Cirque Morphology and Palaeo-Climate Indications Along a South-North Transect in High Mountain Asia

69 Pages Posted: 27 Dec 2022

See all articles by Yingkui Li

Yingkui Li

University of Tennessee

Zhibin Zhao

Hebei Normal University

Ian S. Evans

Durham University

Abstract

Cirques preserve important palaeo-climate information and have been investigated in various areas around the world. High Mountain Asia (HMA) contains the largest modern glacier inventory outside of polar regions, and tens of thousands of cirques. We analyzed 2831 largely ice-free cirques from five areas along a south-north transect in HMA, including central Himalayas (C. Himalayas), western Gangdise (W. Gangdise), eastern Tian Shan (E. Tian Shan), southern Altai (S. Altai), and northern Altai (N. Altai). These cirques are large relative to those in many parts of the world, and in Himalayas, Tian Shan, and Altai their vertical dimensions are great. These cirques show weakly allometric relations. The poleward decreasing trend in cirque floor altitudes is consistent with the reducing temperature trend toward high latitudes. Although just north of C. Himalayas, W. Gangdise is in their precipitation shadow and its cirque floors are higher. Relatively shallow cirques in W. Gangdise probably reflect low subglacial erosion associated with limited precipitation received from either the Indian monsoon or Westerlies due to this orographic effect. Lower cirque floor altitudes for north-facing cirques were likely caused by their lesser receipt of solar radiation. Because most mountains rose well above equilibrium-line altitudes of glaciers and were heavily glaciated, cirque aspects show symmetric vector strengths except in the lowest area, N. Altai. Eastward aspects in N. and S. Altai show the strong effects of Westerly winds in the past, as for present glaciers. Similarly, cirque aspects in C. Himalayas are more northeast-ward than modern glacier aspects, suggesting a stronger west wind influence in the past.

Keywords: High Mountain Asia, cirques, morphological analysis, palaeo-climate

Suggested Citation

Li, Yingkui and Zhao, Zhibin and Evans, Ian S., Cirque Morphology and Palaeo-Climate Indications Along a South-North Transect in High Mountain Asia. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4312985 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4312985

Yingkui Li (Contact Author)

University of Tennessee ( email )

851 Neyland Drive
Knoxville, TN 37909
United States

Zhibin Zhao

Hebei Normal University ( email )

No.20 Nanerhuandong Road, Shijiazhuang 050024
Shijiazhuang, 050024
China

Ian S. Evans

Durham University ( email )

Old Elvet
Mill Hill Lane
Durham, DH1 3HP
United Kingdom

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