Current morphodynamics and subsurface structure of thrust moraines and rock glaciers connected to three Little Ice Age glacier forefields in the Swiss Alps
Glacier-permafrost interactions significantly influenced geomorphological processes in several glacier forefields in the European Alps during the Little Ice Age glacier advances. The resulting landforms, thrust moraine complexes, and glacier-forefield-connected rock glaciers, no longer show any acti...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
06 August 2026
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| In: |
The Cryosphere
Year: 2026, Volume: 20, Issue: 8, Pages: 4255-4275 |
| ISSN: | 1994-0424 |
| DOI: | 10.5194/tc-20-4255-2026 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4255-2026 Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/20/4255/2026/ 
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| Author Notes: | Julius Kunz, Sebastian Buchelt, Tim Wiegand, Tobias Ullmann, and Christof Kneisel |
| Summary: | Glacier-permafrost interactions significantly influenced geomorphological processes in several glacier forefields in the European Alps during the Little Ice Age glacier advances. The resulting landforms, thrust moraine complexes, and glacier-forefield-connected rock glaciers, no longer show any active glacier-permafrost interaction today, but their internal structure - e.g., incorporated sedimentary ice - and recent morphodynamics are still influenced by the former interaction. Since these landforms are highly sensitive to changes in external climatic conditions due to their high ice content, it is essential to understand the relationships between underground structures and surface morphodynamics in order to assess landscape development under the influence of climate change. This study investigates the internal structure (e.g., ground ice distribution and characteristics) and surface morphodynamics (kinematic behavior) of both landform types aiming to determine the relationship between both. We combined electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) for assessing subsurface resistivity with Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) to derive surface displacement patterns. The study focuses on three glacier forefields in two valleys in the Valais region (Swiss Alps), analyzing spatial movement patterns and their correlation with subsurface properties through regression analysis. ERT revealed distinct differences between the ice-rich thrust moraine complexes and the more heterogeneous internal structure of the investigated rock glaciers. DInSAR-derived displacement patterns showed that the investigated moraine complexes exhibit predominantly vertical subsidence with high seasonal variability, while the rock glaciers display more consistent horizontal movement. Regression analysis confirmed strong correlations between high-resistivity zones and surface movement rates in thrust moraine complexes, with the maximum electrical resistivity of the subsurface correlating with absolute horizontal displacement (R2=0.75) and elevation change (R2=0.76). Instead, rock glaciers exhibited weaker correlations (R2≤0.3), likely due to heterogeneous internal structures and more complex creep processes, which differ from the subsidence-dominated movements in the ice-rich moraines. These findings underscore the importance of distinguishing between thrust moraines and rock glaciers in permafrost studies and climate change assessments, since the different landform types might react morphologically differently to changing climate conditions. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 06.08.2026 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1994-0424 |
| DOI: | 10.5194/tc-20-4255-2026 |