Collaborative Research: Ice-Core Analysis and Physical Glaciology of the Galena Creek Rock Glacier, Wyoming

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9614424 Steig We propose a comprehensive study of a rock glacier at Galena Creek in the Absaroka Mountains, northwestern Wyoming, to determine the potential of rock glaciers as sources for ice-core paleoclimate records. The Galena Creek rock glacier is one of the most easily-accessible and well-studied glaciological techniques to the Galena Creek rock glacier to determine mass balance, flow characteristics, and internal composition and chemistry. Rock glaciers are ubiquitous features in arctic and alpine regions, yet they have been largely ignored by glaciologists, in part because of the widely-held belief that they are essentially ice-cemented talus. We have demonstrated previously that the Galena Creek rock glacier contains remnant glacier ice that can be retrieved by ice-core drilling. Our project draws on the combined expertise of two glacial-geologists (NP and DC) who have worked extensively with rock glaciers, an ice-core geochemist (ES), and two glaciologists (WP and NH). Geophysics work will include drilling of several boreholes (40-60 meters depth) for deformation measurements, measurement of surface velocities, and retrieval of ice cores. Ice cores will be analyzed for stable isotopes ((18O and (D), electrical conductivity, and visual stratigraphy. Expected results of this work include 1) improved understanding of the climatic context of rock glaciers and 2) evaluation of a new and potentially powerful source of ice-core paleoclimate data.