaillant9 and S. MacDonell10 1 Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA), CCT CONICET Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina, 2 Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble-INP, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement, Grenoble, France, 3 Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile, 4 Instituto de Conservación, Biodiversidad y Territorio, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile, 5 Instituto de Hidrología, Meteorología y Estudios Ambientales (IDEAM), Bogotá, Colombia, 6 Instituto de Geografía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile, 7 Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia, 8 Tambo Austral Geoscience Consultants, Valdivia, Chile, 9 LEGOS, Université de Toulouse, CNES, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France, 10 Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Áridas (CEAZA), La Serena, Chile The Andes Cordillera contains the most diverse cryosphere on Earth, including extensive areas covered by seasonal snow, numerous tropical and extratropical glaciers, and many mountain permafrost landforms. Here, we review some recent advances in the study of the main components of the cryosphere in the Andes, and discuss the Edited by: changes observed in the seasonal snow and permanent ice masses of this region Bryan G. Mark, The Ohio State University, over the past decades. The open access and increasing availability of remote sensing United States products has produced a substantial improvement in our understanding of the current Reviewed by: state and recent changes of the Andean cryosphere, allowing an unprecedented detail Tom Holt, Aberystwyth University, in their identification and monitoring at local and regional scales.
    [Show full text]
  • Glacier Fluctuations During the Past 2000 Years
    Quaternary Science Reviews 149 (2016) 61e90 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Quaternary Science Reviews journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/quascirev Invited review Glacier fluctuations during the past 2000 years * Olga N. Solomina a, , Raymond S. Bradley b, Vincent Jomelli c, Aslaug Geirsdottir d, Darrell S. Kaufman e, Johannes Koch f, Nicholas P. McKay e, Mariano Masiokas g, Gifford Miller h, Atle Nesje i, j, Kurt Nicolussi k, Lewis A. Owen l, Aaron E. Putnam m, n, Heinz Wanner o, Gregory Wiles p, Bao Yang q a Institute of Geography RAS, Staromonetny-29, 119017 Staromonetny, Moscow, Russia b Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA c Universite Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, CNRS Laboratoire de Geographie Physique, 92195 Meudon, France d Department of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland e School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA f Department of Geography, Brandon University, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9, Canada g Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA), CCT CONICET Mendoza, CC 330 Mendoza, Argentina h INSTAAR and Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, USA i Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Allegaten 41, N-5007 Bergen, Norway j Uni Research Climate AS at Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway k Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria l Department of Geology,
    [Show full text]
  • Estrategia Nacional De Glaciares Fundamentos
    REPÚBLICA DE CHILE MINISTERIO DE OBRAS PÚBLICAS DIRECCIÓN GENERAL DE AGUAS ESTRATEGIA NACIONAL DE GLACIARES FUNDAMENTOS REALIZADO POR: CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS CIENTÍFICOS - CECS S.I.T. N° 205 Santiago, Diciembre 2009 MINISTERIO DE OBRAS PÚBLICAS Ministro de Obras Públicas Ingeniero Civil Industrial Sr. Sergio Bitar Ch. Director General de Aguas Abogado Sr. Rodrigo Weisner L. Jefe Unidad de Glaciología y Nieves Geógrafo Sr. Gonzalo Barcaza S. Inspectores Fiscales Ingeniero Civil Sr. Fernando Escobar C. Ingeniero Civil Sr. Cristóbal Cox O. CENTRO DE ESTUDIOS CIENTÍFICOS Jefe de Proyecto Dr. Andrés Rivera (Glaciólogo) Profesionales MSc Francisca Bown (Glacióloga) Claudio Bravo (Geógrafo) Daniela Carrión (Licenciada en Geografía) Dr. Gino Casassa (Glaciólogo) Claudia Flores (Secretaria) Dra. Paulina López (Hidroglacióloga) MSc Camilo Rada (Geofísico) Sebastián Vivero (Licenciado en Geografía) Pablo Zenteno (Geógrafo) Índice 1. INTRODUCCIÓN ..................................................................................................................6 1.1. ORIGEN DEL PROYECTO Y TRATAMIENTO GENERAL DEL TEMA .............................................6 1.2. HIPÓTESIS DE TRABAJO .........................................................................................................6 1.3. OBJETIVOS ............................................................................................................................7 1.4. ¿P OR QUÉ UNA ESTRATEGIA NACIONAL DE GLACIARES ? .....................................................8 2. GLACIARES
    [Show full text]
  • Glacier Changes in the Semi-Arid Huasco Valley, Chile, Between 1986 and 2016
    geosciences Article Glacier Changes in the Semi-Arid Huasco Valley, Chile, between 1986 and 2016 Katharina Hess 1,*, Susanne Schmidt 2,* , Marcus Nüsser 1,2 , Carina Zang 1 and Juliane Dame 1,2 1 Heidelberg Center for the Environment (HCE), Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; [email protected] (M.N.); [email protected] (C.Z.); [email protected] (J.D.) 2 Department of Geography, South Asia Institute (SAI), Heidelberg University, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany * Correspondence: [email protected] (K.H.); [email protected] (S.S.); Tel.: +49-(0)6221-54-15240 (S.S.) Received: 30 July 2020; Accepted: 26 October 2020; Published: 29 October 2020 Abstract: In the semi-arid and arid regions of the Chilean Andes, meltwater from the cryosphere is a key resource for the local economy and population. In this setting, climate change and economic activities foster water scarcity and resource conflicts. The study presents a detailed glacier and rock glacier inventory for the Huasco valley (28–29◦ S) in northern Chile based on a multi-temporal remote sensing approach. The results indicate a glacier-covered area of 16.35 3.06 km2 (n = 167) and, ± additionally, 50 rock glaciers covering an area of about 8.6 km2 in 2016. About 81% of the ice-bodies are smaller than 0.1 km2, and only four glaciers are larger than 1 km2. The change analysis reveals a more or less stable period between 1986 and 2000 and a drastic decline in the glacier-covered area by about 35% between 2000 and 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    Limarí River Basin Study Phase I – Current conditions, history and plans Authors: Alexandra Nauditt, Nicole Kretschmer and Lars Ribbe Introduction For the SERIDAS project, the semiarid Central Chilean region was selected as its water bodies are highly modified to irrigate intensive agriculture and water resources availability is expected to decrease due to climate change triggered temperature rise and seasonal precipitation shifts. The drought prone agricultural areas are supplied with water from mountainous headwater catchments. Stream runoff in Central Chile mainly consists of snow melt, ablation of glaciers and rock glaciers and other melting permafrost and ground ice (Arenson&Jakob 2010) which are especially vulnerable to climatic changes (Barnet et al., 2005; Bates et al., 2008). The following figure shows the Central Chilean semiarid catchments from Copiapo, Huasco, Elqui, Limarí, Choapa, Petorca-La Ligua, Aconcagua and Maipo and their snow cover after a wet winter year 2002 and a dry year 2006 respectively: Figure 1: Snow cover in a dry and in a wet year in Central Chile The Limarí River basin was selected as an example to describe the regional characteristics: 1. Physical and human geography 1.1 River and tributaries The Limarí River is formed by the confluence of the Grande and Hurtado rivers. The Grande River drains the central parts of the basin (Commune of Monte Patria), whereas the Hurtado drains the northern part (Commune of Hurtado). Both rivers originate in the Andean Cordillera, with headwaters at 4,500 m.a.s.l., thus snowfall makes an important contribution to their discharge. The Hurtado River does not have any important tributaries, and its course is intercepted by the Recoleta dam.
