Abstract
The Kvíárjökull, a southern outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull, is confined in the mountain foreland by lateral moraines measuring a height of up to 150 m. Each of the lateral moraines shows considerable breaches with deviations of the main moraine ridges. The paper discusses the possible origins of these modifications of the lateral moraines as result of: 1) ice overlappings during glacier advances and subsequent breaches of the lateral moraine, 2) bifurcations of the Kvíárjökull glacier tongue triggered by the preglacial relief conditions and the prehistorical moraine landscape leading to afflux conditions, 3) drainage of ice-marginal glacier lakes and 4. volcanic activities, such as lava flows and volcanic-induced jökulhlaups. A historic-genetic model of the formation of the lateral moraines is presented considering the breaches in the lateral moraines as result from glacier bifurcations and therefore as former tributary tongue basins. Such breaches in the lateral moraines are also common landscape features at glaciers outside of Iceland and are from wider importance for the paleoreconstruction of former glacier stages. The knowledge of their development is essential for an adequate relative age classification of individual moraine ridges. In regard to the origin of the debris supply areas of the large-sized Kvíárjökull moraines, the resedimentation of prehistoric till deposits by younger glacier advances plays a role in the formation of the lateral moraines apart from englacial and supraglacial sediment transfer processes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Benn, D.I. & D.J.A. Evans 1998. Glaciers & Glaciation. Arnold. 734 pp.
Benn, D.I. and Owen, L.A. 2002. Himalayan glacial sedimentary environments: a framework for reconstructing and dating former glacial extents in high mountain regions. Quaternary International, 97–98, 3–26.
Björnsson, F. 1956. Kvíárjökull. Jökull, 6, 20–22.
Eyles, N. 1983. The glaciated valley landsystem. In: N. Eyles, Editor, Glacial Geology: An Introduction for Engineers and Earth Scientists, Pergamon, Oxford, 91–110.
Dahl, S.O. Bakke, J., Øyvind, L. & A. Nesje 1992. Reconstruction of former glacier equilibrium-line altitudes based on proglacial sites: an evaluation of approaches and selection of sites. Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume 22, Issues 2–4, February 2003, Pages 275–287.
Gillespie, A.R. 1982. Quaternary Glaciation and Tectonism in the Southeastern Sierra Nevada, Inyo County, California: PhD thesis, Caltech, Pasadena, C.A. 695 p.
Gross, G., Kerschner, H. and Patzelt, G. 1978 Methodische Untersuchungen über die Schneegrenze in alpinen Gletschergebieten. Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie, 12, 223–251.
Harris, T., Tweed, F. & Knudsen, Ó. 2004: Polygenetic Landform At Stígá, Öræfajökull, Southern Iceland. Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography 86(2), 143–154.
Humlum, O. 1978. Genesis of layered lateral moraines: implications for paleoclimatology and lichenometry. In: Geografisk Tidsskrift 77, 65–72, Kopenhagen.
Iturrizaga, L. 2001. Lateroglacial valleys and landforms in the Karakoram Mountains (Pakistan). In: GeoJournal (M. Kuhle ed.), Tibet & High Asia (VI), Glacio-geomorphology and prehistoric Glaciation in the Karakorum and Himalaya. Vol. 54(2–4), 397–428.
Iturrizaga, L. 2003. The distribution and genesis of lateroglacial valleys in the Karakoram Mountains (Pakistan). In: Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie N.F., Suppl.-Bd. 130, 51–74.
Iturrizaga, L. 2007. Die Eisrandtäler im Karakorum: Verbreitung, Genese und Morphodynamik des lateroglazialen Sedimentformenschatzes. Geography International (M. Kuhle ed.), Vol. 2, Shaker Verlag, 389 p.
Jóhannesson, T. & O. Sigurðsson 1998. Interpretation of glacier variations in Iceland 1930–1995. Jökull, 45, 27–33. Reykjavik
Kick, W. 1956. Der Chogo-Lungma-Gletscher im Karakorum. In: Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie, Band 3, 335–347.
Klebelsberg, R.v. 1948/49: Handbuch der Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie. 2 Bde. Wien.
Kuhle, M. 1991. Observations supporting the pleistocene inland glaciation of High Asia. In: GeoJournal 25(2/3), 133–231.
Preusser, H. 1976. The Landscapes of Iceland: Types and Regions. Publisher Dr. W. Junk b.v., The Hague, 363 pp.
Putkonen, J.K, & T. Swanson. 2003. Accuracy of cosmogenic ages for moraines. In: Quaternary Geology, vol. 59, issue 2, 255–261.
Roberts, M.J., Russell, A.J., Tweed, F.S., Knudsen, Ò. 2000: Rapid sediment entrainment and englacial deposition during jökulhlaups. In: Journal of Glaciology 46(153), 349–351.
Roberts, M. J., Tweed, F. S., Russell, A. J., Knudsen, Ó., Lawson, D. E., Larson, G. J., Evenson, E. B. and Björnsson, H. 2002: Glaciohydraulic supercooling in Iceland. In: Geology, Vol. 30, No.5, 435–438.
Röthlisberger, F. & W. Schneebeli 1979. Genesis of lateral moraine complexes, demonstrated by fossil soils and trunks: indicators of postglacial climatic fluctuations. In: C. Schlüchter (Ed.): Moraines and Varves, A.A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 387–419.
Russell, A.J., Fay, H., Marren, P.M., Tweed, F.S., & Knudsen, Ó. 2005. Icelandic jökulhlaup impacts. In: Caseldine, C.J., Russell, A.J., Knudsen, Ó., & Harðardóttir, J., ed. Iceland: Modern Processes and Past Environments. Elsevier, pp. 153–203.
Sharp, R.P. & J.H. Birman 1963. Additions to the classical sequence of Pleistocene glaciations, Sierra Nevada, California. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 74, 1079–1086.
Small, R.J. 1983. Lateral moraines of glacier de Tsidjiore Nouve: form, development, and implications. In: Journal of Glaciology 29, 250–259.
Spedding, N. & Evans, D.J.A. 2002. Sediments and landforms at Kvíárjokull, southeast Iceland: a reappraisal of the glaciated valley landsystem. Sedimentary Geology 149(1–3), 21–42.
Thórarinsson, S. 1956. On the variations of Svínafellsjökull, Skaftafellsjökull and Kvíárjökull in Öræfi (Ágrip). Jökull, 6, 1–15.
Thórarinsson, S. 1958. The Öræfajökull eruption of 1362. Acta Naturalia Islandica 22 (1958), pp. 5–99.
Todtmann, E. 1936. Einige Ergebnisse von glazialgeologischen Untersuchungen am Südrand des Vatnajökull auf Island. In: Zeitschrift für Dt. Geol. Ges. Bd. 88, H. 2, Berlin.
Todtmann, E. 1960. Gletscherforschungen auf Island (Vatnajökull). Cram, de Gruyter & Co. 95 p.
Winkler, S. 1996. Frührezente und rezente Gletscherschwankungen in Ostalpen und West/Zentralnorwegen. Ein regionaler Vergleich von Chronologie, Ursachen und glazialmorphologischen Auswirkungen. In: Trierer Geographische Studien, 15, 580 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Iturrizaga, L. Post-sedimentary transformation of lateral moraines. J. Mt. Sci. 5, 1–16 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-008-0001-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-008-0001-7