Reconstructing fluctuations of La Mare Glacier (Eastern Italian Alps) in the late Holocene : new evidence for a Little Ice Age maximum around 1600 AD

Glacial and paraglacial environments

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)

CARTURAN, L.

Dept. of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Univ. of Padova, Legnaro, Italie

BARONI, C.

Dept. of Earth Sciences, Univ., Pisa, Italie

CARTON, A.

Dept. of Geosciences, Univ., Padova, Italie

CAZORZI, F.

Dept. of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Univ., Udine, Italie

DALLA FONTANA, G.

Dept. of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, Univ. of Padova, Legnaro, Italie

DELPERO, C.

Dept. of Geosciences, Univ., Padova, Italie

SALVATORE, M.C.

Dept. of Earth Sciences, Univ., Pisa, Italie

SEPPI, R.

Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Univ., Pavia, Italie

ZANONER, T.

Dept. of Geosciences, Univ., Padova, Italie

KNIGHT, J.

School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Afrique du Sud

HARRISON, S.

College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Univ., Exeter, Royaume-Uni

Description :
Field observations, old terrestrial photographs and maps, aerial orthophotos and detailed geomorphological mapping were used for compiling and validating a 119-year cumulative record of terminus changes for La Mare Glacier, in the south-eastern part of the Ortles-Cevedale massif (Eastern Italian Alps). Late Holocene glacier maxima preceding direct observations were reconstructed by applying age dating techniques (radiocarbon and lichenometry) to glacial deposits in the proglacial area of the glacier. Results show that the glacier reached its maximal position around 1600 ad, followed by smaller advances in the eighteenth century, while in the nineteenth century it did not reach or overrun these positions. Climatic causes for these discrepancies have been examined, analyzing multi-proxy climatic reconstructions starting in 1500 ad, but also morphodynamic processes linked to the bedrock characteristics of La Mare Glacier could have played a role in modulating its response to climatic changes.

Type de document :
Article de monographie

Source :
Geografiska annaler. Series A. Physical geography, issn : 0435-3676, 2014, vol. 96, n°. 3, p. 287-306, nombre de pages : 20, Références bibliographiques : 2 p.

Date :
2014

Editeur :
Pays édition : Suede, Stockholm, Svenska sällskapet för antropologi och geografi

Langue :
Anglais