Hydrogeophysical characterisation of ice-marginal moraines, with reference to moraine dam stability, Miage Glacial Lake, Italy
Abstract
In mountain regions, potentially hazardous glacial lakes are becoming increasingly common as a consequence of climatically driven glacier recession. Lakes can expand rapidly in the space between downwasting or receding glacier fronts and terminal or lateral moraines, and are prone to catastrophic drainage if the moraine dam is breached. Lake drainage can have severe impacts on both fragile mountain ecosystems and local economies. In addition to the moraine-dammed lakes currently in existence, it is likely that many more will form in the coming decades as more glaciers cross the threshold required for rapid lake expansion. A key factor in assessing the stability and future evolution of such systems is a better understanding of the subsurface structure and hydrology of the moraine dams. Here results are presented from electrical geophysical work carried out across the breach moraine complex at the Miage Glacial Lake, Italy. A combination of induced polarisation, normalised induced polarisation and self potentials have been used to characterise the local water table and to identify the subsurface connections between two moraines dammed glacial lakes. The results not only show the depth and distribution of subsurface flow but also the preferential flow pathways, indicating areas of maximum discharge. The results highlight the areas of the moraines where hydrological processes are causing internal degradation and impacting upon the longer term stability of the system. This model therefore, can be employed on much larger systems where the risk of outburst has far greater consequences.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2010
- Bibcode:
- 2010AGUFM.C21A0508T
- Keywords:
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- 0746 CRYOSPHERE / Lakes;
- 0776 CRYOSPHERE / Glaciology;
- 0794 CRYOSPHERE / Instruments and techniques