Lateral Moraines of Glacier De Tsidjiore Nouve: Form, Development, and Implications

Abstract

AbstractThe relationship between supraglacial lateral moraines and lateral dump moraines at Arolla. Switzerland, is discussed. A detailed study of the lateral moraines of glacier de Tsidjiore Nouve reveals their complex form (as superimposed and nested ridges) and the current mode of development (possibly related to the passage of a kinematic wave). Sedimentological analysis indicates that much of the constituent debris is of supraglacial origin; it is transported either directly from the base of slopes flanking the Pigne d’Arolla ice-fall or via englacial septa comprising marginal sediment incorporated in the accumulation zone. A calculation of the volume of debris in the lateral moraines suggests that glacier de Tsidjiore Nouve has recently been more active in transporting and depositing supraglacial debris than in glacial erosionsensu stricto.