Borehole deformation measurements and internal structure of some rock glaciers in Switzerland

Lukas Arenson, Martin Hoelzle and Sarah Springman

Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 2002, vol. 13, issue 2, 117-135

Abstract: In order to understand the mechanical processes that influence the deformation patterns of active rock glaciers, information about local horizontal and vertical deformations as well as knowledge of the internal structure and the temperature distribution is necessary. Results from borehole deformation measurements of three sites in the Swiss Alps show that despite different internal structures, similar phenomena can be observed. In contrast to temperate glaciers, permafrost within rock glaciers has distinct shear zones where horizontal and vertical differential movements are concentrated. In addition, a reduction in volume can be caused by compressive flow due to the presence of air voids within the permafrost. The flow velocity depends on the temperature, the surface and bedrock slopes of the rock glacier, and the composition of the ice‐rich frozen ground. Within degrading permafrost, the ice content decreases, the creep velocity increases and the shear zone rises towards the surface, where seasonal temperature changes and the presence of liquid water might also influence deformation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Date: 2002
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.414

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:perpro:v:13:y:2002:i:2:p:117-135

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Permafrost and Periglacial Processes from John Wiley & Sons
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().