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Rock Glaciers

All articles tagged with #rock glaciers

science-and-environment20 days ago•10 min saved

Utah Researchers Reveal Massive Hidden Ice Reserves in Rock Glaciers

A collaborative study by the Utah Geological Survey, Brigham Young University, and the University of Utah has quantified the significant water storage capacity of rock glaciers in Utah. Using gravimetric measurements and 3D modeling, researchers determined that the rock glacier beneath Mount Timpanogos holds approximately 1.55 million cubic meters of ice, equivalent to 600 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The findings suggest that rock glaciers across the state may store roughly one gigaton of ice, providing a climate-resilient water source that releases meltwater year-round, even during late summer droughts. This hidden reservoir is currently unaccounted for in state hydrological models, highlighting a critical gap in water resource management.

via KSL News|

#climate-resilience #gravimetry #mount-timpanogos

science21 days ago•14 min saved

Gravity Scans Reveal Massive Hidden Ice Reserves in Utah’s Rock Glaciers

Researchers have used gravity measurements to map a massive, hidden ice reserve beneath Mount Timpanogos in Utah. The study reveals that rock glaciers, often mistaken for loose debris, contain significant freshwater that is currently unaccounted for in regional water models.

via Gizmodo|

#climate-change #geophysics #rock-glaciers

world1 month ago•15 min saved

Utah’s Hidden Ice: Rock Glaciers Store Nearly a Billion Tons of Water

Scientists mapped ice buried under Utah’s rock glaciers using gravity data, estimating about 0.99 gigatonnes (nearly 1 billion tons) of water in Utah’s intact rock glaciers. Focusing on the Timpanogos Rock Glacier beneath Mount Timpanogos, they collected 232 gravity measurements and applied 3D Bayesian inversion to reveal an ice-rich core that is roughly 72% ice by volume (83% in the core) and averages 18.8 metres thick, totaling about 1.55 million cubic metres of ice—enough to fill around 600 Olympic pools. This buried ice could persist for centuries and represents a climate-resilient water resource, though it also poses hazards if destabilized.

via The Times of India|

#climate-change #gravity-measurements #rock-glaciers

science1 month ago•5 min saved

Hidden Ice in Utah's Rock Glaciers Mapped as Global Water Reserve

A Utah-led study uses gravimetric measurements and Bayesian 3D imaging to quantify ice stored in rock glaciers, finding Mount Timpanogos' rock glacier is about 83% ice by volume with an average thickness of 18.8 meters, totaling roughly 1.5 million cubic meters of ice (about 1.4 million tons). Extrapolating from 232 measurements suggests Utah’s 836 documented rock glaciers hold about 1 billion tons of ice, the western US around 12 billion tons, and globally about 48 billion tons, highlighting rock glaciers as a significant but underrecognized freshwater reservoir affected by climate change and capable of influencing local hydrology and hazards.

via ScienceAlert|

#3d-imaging #gravimeter #ice-storage

environment1 month ago•5 min saved

Utah’s hidden ice could become a billion-ton water source

Researchers estimate Utah’s rock glaciers store about 1 billion tons of ice (roughly 815,000 acre-feet), buried under rock and including the Timpanogos Rock Glacier. This buried ice could become a meaningful water source as the West warms, supporting alpine ecosystems and wildlife, though scientists still need to quantify how much melt contributes to streams and urban water supplies.

via The Salt Lake Tribune|

#climate-change #environment #geology