    [Show full text]
  • Una Nueva Iniciativa De PAGES Simposio Internacional
    EQ 20°S o í d 40°S r e a t n o e e n c v e o ti c l o o ia l it o H n H e i l t a a S e l E n te i V AG n e t a P a th n ri 60°W w r e a ne u r g cio A d e r n r v A es Su o , cli el a a mát a d ric z R icas éric e do eg regionales en Am m n iona th A e l Cl Sou , M imate Variations in üe arg Mal October 4-7, ReconstruccionesReconstrucciones RegionalesRegionales dede laslas VariacionesVariaciones ClimáticasClimáticas enen AméricaAmérica deldel SurSur durantedurante elel HolocenoHoloceno tardío:tardío: UnaUna nuevanueva IniciativaIniciativa dede PAGESPAGES SimposioSimposio InternacionalInternacional ReconstructingReconstructing PastPast RegionalRegional ClimateClimate VariationsVariations inin SouthSouth AmericaAmerica overover thethe latelate Holocene:Holocene: AA newnew PAGESPAGES InitiativeInitiative InternationalInternational SymposiumSymposium ResúmenesResúmenes // AbstractsAbstracts 44 alal 77 dede octubreoctubre dede 20062006 OctoberOctober 4-7,4-7, 20062006 Malargüe,Malargüe, Mendoza,Mendoza, ArgentinaArgentina Malargüe,Malargüe, Mendoza,Mendoza, ArgentinaArgentina Reconstrucciones Regionales de las Variaciones Climáticas en América del Sur durante el Holoceno tardío: Una nueva Iniciativa de PAGES Simposio Internacional Reconstructing Past Regional Climate Variations in South America over the late Holocene: A new PAGES Initiative International Symposium Resúmenes / Abstracts 4 al 7 de octubre de 2006 October 4-7, 2006 Malargüe, Mendoza, Argentina Malargüe, Mendoza, Argentina El Simposio ha sido The Symposium has been declarado de interés por: declared of interest by: • El Honorable Consejo de Deliberante • The Honorable City Council of de Malargüe, Mendoza, Argentina.
    [Show full text]
  • Glacier Inventory and Recent Glacier Variations in the Andes of Chile, South America
    Annals of Glaciology 58(75pt2) 2017 doi: 10.1017/aog.2017.28 166 © The Author(s) 2017. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work. Glacier inventory and recent glacier variations in the Andes of Chile, South America Gonzalo BARCAZA,1 Samuel U. NUSSBAUMER,2,3 Guillermo TAPIA,1 Javier VALDÉS,1 Juan-Luis GARCÍA,4 Yohan VIDELA,5 Amapola ALBORNOZ,6 Víctor ARIAS7 1Dirección General de Aguas, Ministerio de Obras Públicas, Santiago, Chile. E-mail: [email protected] 2Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 3Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland 4Institute of Geography, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile 5Centre for Hydrology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada 6Department of Geology, University of Concepción, Concepción, Chile 7Department of Geology, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile ABSTRACT. The first satellite-derived inventory of glaciers and rock glaciers in Chile, created from Landsat TM/ETM+ images spanning between 2000 and 2003 using a semi-automated procedure, is pre- sented in a single standardized format. Large glacierized areas in the Altiplano, Palena Province and the periphery of the Patagonian icefields are inventoried. The Chilean glacierized area is 23 708 ± 1185 km2, including ∼3200 km2 of both debris-covered glaciers and rock glaciers.
    [Show full text]
  • Glacier Clusters Identification Across Chilean Andes Using Topo-Climatic
    119 Glacier Clusters identification across Chilean Andes using Topo-Climatic variables Identificación de clústeres glaciares a lo largo de los Andes chilenos usando variables topoclimáticas Historial del artículo Alexis Caroa; Fernando Gimenob; Antoine Rabatela; Thomas Condoma; Recibido: Jean Carlos Ruizc 15 de octubre de 2020 Revisado a Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IRD, Grenoble-INP, Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement (UMR 5001), 30 de octubre de 2020 Grenoble, France. Aceptado: b Department of Environmental Science and Renewable Natural Resources, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. 05 de noviembre de 2020 c Sorbonne Université, Paris, France. Keywords Abstract Chilean Andes, climatology, Using topographic and climatic variables, we present glacier clusters in the Chilean Andes (17.6-55.4°S), where the glacier clusters, topography Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) unsupervised machine learning algorithm was utilized. The results classified 23,974 glaciers inside thirteen clusters, which show specific conditions in terms of annual and monthly amounts of precipitation, temperature, and solar radiation. In the Dry Andes, the mean annual values of the five glacier clusters (C1-C5) display precipitation and temperature difference until 400 mm (29 and 33°S) and 8°C (33°S), with mean elevation contrast of 1800 m between glaciers in C1 and C5 clusters (18 to 34°S). While in the Wet Andes the highest differences were observed at the Southern Patagonia Icefield latitude (50°S), were the mean annual values for precipitation and temperature show maritime precipitation above 3700 mm/yr (C12), where the wet Western air plays a key role, and below 1000 mm/yr in the east of Southern Patagonia Icefield (C10), with differences temperature near of 4°C and mean elevation contrast of 500 m.
