Aug 2026· Remote Sensing· 0 citations· 68 references
Abstract
Rock glaciers are critical indicators of periglacial environments and the spatial distribution of mountain permafrost. Given their complex deformation patterns and temporal variability, which may indicate progressive destabilization, a quantitative evaluation of their kinematic activity is critical from both climatological and geohazard perspectives. This study applies Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PSInSAR) to Sentinel-1 radar imagery on both ascending and descending orbits, in order to detect and map moving areas (MA) within the Pirin Mountains (Bulgaria). The primary objective of this study is to update the existing rock glacier inventory (RoGI) by integrating high-resolution Line-of-Sight (LOS) velocity data in accordance with the latest international standards established by the Rock Glacier Inventories and Kinematics (RGIK) standing committee. A secondary objective is to investigate the spatial relationships between the identified moving areas (MAs) and other surrounding geomorphological features (e.g., talus slopes), hence providing a wider context for slope dynamics and landform evolution. The results identified MAs with PSInSAR-derived Line-of-Sight (LOS) velocities reaching up to 10 cm yr−1, which were subsequently classified according to RGIK kinematic categories. A substantial proportion of the detected moving areas occur outside mapped rock glacier boundaries and may reflect a range of geomorphological processes, including permafrost-related creep, talus creep, or other forms of slope deformation. The LOS velocity data were used to assess the activity status of 74 rock glacier units within the regional inventory, classifying 8 as transitional (velocity exceeding 1 cm yr−1) and 66 as relict. Furthermore, we analyse the spatial distribution of these moving areas in relation to primary topographic variables, such as elevation, aspect, and slope. The results highlight the influence of topographic control factors and rock glacier dynamics and provide new insights into the distribution of active periglacial landforms and terrain potentially affected by permafrost in the Balkan Peninsula under changing climatic conditions.
Changes in mountain permafrost are of major scientific and societal interest due to associated potential risks to mountain communities. Rock glaciers, which are slowly creeping debris-ice landforms typical of mountainous permafrost regions, are key indicators of permafrost dynamics. Their movement serves as a critical parameter for the Essential Climate Variable (ECV) permafrost. This study investigates the movement of two rock glaciers in the Hohe Tauern Mountain Range, Austria: Tschadinhorn rock glacier (TRG) and Leibnitzkopf rock glacier (LRG), during 2023–2024 and compares derived movement rates to previous rock glacier velocity studies of these sites, as well as to ground and air temperature records. For rock glacier velocity quantification, we used unoccupied aerial vehicles (UAVs) with real time kinematic capabilities to create geodatasets of high spatial resolution and accuracy for both years. Rock glacier movement patterns were calculated using orthoimages, aligned to an existing geodetic network, using a state of the art image correlation algorithm (GeoCosiCorr3D). Results show that TRG exhibited the highest published, photogrammetrically derived mean RGV to date, 3.8 m/year in 2023–2024, exceeding previous maxima of interpolated point measurements reported for 2014–2015 and photogrammetric data from 2015–2016. At LRG, the maximum velocity reached 6.2 m/year, surpassing the previously published maximum of 5.8 m/year, but with a spatial shift in the location of peak movement. Spatial patterns at LRG indicate deceleration within central sectors and acceleration at the frontal zone, whereas TRG shows a more uniform acceleration. The climate context supports these trends: long term, regional station data registered an all time annual temperature record in 2024, consistent with a positive temperature-RGV relationship. However, local ground and air temperature observations since 2018 reveal site specific responses with no clear trends, but a tendency of higher movement rates in warmer years at TRG and no simle, uniform linkage at LRG, suggesting modulation by internal kinematics and spatial heterogeneities. Our findings provide robust, spatially resolved velocity evaluations for two representative alpine rock glaciers in the Alps and demonstrate recent acceleration consistent with long term ongoing warming. The results underscore the need for sustained, multi sensor monitoring to disentangle climatic forcing from internal deformation processes, thereby improving process understanding and risk assessment in high mountain permafrost environments.
