Late Quaternary evolution of the sedimentary environment in Modrejce near Most na Soči (Soča Valley, Julian Alps)
Geomorphological and geological mapping have long been used to study the glacial history of the Slovenian Alps, but many uncertainties remain regarding the time and extent of Pleistocene glaciations there. Glacial landforms and undisturbed glacial deposits are rare in the areas of the former glaci...
Main Authors: | , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Geological Survey of Slovenia
2020-12-01
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Series: | Geologija |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://www.geologija-revija.si/dokument.aspx?id=1402 |
Summary: | Geomorphological and geological mapping have long been used to study the glacial history of the Slovenian
Alps, but many uncertainties remain regarding the time and extent of Pleistocene glaciations there. Glacial
landforms and undisturbed glacial deposits are rare in the areas of the former glacier terminus, especially in the
Soča Valley, where large discrepancies in the interpretation of the extent of the former Soča Glacier have been
reported. Early studies proved inconclusive as to whether one or two glaciations extended into the Soča Valley as
far as Most na Soči. In order to answer this question, the Quaternary sedimentary succession and landforms in
the Modrejce Valley near Most na Soči were investigated. New geological and geomorphological field data allow
the interpretation of the sedimentary environment and the stratigraphic relationships between different units.
In response to glacial dynamics, the sedimentation developed from glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine to fully
glacial environments, followed by slope deposition. At higher altitudes lateral moraines are preserved, while
the staircase-like slope below has been carved into older glacial, glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine deposits by
glacial and post-glacial processes, including fluvial erosion and slope dynamics. We conclude that the succession
studied here was deposited over the course of two different glacial advances – LGM and pre-LGM. Our study
thus suggests that the Soča Glacier extended as far as the area of Most na Soči twice over the course of the late
Quaternary. |
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ISSN: | 0016-7789 1854-620X |