    [Show full text]
  • A Thesis Submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Geography
    HAZARDOUS GEOMORPHIC PROCESSES IN THE EXTRATROPICAL ANDES WITH A FOCUS ON GLACIAL LAKE OUTBURST FLOODS By Pablo Iribarren Anacona A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Physical Geography Victoria University of Wellington 2016 i Abstract This study examines hazardous processes and events originating from glacier and permafrost areas in the extratropical Andes (Andes of Chile and Argentina) in order to document their frequency, magnitude, dynamics and their geomorphic and societal impacts. Ice-avalanches and rock-falls from permafrost areas, lahars from ice-capped volcanoes and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) have occurred in the extratropical Andes causing ~200 human deaths in the Twentieth Century. However, data about these events is scarce and has not been studied systematically. Thus, a better knowledge of glacier and permafrost hazards in the extratropical Andes is required to better prepare for threats emerging from a rapidly evolving cryosphere. I carried out a regional-scale review of hazardous processes and events originating in glacier and permafrost areas in the extratropical Andes. This review, developed by means of a bibliographic analysis and the interpretation of satellite images, shows that multi-phase mass movements involving glaciers and permafrost and lahars have caused damage to communities in the extratropical Andes. However, it is noted that GLOFs are one the most common and far reaching hazards and that GLOFs in this region include some of the most voluminous GLOFs in historical time on Earth. Furthermore, GLOF hazard is likely to increase in the future in response to glacier retreat and lake development.
    [Show full text]
  • Insar-Based Characterization of Rock Glacier Movement in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA George Brencher1, Alexander L
    https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-274 Preprint. Discussion started: 2 December 2020 c Author(s) 2020. CC BY 4.0 License. InSAR-based characterization of rock glacier movement in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA George Brencher1, Alexander L. Handwerger2,3, Jeffrey S. Munroe1 1Geology Department, Middlebury College, Middlebury, 05753, USA 5 2Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, 90095, USA 3Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, 91109, USA Correspondence to: George Brencher ([email protected]) Abstract. Rock glaciers are a prominent component of many alpine landscapes and constitute a significant water resource in some arid mountain environments. Here, we employ satellite-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) to 10 identify and monitor active rock glaciers in the Uinta Mountains (Utah, USA), an area of ~10,000 km2. We used mean velocity maps to generate an inventory for the Uinta Mountains containing 255 active rock glaciers. Active rock glaciers are 10.8 ha in area on average, and located at a mean elevation of 3290 m, where mean annual air temperature is 0.12 ˚C. The mean line-of-sight (LOS) velocity for the inventory is 2.52 cm/yr, but individual rock glaciers have LOS velocities ranging from 0.88 to 5.26 cm/yr. To search for relationships with climatic drivers, we investigate the time-dependent motion of three 15 rock glaciers over the summers of 2016–2019. Time series analysis suggests that rock glacier motion has a significant seasonal component, with motion that is more than 5 times faster during the late summer compared to rest of the year.
    [Show full text]
  • Modeling the Distribution of Mountain Permafrost in the Central Andes
    MODELING THE DISTRIBUTION OF MOUNTAIN PERMAFROST IN THE CENTRAL ANDES, SAN JUAN, ARGENTINA by Erika A.P. Schreiber A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geography Summer 2015 © 2015 Erika A.P. Schreiber All Rights Reserved ProQuest Number: 1602371 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ProQuest 1602371 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 MODELING THE DISTRIBUTION OF MOUNTAIN PERMAFROST IN THE CENTRAL ANDES, SAN JUAN, ARGENTINA by Erika A.P. Schreiber Approved: Michael A. O’Neal, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: Tracy L. DeLiberty, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Geography Approved: Mohsen Badiey, Ph.D. Acting Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment Approved: James G. Richards, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am immensely grateful for all of the support I have received throughout my two years at the University of Delaware.
    [Show full text]