T265 Geologic Research in the Cascades: Understanding Glacier Change, Geologic Hazards, and Mountain Hydrology along an Active Margin in a Changing Climate (Posters)

Wednesday, 25 September 2024
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Hall D

COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY OF DEBRIS-COVERED GLACIERS AND ROCK GLACIERS IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

Paper number: T265-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM

Authors

  • Lilianna Nunez Presenting Author
    California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA
  • Jacob Baker
    California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA
  • Claire Todd
    California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA

Abstract

Debris-covered glaciers may transition into rock glaciers as they ablate over time. In this study, we compare the morphology of debris-covered glaciers at Mount Rainier, WA (~ 46.5 °N), Mount Hood, OR (~ 45.4 °N), and Mount Shasta, CA (~41.4 °N), with rock glaciers in the Sierra Nevada, CA (~36 - 40 °N). Surface elevation profiles of glacial debris cover on Mount Rainier collected between 2018 and 2023 show glacier surface topography indicative of active ice flow and supraglacial drainage, including supraglacial meltwater channels tens of meters deep. We expect that these features are more muted on rock glaciers, given findings from glaciated regions elsewhere. We will collect additional elevation transects from the debris-covered surface of Emmons Glacier in summer 2024, and compare them to DEM-derived surface elevation profiles of debris-covered glaciers on Mount Hood and Mount Shasta, and to rock glaciers in the Sierra Nevada. By comparing debris-covered glacier and rock glacier surface topography across decreasing latitudes, we hope to learn more about how debris-covered glaciers transition to rock glaciers as equilibrium-line altitudes increase.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56, No. 5

doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-405245

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