Articles | Volume 11, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-817-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-817-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Aug 2023
Research article |
| 17 Aug 2023
| 17 Aug 2023
Ice-buttressing-controlled rock slope failure on a cirque headwall, Lake District, UK
Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg,
Lancaster, LA1 4YW, UK
John D. Jansen
GFÚ Institute of Geophysics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague,
Czech Republic
Teng Su
Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes,
Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
Jane Lund Andersen
Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Mads Faurschou Knudsen
Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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Short summary
Many steep glaciated rock walls collapsed when the Ice Age ended. How ice supports a steep rock wall until the ice decays is poorly understood. A collapsed rock wall was surveyed in the field and numerically modelled. Cosmogenic exposure dates show it collapsed and became ice-free ca. 18 ka ago. The model showed that the rock wall failed very slowly because ice was buttressing the slope. Dating other collapsed rock walls can improve understanding of how and when the last Ice Age ended.
Many steep glaciated rock walls collapsed when the Ice Age ended. How ice supports a steep rock...
