The Thickness of Talus Deposits in the Periglacial Area of SW Spitsbergen (Fugleberget Mountainside) in the Light of Slope Development Theories

Piotr Dolnicki and Mariusz Grabiec
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Piotr Dolnicki: Department of Tourism and Regional Studies, Institute of Geography, Pedagogical University of Krakow, Podchorążych 2, 30-084 Krakow, Poland
Mariusz Grabiec: Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Periglacial slopes are susceptible to recent climate change. The rate of morphogenetic processes depends on numerous factors. The most important of these is the warming of the air and ground, increased precipitation (extreme rainfall in particular), and the rate of snow cover decay. The dynamics of these processes may effectively modify contemporary slope development models. The paper shows the structure of selected talus slopes on a Fugleberget mountainside, based on field observations and radar (GPR) soundings. The results are then compared to classical slope models. The radar survey in April and May 2014 used a RAMAC CU II Malå GeoScience system equipped with a 30 MHz RTA antenna (Rough Terrain Antenna). Five GPR profiles of different lengths were obtained along the talus axes, transversally on Fugleberget and partly on the Hansbreen lateral moraine. According to the radar soundings, the maximum thickness of the debris deposits is 25–30 m. The thickness of the weathered material increases towards the talus cone’s terminal part, and debris deposits overlap marine sediments. The talus slopes’ morphometry shows that their current forms differ from standard slope models, which may be due to the significant acceleration of geomorphic processes resulting from climate change, including rapid warming in the last four decades.

Keywords: talus cone; GPR; Svalbard; slope development model; debris (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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