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Distribution, evidence for internal ice, and possible hydrologic significance of rock glaciers in the Uinta Mountains, Utah, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 May 2018

Jeffrey S. Munroe
Jeffrey S. Munroe*
Affiliation:
Geology Department, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753USA
*
*Corresponding author at: Geology Department, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont 05753 USA. E-mail address: [email protected] (J.S. Munroe).
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Abstract

Mapping at a scale of 1:5000 identified 395 rock glaciers in the Uinta Mountains, Utah. The majority of these have areas<20 ha, although the largest covers 97 ha. Rock glaciers have a mean elevation of 3285 m above sea level (range of 2820 to 3744 m above sea level) and exhibit a preference for northerly aspects. Sixty (15%) have a tongue-shaped morphology, whereas 335 (85%) are lobate features protruding from talus along valley walls. Tongue-shaped rock glaciers are found at significantly higher elevations and receive considerably less direct solar radiation each year than lobate rock glaciers. Winter ground temperatures atop representative rock glaciers drop to between −3°C and −5°C. This result, combined with ~0°C water discharging in the summer and water ages >1 year, suggests that at least some of these landforms contain buried ice. Late summer water discharge from two rock glaciers exhibits higher pH and significantly elevated concentrations of some ions compared with lake water, consistent with ablation of internal ice after melting of winter snowpack is complete. Although the amount of water discharging from individual rock glaciers may be small, the aggregate discharge from all rock glaciers and talus could constitute a significant component of streamflow in late summer and fall.

Keywords

Rock glacierUinta MountainsPermafrostHydrologyGIS
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 90 , Issue 1 , July 2018 , pp. 50 - 65
Copyright
Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2018 

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