Past glaciation of temperate‐continental mountains: A model for a debris‐charged plateau icefield/cirque glacier landsystem in the Southern Carpathians, Romania

Balaban, Cristina; Roberts, David; Evans, David; Jamieson, Stewart

Abstract

Reconstructing the extent, style, timing and drivers of past mountain glaciation is crucial in both understanding past atmospheric circulation and predicting future climate change. Unlike in high‐elevation mountains situated in maritime and continental climates, less is known of past glaciation in mid‐altitude mountains, located in transitional climates, such as the Southern Carpathians of Romania. Despite these mountains harbouring a rich glacial geomorphology, this has never been systematically mapped according to well‐established morphological criteria, nor confidently related to former styles of glaciation. Therefore, filling this gap is important for not only accurately identifying glacial extents but also for establishing past glaciation styles and relating them to past ice dynamics and climate. Here, we devise the first glacial landsystem model for the Southern Carpathians, to enhance our understanding of the glaciation style and dynamics of past mountain glaciers in temperate‐continental climates. We present a geomorphological map, from which we infer the spatial and temporal evolution of glacial, periglacial and paraglacial landforms. We then assess the links between the mountain geomorphology and glaciation style and dynamics to construct a glacial landsystem model for debris‐charged plateau icefields and cirque glaciers in temperate‐continental mountain settings.

Citation

Balaban, C., Roberts, D., Evans, D., & Jamieson, S. (2024). Past glaciation of temperate‐continental mountains: A model for a debris‐charged plateau icefield/cirque glacier landsystem in the Southern Carpathians, Romania. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 49(2), 601-621. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5723

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 25, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Dec 26, 2023
• Publication Date: 2024-02
• Deposit Date: Oct 31, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 26, 2023
• Journal: Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
• Print ISSN: 0197-9337
• Electronic ISSN: 1096-9837
• Publisher: British Society for Geomorphology
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 49
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 601-621
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5723
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1871808