Harald Harald, Andreas Kellerer Pirklbauer, W. Sulzer· Proceedings· 0 citations
As a typical periglacial landform developed in alpine mountains and shaped by the long-term creep of permafrost, rock glaciers are often regarded as important indicators of regional permafrost distribution and climate change based on their distribution characteristics and long-term changes in movement. With global warming, rock glaciers, as hidden water resource reservoirs in cold regions, have become one of the important stable freshwater supplies for arid mountainous areas. Meanwhile, the movement stability of rock glaciers is essential in the prevention and control of geological hazards, which is critical to engineering safety and ecological protection in cold regions. Therefore, research on the development, distribution, and movement of rock glaciers has tremendous importance for the ecological environment of alpine mountainous areas. In this research, rock glaciers in the Lenglongling area were identified by visual interpretation based on Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry and Google Earth optical remote sensing images. Their geomorphic parameters and activity parameters were then statistically calculated. Furthermore, the Pearson correlation coefficient and geographical detector were used to analyze the correlations among geomorphic parameters of rock glaciers and to investigate how environmental factors affect the distribution density of rock glaciers in the study area. Statistical results demonstrate that the study area is home to 413 rock glaciers, which have a combined area of 73.2 km2 and an average area of 0.18 km2. They are mainly developed at an elevation range of 3200–4600 m, with an average slope of 12.57°. According to downslope movement velocity, 92% of the rock glaciers within the research region possess a mean annual displacement below 100 mm/yr, and there are 27 active rock glaciers. Geographical detector analysis identified temperature, land surface temperature, and elevation as the variables with the highest explanatory power for rock glacier distribution. Correlation and variance inflation factor analyses revealed strong interrelationships among these thermal-related variables. All interaction pairs exhibited bivariate enhancement, with the temperature and land surface temperature pair showing the highest q-value.
Geomorphic features, drainage patterns and topography are key indicators of active tectonics. This study examines geomorphological characteristics and geological hazards, specifically earthquakes and landslides, in the Muzaffarabad region. The findings contribute to disaster risk reduction and achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Field‐based geomorphological studies and satellite imagery were used to analyse the geomorphological characteristics of the region. Five geomorphic indices, namely asymmetry factor (AF), drainage basin shape index (Db), slope analysis, valley floor width‐to‐height (
V
f
) ratios and hypsometric curves, were calculated using shuttle radar topography mission digital elevation model (SRTM DEM). Features such as drainage offsets, stream deflections, faceted spurs, seismicity, deformed recent sediments and point bars dissection near the Jhelum and Muzaffarabad faults suggest left‐lateral oblique‐slip motion, indicating the tectonically active nature of these faults. The geomorphic and neotectonics analysis concludes that the Muzaffarabad region is highly susceptible to earthquakes and landslides, particularly, in fault‐affected areas. A flood susceptibility analysis using multi‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) in ArcGIS was conducted to enhance climate resilience and disaster preparedness (SDG 13) and support (SDG 6) by identifying flood‐prone areas. Three high‐risk flood zones were identified: Neelum River–Shawai Nala confluence, Jhelum–Neelum rivers convergence at Domel and a low‐lying area near the Lohargali landslide. This study highlights the importance of integrating morphometric, geomorphological and geospatial techniques for effective disaster risk reduction (SDGs 11 and 13), climate‐resilient infrastructure (SDG 9), addressing SDG 6 and sustainable urban development, ensuring long‐term safety in tectonically active regions. Additionally, the methodology in this study, integrating multiple existing techniques, can be expanded for hazard assessment in other regions.
