Allometry and cirque evolution

Research Article| September 01, 1981 Allometry and cirque evolution GREG A. OLYPHANT GREG A. OLYPHANT 1Department of Geography, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1981) 92 (9): 679–685. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1981)92<679:AACE>2.0.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation GREG A. OLYPHANT; Allometry and cirque evolution. GSA Bulletin 1981;; 92 (9): 679–685. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1981)92<679:AACE>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract A deductive analysis of the processes responsible for cirque formation leads to a model that describes cirque development through time. In this model, cirque volumes increase as the third power of time, although observed variations in cirque size also reflect pre-glacial erosion, as well as the average rate of surface recession/lowering.The deductive findings are extended via analysis of 23 cirques from a part of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, south-central Colorado. The assumption that glacier-occupance times are proportionately adjusted to topoclimatic situation leads to the conclusion that average rates of cirque erosion exhibit at least a fourfold (possibly as much as an order of magnitude) range within a given massif. The notion that cirque-development rates depend on bed-rock resistance is supported by a statistically significant inverse relationship between estimated erosion coefficients and average bed-rock joint spacing.Allometric analysis of a 15-cirque subsample (the cirques were chosen because they exhibit similar erosion susceptibility) lends credence to the hypothesis that headwall recession has been more rapid than cirque-floor lowering within the study area. However, allometric enlargement cannot by itself account for observed values for the ratio cirque length:cirque depth. The results imply that pre-glacial topography strongly influences observed variability in glacial morphometry. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.