Catastrophic landslides, glacier behaviour and moraine formation – A view from an active plate margin

Shulmeister, J.; Davies, T.R.; Evans, D.J.A.; Hyatt, O.M.; Tovar, D.S.

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.11.015

Catastrophic landslides, glacier behaviour and moraine formation – A view from an active plate margin

Shulmeister, J.; Davies, T.R.; Evans, D.J.A.; Hyatt, O.M.; Tovar, D.S.

Authors

J. Shulmeister

T.R. Davies

Professor David Evans d.j.a.evans@durham.ac.uk
Professor

O.M. Hyatt

D.S. Tovar

Abstract

The influence of large bedrock landslides (‘‘rock avalanches’’) on the behaviour of glaciers is incompletely recognised. Here we present an example from an active tectonic margin in South Island, New Zealand where large earthquakes leave a significant imprint on glacial records. We demonstrate that terminal moraines on the western side of the Southern Alps record both ‘ordinary’ (i.e. climate-driven) and landslide-initiated glacial advances. Following consideration of the processes involved in rock avalanche initiated moraine construction we suggest ways of determining the nature of the advance that built the terminal moraine. The implications of these observations are important in breaking the conventional linkage of individual terminal moraines with climate forcing.

Citation

Shulmeister, J., Davies, T., Evans, D., Hyatt, O., & Tovar, D. (2009). Catastrophic landslides, glacier behaviour and moraine formation – A view from an active plate margin. Quaternary Science Reviews, 28(11-12), 1085-1096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.11.015

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Jun 1, 2009
Deposit Date	May 21, 2010
Journal	Quaternary Science Reviews
Print ISSN	0277-3791
Publisher	Elsevier
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	28
Issue	11-12
Pages	1085-1096
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2008.11.015