Waqar Ayub, Ahmed Nabi, M. Jabran et al.· Geological Journal· 0 citations
This study presents a multi-method investigation of two rock glaciers within the low-altitude periglacial environment of Mount Mestas in southern Colorado, a region generally underrepresented in rock glacier research. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), satellite radar interferometry (InSAR), and historical aerial photogrammetry were combined to characterize the subsurface structure, ice distribution, and surface kinematics of both features. Four ERT profiles on RG South resolved a spatially heterogeneous permafrost body beginning at approximately 8 m depth, with an estimated volume of ~485,500 m³ and resistivity values consistent with ice-rich permafrost; a secondary permafrost body associated with a superimposed lobe was also identified. InSAR analysis revealed that surface displacement on RG South is spatially concentrated where the permafrost body is laterally continuous, rather than where it is thickest, suggesting that permafrost geometry instead of ice volume is the primary control on surface displacement at this site. On RG North, displacement rates of 2–12 cm/yr were recorded, consistent with the 7.9 cm/yr average annual rate derived from 1938–2019 photogrammetric analysis of tree displacement, with no evidence that the 1963 anthropogenic toe excavation measurably altered the feature's kinematics. Taken together, the results indicate that both rock glaciers are in a state of long-term decline driven primarily by post-glacial permafrost degradation, with active deformation increasingly restricted to remnant core ice bodies while peripheral lobes become thermally and kinematically inactive which is a trajectory consistent Holocene warming in the Southern Rocky Mountains.
This study analyzes the geomorphological context, weathering processes, and evolution of granitic shelters bearing rock art in the Parque Arqueológico Provincial La Tunita (Sierra de Ancasti, Northwest Argentina), a key repository of Aguada Culture pictographs (ca. 600–900 AD). The research pursued four main objectives: (i) to characterize the spatial location and geomorphological setting of the principal shelters; (ii) to generate a three‐dimensional record of the cavities in relation to the distribution of pictographs; (iii) to identify inherited morphologies and ongoing degradative processes; and (iv) to propose a geomorphological evolutionary model for the area. Methodological procedures combined systematic photogrammetric recording with the production of 3D models. Weathering diagnosis was supported by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) to determine lithological composition, alteration products, and patinas, complemented by petrographic thin sections. The evolutionary model indicates that megatafoni and vault morphologies correspond to forms developed through prolonged weathering under warm–humid conditions. The tafoni interiors show vaults and ribs, some of which display higher resistance to uniaxial compression (RCU) than the surrounding rock. Active weathering results from the combined influence of humidity, salts, and biological/anthropic agents. Weathering fronts, gypsum and calcite neoformation, together with capillary humidity, partially affect the pictographs. Physical disintegration—granular disaggregation and exfoliation—is concentrated in overhangs and block supports, where compressive stress and water infiltration through fractures compromise the edges of certain paintings.
M. M. Sampietro-Vattuone, J. L. Peña-Monné, Domingo Carlos Nazar et al.· Geoarchaeology· 0 citations
Fluvial terraces represent important geomorphological archives for reconstructing the effects of climatic fluctuations, tectonic activity, and base-level changes during Quaternary times. This study investigates the geomorphological and stratigraphic evolution of the Bradano, Basento, and Salandrella River systems within the Bradanic Foredeep of southern Italy, by means of field observations, geomorphological mapping, aerial-photo interpretation, and GIS analyses. Four relative morphostratigrafic orders of Pleistocene fluvial terraces (T1–T4) have been identified and correlated across the three drainage basins. No absolute ages are available for these surfaces. The terraced deposits consist of alternating sandy and conglomeratic bodies recording multiple episodes of incision and/or aggradation overlaying erosional surfaces developed on Pre-Quaternary bedrock. Morphometric analyses revealed significant differences in terrace elevation and relative height above the modern channels, among the three investigated basins. The Salandrella basin preserves some of the highest terraced remnants, a pattern compatible with a possible tectonic contribution related to its proximity to the Apennine mountain front. Conversely, the Basento and Bradano basins evidenced a greater influence of lithological conditions, sediment supply, and climate-controlled variations in fluvial dynamics. The results indicate that the evolution of the staircase fluvial terraces reflects the combined influence of glacio-eustatic sea-level fluctuations, Quaternary climatic oscillations, local geological controls, and a possible contribution from regional tectonic deformation. The regional correlation of terraced surfaces highlights the role of the external forcing in shaping landscape evolution, while local differences emphasize the importance of catchment-scale controls within the Bradanic Foredeep.
F. Olita, S. Giano, M. Bentivenga et al.· Water· 0 citations
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