Alpine Glaciation and Mass-Movement Relief Production in the Western Himalaya

University Of Nebraska At Omaha, Omaha NE

Investigators

Abstract

Climatic forces, tectonic activity, and surface processes are all known to interact with each other as factors that influence the transformation of topographic relief in high mountain regions, but considerable uncertainty remains regarding the complex dynamics through which such interactions occur. Considerable need exists for both field-based geomorphological work and for numerical simulations that account for the dominant controls on relief production. This research project will implement a 3-D dynamic landscape-evolution model to facilitate investigation of scale-dependent surface processes, erosion rates, and relief production. The research objective is to evaluate the polygenetic influence of alpine glaciation and mass-movements on relief production at K2 in the high mountains of the Karakoram Himalaya. Specific objectives include dating of high-level, rock-cut glacial terraces to reconstruct a chronology of glaciation; terrain analysis and geomorphological mapping of moraines, mass-movement deposits, and fluvial deposits; glaciological characterization of the Baltoro Glacier; paleoclimate simulation studies; and numerical landscape simulation studies. The investigators will pursue this project through detailed fieldwork, advanced remote sensing, terrain analysis, and numerical modeling of the internal and external factors that govern relief production. The project should contribute to scholarly understanding about deep glacial erosion, pervasive mass movement, monsoonal glacier augmentation, polygenetic relief production, and integrated scale-dependent landscape evolution modeling to understand the first-order geodynamics of relief production in the Karakoram. The results to provide new insights into commonly perceived notions about the role of surface processes on relief production and the debate on whether tectonics has driven long-term climate change or vice versa. In terms of broader impacts, the project results should yield new analytical methods for using satellite imagery and digital elevation models in the assessment of mountain geomorphology over intractable topography, development of a landscape simulation model for research and education, and elucidation of landscape hazard potential. The study of alpine glaciation and mass movement in the Karakoram Himalaya also should provide new capabilities to a wide variety of disciplines for assessing and mapping mountain environments using spatial data.