Glacial geomorphology of the Shaluli Shan area, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

We present a glacial geomorphological map covering 1.04 × 10 5 km 2 of the Shaluli Shan (Shan ¼ Mountain), southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Using a 90 m digital elevation model from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and 15/30 m Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus satellite imagery, we have mapped glacial valleys, marginal moraines, hummocky terrain, glacial lineations and ice-scoured terrain. Lineations and scoured areas largely overlap on the low relief granite plateau of the Shaluli Shan and relate to former ice cap glaciation. These landscape features indicate that past ice cap glaciation included basal sliding conditions, and thus warm-based ice. Glacial valleys and marginal moraines are dominant landforms in the high mountain ranges of Shaluli Shan and occur on and fringing the plateau. This glacial geomorphological map forms the basis for paleoglaciological reconstructions of this southeastern Tibetan Plateau region and indicates the former presence of multiple glaciations involving valley glaciers and ice caps. The map is presented at a scale of 1:630,000.

Glacial geomorphology of the Dalijia Shan region, northeastern Tibetan Plateau

“…The aim of the mapping work presented here is to provide information on the spatial distribution of glacial landforms in the Dalijia Shan region that is comparable with other results Fu, Heyman, Hättestrand, Stroeven, and Harbor (2012), the Tanggula Shan (TS) presented in Morén, Heyman, and Stroeven (2011), and the Bayan Har Shan (BHS) presented in Heyman, Hättestrand, and Stroeven (2008). This study is focused on the Dalijia Shan (DS), which is currently the farthest northeastern study area on the Tibetan Plateau.…”

“…Heyman et al, 2009Heyman et al, , 2011Lehmkuhl, 1998;Owen et al, 2005). These include reconstructions presented in a series of detailed glacial landform maps (Figure 1) for the Bayan Har Shan (Shan ¼ mountain; Heyman et al, 2008), Tanggula Shan (Morén et al, 2011), and Shaluli Shan (Fu et al, 2012) that document a record of limited glacier and ice cap expansions. Still there are many regions of the Tibetan Plateau where the extent and timing of glaciation remains poorly documented.…”

Glacial geomorphology of the Tian Shan

“…With satellite imagery becoming more readily available, the ease and consistency with which mapping projects covering large areas can be conducted has increased. This mapping study is a first start towards a palaeoglaciological reconstruction of the Tian Shan and is an extension of previous work by Heyman et al (2008Heyman et al ( , 2009Heyman et al ( , 2011, Stroeven et al (2009) andFu et al (2012) for the eastern Tibetan Plateau margin. Large-scale mapping of glacial features, when combined with absolute age dating of key features, provides the foundation for reconstructing and modelling past glacier dynamics and provides spatial and temporal patterns of ice extent that can be used to constrain palaeoclimatic variations.…”

“…The landform categories and descriptions used in this study follow those presented for the eastern and central areas of the Tibetan Plateau ( Heyman et al, 2008;Morén et al, 2011;Fu et al, 2012).…”

Glacial geomorphology of the Parlung Zangbo Valley, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

“…For example, Heyman, Hättestrand, and Stroeven (2008) mapped the glacial landforms in the Bayan Har Shan and revealed distinct discrepancies from previously regional or plateau-wide ice sheet reconstructions. Other glacial geomorphological mapping have also been conducted in the central Tibetan Plateau (Morén, Heyman, & Stroeven, 2011), in the southeastern plateau margin (Fu, Heyman, Hättestrand, Stroeven, & Harbor, 2012), and in the northern bordering mountains, such as the Tian Shan (Stroeven, Hättestrand, Heyman, Kleman, & Morén, 2013) and Altai Shan (Blomdin et al, in press). …”