Modern deglaciation in Sierra Nevada : morphogenetic effects, new data and out-look regardings future studies

Abstract

During the Little Ice Age a small glacier occupied the Veleta cirque (Guarnón glacier, Sierra Nevada, Spain). The successive melting and disappearance of the glacier during the first half of the 20th century were followed by the construction of talus cones located at the foot of the cirque wall. Debris buried the residual ice body. At present the talus cones are fed by clasts from the cirque wall and show periglacial processes as gelifluction and ice-creep. These are mainly controlled by the persistence of the snow cover. Among the periglacial landforms the rock glacier is the most interesting feature. Therefore, thermal and morphometric monitoring of the rock glacier is undertaken. The obtained results point to a degradation of the alpine permafrost