Development of transverse ridges on rock glaciers: field measurements and laboratory experiments

A. Kääb and M. Weber

Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 2004, vol. 15, issue 4, 379-391

Abstract: Very high‐resolution photogrammetric and geodetic measurements about the deformation of transverse ridges on Murtèl, Muragl and Suvretta rock glaciers in the Swiss Alps are discussed. The ridges are advected downstreams with a speed that equals the overall speed of the creeping permafrost within the significance level of the applied techniques. Any process of ridge formation is, thus, overlain on the mass creep. In fact, measurements yield local speed maxima on top of the ridges that can be explained by differential movement due to ridge growth through bulging under compressive flow. This hypothesis is consistent with results from laboratory experiments that were performed on a model ramp employing mixtures of Xanthan Gum, sand and gravel. Indications were also found that overthrusting is involved in the development of transverse ridges on rock glaciers. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Date: 2004
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.506

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:15:y:2004:i:4:p:379-391

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 ().