Palaeoglacier reconstruction and dynamics of Cordillera Vilcanota in the tropical high Peruvian Andes

作者：B. Davies, Tom Gribbin, O. King, Tom Matthews, Jan R. Baiker, W. Buytaert, J. Carrivick, F. Drenkhan, Juan‐Luis García, N. Montoya, L. B. Perry, J. Ely · 发表于：Earth Surface Processes and Landforms · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1002/esp.70246 · 被引用次数：1

Tropical glaciers are important indicators of climate change, provide freshwater resources for downstream communities, and form an important component of the hydrological cycle. Understanding the dynamics and patterns of behaviour of tropical palaeoglaciers is important for interpreting their sensitivities and vulnerabilities. Glacier advances in the high tropical Peruvian Andes occurred multiple times during the last glacial cycle and Holocene, leaving complex geomorphological evidence on the landscape. The substantial topographic, geological and climatic variability in this region leads to high geomorphic diversity. However, few detailed geomorphological studies have been conducted to date, leading to considerable uncertainty in the behaviours and drivers of tropical palaeoglaciers. Here, we provide a detailed geomorphological analysis of the Cordillera Vilcanota, Cusco region, southern Peru (71°W, 13.7°S), and use morphostratigraphic principles to reconstruct the former maximum icefield extent and palaeoglacier advances. Across this domain, we mapped ~23,000 features encompassing five key environments: glacier, subglacial, ice‐marginal, fluvial and lacustrine. The mapped features show evidence of both modern‐day polythermal and temperate ice margins, with low meltwater volumes leading to small‐scale glaciofluvial landform formation. However, larger moraines, beyond those well‐dated to the Younger Dryas and Antarctic Cold Reversal, assumed to represent Last Glacial Maximum ...