Dead-ice environments: a landsystems model for a debris-charged, stagnant lowland glacier margin, Kötlujökull

Johannes Krüger, Kurt H. Kjær, Anders Schomacker

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Kötlujökull transports considerable amounts of supraglacial debris at its snout because of frontal oscillations with frequent ice advances followed by ice-margin stagnation. Kötlujökull provides suitable conditions of studying dead-ice melting and landscape formation in a debris-charged lowland glacier environment. The scientific challenges are to answer the key questions. What are the conditions for dead-ice formation? From which sources does the sediment cover originate? Which melting and reworking processes act in the ice-cored moraines? What is the rate of de-icing in the ice-cored moraines under humid, sub-polar conditions? Does this rate differ from rates reported from polar environments of dry continental nature? How will the sedimentary architecture appear in the geological record? How will the final landsystem appear?

These key questions are answered in a review of research and conclusions on dead-ice melting and landscape formation from Kötlujökull. Processes and landform-sediment associations are linked to the current climate and glacier–volcano interaction.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Mýrdalsjökull Ice Cap, Iceland. Glacial processes, sediments and landforms on an active volcano
EditorsAnders Schomacker, Johannes Krüger, Kurt H. Kjær
Number of pages22
PublisherElsevier
Publication date2010
Pages105-126
Chapter7
ISBN (Electronic)978-0-444-53045-5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2010
SeriesDevelopments in Quaternary Science
Volume13
ISSN1571-0866

Keywords

  • Faculty of Science

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