Projects & Grants




Giant landslides in glacier foreland: missing story in the evolution of Patagonian Ice Sheet and related glacial lakes
Project Id19-16013S
Main solverprof. RNDr. Tomáš Pánek, Ph.D.
Period1/2019 - 6/2022
ProviderStandardní projekt GA ČR
Statefinished
AnotationAlthough the role of deglaciation for instability of mountain slopes is well recognized, virtually no data exist about the evolution of giant (?10^8 m^3) landslides in glacier forelands. Some of the world´s most extensive terminal moraines and glacial lakes originated during the Pleistocene along the eastern outlets of the Patagonian Ice Sheet (Argentina). Recent landslide inventory in this area revealed, that this part of the Andean foreland is fringed by hundreds of large landslides. Many of these accumulations intersect with well-dated moraine ridges or former glacial lake shorelines, and offer exciting opportunities of exploring the hitherto largely unknown role of mass wasting in the glacial forelands. By analysis of distribution, timing and mechanisms of giant landslides, we will bring new original view on the postglacial landscape evolution of the eastern Andean piedmont and enlarge view on the portfolio of paraglacial processes affecting glacier forelands. Results can provide benchmark for understanding slope stability of moraines exposed under the recent climate change.