Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5780726 | Geomorphology | 2017 | 12 Pages |
Abstract
Elephant Point is an ice-free area in the SW corner of Livingston Island (Maritime Antarctica). The retreat of Rotch Dome glacier during the Holocene has exposed a land area of 1.16Â km2. Up to 17.3% of this surface has become ice-free between 1956 and 2010. A detailed geomorphological mapping of this ice-free environment was conducted in late January 2014. A wide range of active periglacial landforms show that periglacial processes are widespread. From the glacier to the coast four different geomorphological areas are identified: proglacial environment, moraine complex, bedrock plateaus and marine terraces. In situ measurements of the thawed soil depth show evidence of the widespread frozen ground conditions in the area. Field observations of permafrost exposures suggest that these frost conditions may be related to a soil permafrost regime, almost down to sea level. The activity of penguin colonies and elephant seals has created minor geomorphological features in the raised marine terraces. Here, several archaeological sites related to early human colonization of Antarctica were also found in natural shelters.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Earth-Surface Processes
Authors
Marc Oliva, Jesús Ruiz-Fernández,