Rock glaciers from Norway and Svalbard  View Catalog Page Entry ID
GGD284
Summary
A complete inventory of rock glaciers on mainland Norway and Svalbard has only been carried out in connection with coarse geomorphological mapping. The data presented here are therefore averaged on a regional scale. Some detailed geomorpholgical maps exist, however, where more detailed information can be extracted. The data listed are therefore not a complete database of Norwegian rock glaciers. Recently detailed studies have been carried out on rockglaciers in the Ny Alesund and the Longyearbyen areas on Svalbard. From these studies, detailed data are available.
On mainland Norway, there are at least 150 rock glaciers (Sollid and Sorbel 1992) . These may be grouped as follows: 1. Probably active rock glaciers in high mountain areas in southern and northern Norway. Most of these are situated in the Rondane mountain area of southern Norway. 2. Relict rock glaciers in low-lying areas near the coast of northern Norway. These rock glaciers have a position marginal to the Weichselian ice sheet and were formed during permafrost conditions before or during deglaciation. 3. Relict rock glaciers in higher inland areas of northern Norway. These rock glaciers are believed to have formed under permafrost conditions during deglaciation possibly because of rock falls caused by tectonic activity during isostatic uplift. On Svalbard, there are at least 500 rock glaciers (Kristiansen and Sollid 1986). Most of these are situated on the central and western part of Spitsbergen. They are most common in coastal areas, often below the steep escarpment which delimits the inner part of the strandflat. As Svalbard has continuous permafrost, most of these are probably active. Some may however be inactive, as for instance the rock glaciers at Stuphallet near Ny Alesund (Sollid and Sorbel 1992). In those cases, the rock glaciers have moved out of its source area and onto the strandflat.
Partly in cooperation with ETH-Zurich, detailed investigations have been started in the Ny Alesund area, Western Spitsbergen. These investigations have been enlarged also to the Longyearbyen area, central Spitsbergen. Principal methods have been velocity measurements, using theodolite/EDM, GPS and photogrammetry; geophysical methods (DC resistivity soundings, seismic refraction soundings, gravimetry and georadar); and morphometrical analysis using a Digital Elevation Model and a grid-based GIS. Typical velocities are between 5 and 10 cm/year, both for lobate and tongue-shaped rock glaciers. These data are presented on the CAPS Version 1.0 CD-ROM, June 1998.
Geographic Coverage
Spatial Coordinates:
N: 81°
S: 58°
E: 31°
W: 10°
|
|
Data Set Citation
Dataset Creator: Sollid, J.L., B. Etzelmuller, and L. Soerbel
Dataset Title: Rock glaciers from Norway and Svalbard
Dataset Release Date: 1998-01-01
Dataset Release Place: Boulder, Colorado USA
Dataset Publisher: NSIDC: National Snow and Ice Data Center
Online Resource: http://nsidc.org/data/ggd284.html
Temporal Coverage
Start Date: 1985-01-01
Stop Date: 1997-12-31
Location Keywords
- CONTINENT EUROPE NORTHERN EUROPE SCANDANAVIA NORWAY RONDANE MOUNTAIN AREA OF SOUTHERN NORWAY; COASTAL NORTHERN
Science Keywords
- Cryosphere Frozen Ground Permafrost
- Cryosphere Frozen Ground Rock Glaciers
- Land Surface Frozen Ground Permafrost
- Land Surface Frozen Ground Rock Glaciers
Ancillary Keywords
- Geophysics
- GIS
- Mapping
- Rock Glaciers
Data Center
National Snow and Ice Data Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org
Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC User Services
Phone: 1 303 492-6199
Fax: 1 303 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
- National Snow and Ice Data Center
- CIRES, 449 UCB
- University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
NSIDC Frozen Ground Data Center
Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org/fgdc/
Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC FGDC User Services
Phone: 1 303 492-6199
Fax: 1 303 492-2468
Email: nsidc@nsidc.org
Contact Address:
- National Snow and Ice Data Center
- CIRES, 449 UCB
- University of Colorado
City: Boulder
Province or State: CO
Postal Code: 80309-0449
Country: USA
Distribution
Distribution Media: FTP
Distribution Format: ASCII Text
Personnel
Ivar Berthling
Role: DATA AUTHOR
Phone: 47 228 55869
Fax: 42 228 57230
Contact Address:
- University of Oslo
- Department of Physical Geography
- PO Box 1042, Blindern
City: Oslo
Postal Code: N-0316
Country: Norway
Johan Ludvig Sollid
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Phone: 47 228 55869
Fax: 42 228 57230
Email: j.l.sollid@geografi.uio.no
Contact Address:
- University of Oslo
- Department of Physical Geography
- PO Box 1042, Blindern
City: Oslo
Postal Code: N-0316
Country: Norway
Leif Soerbel
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Phone: 47 228 55869
Fax: 42 228 57230
Email: leif.sorbel@geografi.iuo.no
Contact Address:
- University of Oslo
- Department of Physical Geography
- PO Box 1042, Blindern
City: Oslo
Postal Code: N-0316
Country: Norway
Bernd Etzelmuller
Role: INVESTIGATOR
Phone: 47 228 55869
Fax: 42 228 57230
Email: bernd.etzelmuller@geografi.uio.no
Email: bernde@geo.uio.no
Contact Address:
- University of Oslo
- Department of Physical Geography
- PO Box 1042, Blindern
City: Oslo
Postal Code: N-0316
Country: Norway
Metadata Name and Version
Metadata Name: CEOS IDN DIF
Metadata Version: 9.7
Creation and Review Dates
DIF Creation Date: 1998-01-01
Last DIF Revision Date: 2012-08-29
| 
Home | Contact Us
