Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Geomorphic Effects of the Retreat of Jamapa Glacier, Pico De Orizaba Volcano (Mexico)

1996; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 78; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/04353676.1996.11880449

1468-0459

David Palacios, Lorenzo Vázquez‐Selem,

Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond

Pico de Orizaba (5,700 m), on the eastern edge of the Transmexican Volcanic Belt, is an active volcano whose most recent eruption took place in 1687. Its summit is now covered by an ice cap from which several glaciers form. As on other mountains of central Mexico, the glaciers of Pico de Orizaba have retreated considerably during the past century and, in particular, during the last decades. This study focuses on the recent evolution of Jamapa Glacier, on the northern part of the mountain. It analyzes the geomorphologic processes in relation to the rapid retreat of the glacier snout and the intense periglacial activity on the valley sidewalls. The paper presents data on the thermic regime of ice cover deposits and their contrast with that of the glacier. At the end, it summarizes a model of the geomorphic evolution of the area below a retreating glacier.