Applying integrated remote sensing and field-based approach to map glacial landform features of the Machoi Glacier valley, NW Himalaya

Abstract

Glacial landforms are important precursors of landscape’s glaciological history. Such evidences are vital to understand the role of climate in shaping the earth’s surface. The work presented in this paper is about the detailed geomorphological mapping of the Machoi Glacier valley in NW Himalaya in Drass, Jammu and Kashmir. The geomorphological map of the area at 1:6000 scale was generated by integrating detailed field data, collected using Global Positioning System and electronic total station, and the satellite remote sensing information. Most of the area was mapped on field; however, some inaccessible areas were mapped using high-resolution DigitalGlobe QuickBird imagery. Various landform features mapped in the study area include lateral and terminal moraines, serrate, basin ridge, crevasses, glacier accumulation and ablation, debris cones, drumlins, horn and outwash plain. The spatial information on the glacial landform features in the area is aimed to guide the reconstruction of paleo-glaciological setup using dating techniques and will ultimately improve the knowledge gaps about the glaciation in the NW Himalaya during the Pleistocene.