Nivation landforms in the western Great Basin and their paleoclimatic significance

Auteur :
DOHRENWEND, J. C.

Description :
More than 10,000 nivation landforms occur in the higher mountain ranges of the western Great Basin. Nearly all of these nivation hollows are relict. Distribution of nivation hollows suggests that (1) the full glacial nivation threshold altitude (NTA) rose from north to south at 190 m per degree of latitude, subparallel to, and approximately 740 m lower than, the full-glacial equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) and about 1 370 m lower than the estimated modern ELA| (2) the difference between the full-glacial and modern ELAs indicates an approximate 7 C full-glacial mean-annual-temperature depression throughout the Great Basin| and (3) the full-glacial mean annual temperature at the NTA is estimated to have been approximately 0 to 1 C, assuming little change in accumulation-season precipitation.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Quaternary research New York, 1984, vol. 22, n°. 3, p. 275-288, Références bibliographiques : 37 réf.

Date :
1984