Glacial Geomorphology of Mt. Munkh Saridag in the Khuvsgul Mountain Range, Northern Mongolia

Abstract

This study reconstructs palaeoglacial extent in the Khuvsgul Mountain Range in northern Mongolia based on the mapping of glacial landforms of Mt. Munkh Saridag. For the accurate reconstruction of palaeoglaciations in the Khuvsgul Mountain Range, glacial landforms including glacial valleys, glacial cirques, end moraines, medial moraines, marginal moraines and glacial lineations were mapped at a scale of 1:100.000 for Mt. Munkh Saridag. Mapping was conducted using Google Earth, 30 m resolution ASTER DEM data and 30 m resolution Landsat 5TM satellite imagery. This mapping revealed abundant glacial erosional and depositional landforms in the Khuvsgul Mountain Range, in particular, large end moraine complexes mark palaeoglacial advances in the mountain valleys of Mt. Munkh Saridag. Results indicate that Mt. Munkh Saridag, the center of Khuvsgul Mountain Range, had lost 42.6% of its total glacier area between 1970 (900 m²) and 2007 (384 m²) when the equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs) of the glaciers were retreated by 47 m and 80 m on north and south aspects, respectively. The outer limits of these glacial landforms show development of small ice caps on peaks and ice fields in valleys of Mt. Munkh Saridag where their maximum glaciation was reconstructed to have covered 186 km². The spatial analyses show the dynamic change of the modern glaciers in Mt. Munkh Saridag, and how this depends on topographical elements of elevation and aspects, durations of solar radiation and vulnerability to the solar insolation. This study demonstrates that spatial analysis of the glacial landforms is crucial for reviewing the extent of palaeoglaciers that could be detailed with dates in further work.