TAYLOR PARK ROCK GLACIERS, EXPLORING GEOSPATIAL CONTROLS ON DISTRIBUTION AND HEADWALL INFLUENCE

Taylor Park (Colorado) is located between the Elk and Sawatch Mountain ranges. It is a tectonically constrained basin consisting predominantly of Precambrian metamorphics and intrusives with smaller areas of Paleozoic sediments and Oligocene intrusives. Taylor Park is the upper drainage basin for the Taylor River, a tributary of the Colorado River. In the upper elevation areas of Taylor Park, precipitation is predominantly in the form of snowfall, with average precipitation values of 75-100 cm per year and MAAT of roughly 0 C. Previous studies on Taylor Park’s periglacial features have focused on mapping the extent of rock glaciers to make palaeoclimatic inferences as well as estimating select rock glacier ages using lichenometry. Here, remote sensing and field mapping were used to create a detailed inventory of Taylor Park's periglacial features with a focus on rock glaciers. 178 rock glaciers were identified, 142 of which were verified and characterized by field surveying. 68 rock glaciers were classified as active, 49 as intact, and 61 as extinct. This database represents one of the largest and most detailed rock glacier inventories in the US. Using this database and recently available 1m DEMs, we explored geospatial controls of rock glacier activity status and distribution using ArcGIS Pro and R. Focus was placed on understanding headwall influence and the relationship between headwall steepness and rock glacier activity by investigating metrics such as slope, insolation, aspect, and elevation to gain insight on ablation rates, snow supply, and rock supply. A strong positive correlation was found between the mean elevation of the rock glacier body/headwall and activity status. A moderately positive correlation was found between the amount of steep area in a rock glacier headwall and its activity status. Aspect and insolation (calculated over the 2024 calendar year) did not correlate with activity status. These findings indicate that rock glacier activity status is more closely controlled by environmental factors that contribute to mass addition (rock and snow supply) versus factors that contribute to mass loss (melt rate and shading) within Taylor Park Colorado. While this finding is geographically constrained, it signifies a new way of understanding rock glacier spatial distribution.