GEOMORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE UPPER CAMP BIRD III ROCK GLACIER IN THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS, COLORADO

The geomorphology of rock glaciers is very unique; they often exhibit many differentiating features from other formations, namely ordinary glaciers. There are two primary rock glacier shapes, tongue-shaped, and lobed. Tongue-shaped rock glaciers tend to have a long, slender body descending the side of a mountain with a single terminus. Lobed rock glaciers are typically wider than they are long, and can also have multiple termini.

These glaciers tend to form where the slope angle is less than 25 degrees as this is the point at which the frozen core of the glacier allows for plastic deformation and enables the structure to flow similarly to an ordinary glacier.

Another aspect to rock glaciers is their status. Active rock glaciers are comprised entirely of rock and ice in constant flow, they do not provide an environment conducive to plant life and vegetation growth. Inactive formations can be identified by lichen growth and rounded crests, while fossil rock glaciers often show surface disturbances as the ice core melts away.

The internal structure of a rock glacier contains three layers: a poorly sorted rocky top, gravel and ice matrix core, and underlying rock beneath the glacier.

The selected rock glacier, Upper Camp Bird III, in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado in Ouray County. The rock glacier is located on the third level of the Camp Bird Mine, which provides a relatively easy access to the area. The study area is comprised of sedimentary rocks, volcanic rocks, and highly mineralized deposits of copper, silver, lead, zinc, and most notably gold which have been extracted from these mountains for the past two centuries.

Rock glaciers are a very important resource to the scientific community due to the air bubbles in the ice that are often very old and contain clues to the environment and atmosphere at the time of formation. They are also important as a natural resource, as they are composed of fresh water, that could be exploited as potable water.

The Upper Camp Bird III rock glacier is a tongue-shaped active rock glacier and its internal structure has not been studied in detail. The proposed research will use traditional geological and geomorphological mapping, remote sensing techniques and geophysical surveys to the characterize the internal composition as well as the external surficial features of the Upper Camp Bird III rock glacier.