Lateglacial evolution of Fuentes Carrionas massif (Cantabrian Range), palaeoenvironmental and chronological estimations

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Multi-scale Web Mapping for Geoheritage Visualisation and Promotion

Due to the renewed interest for sites of geological interest, both in nature conservation and tourist sectors, numerous regional and national geosite inventories have been carried out in several countries during the last two decades. For this purpose, various assessment methods have been developed and published. The issue of the representation of the results of inventories—in particular, the mapping system, the question of updating data—remains open. Moreover, if in the field of nature conservation, practitioners are used to working with GIS, it is not the case in the tourist sector where data must be delivered to the users in open-access and easy-to-use formats. This paper discusses what opportunities of web mapping methods and techniques there are in the domain of geoheritage assessment and promotion. A web mapping application in Google Maps application programming interface (API) framework is proposed to disseminate the results of geosite inventories carried out in Switzerland both at national and regional scales. The interest of the proposed application is discussed according to three main criteria: mapping interests and limitations, management purposes and interpretive issues

Glare, a GIS tool to reconstruct the 3D surface of palaeoglaciers

Acknowledgements This research has been supported by the Leverhulme Trust International Network Grant IN-2012-140. Processing and collecting of ground penetrating data in Forgefonna was part of Elend Førre's master's project that was completed in 2009 at the Department of Geography, University of Bergen. We also acknowledge Dr Andreas Bauder for providing the subglacial topography data for Griessgletscher and Simone Tarquini for granting access to the high resolution TIN of Italy, a cut of which is provided to the reader to practice the tools (see Appendix). Referees Dr. Iestyn Barr, Dr. Jeremy Ely and Dr. Marc Oliva are thanked for their constructive comments and tool testing, which significantly improved the final output.Peer reviewedPostprin

Spatial and temporal variability of periglaciation of the Iberian Peninsula

Active periglacial processes are currently marginal in the Iberian Peninsula, spatially limited to the highest mountain ranges. However, a wide variety of periglacial deposits and landforms are distributed in low and mid-altitude environments, which shows evidence of past periods of enhanced periglacial activity. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the present knowledge of past periglacial activity in the Iberian Peninsula. The chronological framework takes four main stages into account: the last glaciation, deglaciation, Holocene and present-day processes. This study focuses on the highest massifs (Pyrenees, Cantabrian Range, NW ranges, Central Range, Iberian Range, Sierra Nevada) as well as other lower elevation environments, namely the central Iberian Meseta. During the last glaciation the periglacial belt extended to much lower altitudes than today, reaching current sea level in the NW corner of the Iberian Peninsula. A wide range of geomorphological landforms and sedimentary records is indicative of very active periglacial processes during that phase, in some cases related to permafrost conditions (i.e., block streams, rock glaciers). Most of the inactive landforms and deposits in low and mid-elevations in Iberia are also related to this phase. The massive deglaciation of the Iberian massifs was caused by a gradual increase in temperatures. The deglaciation phase was only interrupted by a short period with colder conditions (the Younger Dryas) that reactivated periglacial processes in the formerly glaciated cirques of the highest lands, specifically with the widespread development of rock glaciers. During the Holocene, periglacial processes have been only active in the highest ranges, shifting in altitude according to temperature regimes and moisture conditions. The Little Ice Age saw the reactivation of periglacial activity in lower elevations than today. Currently, periglacial processes are only active in elevations exceeding 2500 m in the southern ranges and above 2000e2200 m in the northern massifs, higher in Sierra Nevada, in the south of Iberian Peninsula.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio