Jökull - 01.12.1978, Page 57

Fig. 3. Rock glacier lobe
1. Note arrowed figure for
scale.
Mynd 3. Nærmynd af grjót-
jökulstungu merktri 1. Orin
bendir á mann.
minates against a large ice-cored frontal
moraine (Fig. 4). Because of the uncrevassed
and low-angled surface the term glacierette is
preferred to ‘cirque glacier’ which implies flow
and deformation of the ice mass. The winter of
1976/7 was notable in south-east Iceland for
its reduced snowfall and no firn was present on
the glacierette surface though up to four years
accumulation could be identified by reference
to outcropping dust bands — again the ab-
sence of bedrock debris in the summer surfaces
was notable despite the close proximity of the
backwall. It is likely that debris falling from
the backwall skips and slides over the surface
of the glacierette finally coming to rest against
the ice-cored moraine ridge. The form of this
ridge is of interest. The ice-cored ridge is
'composed of coarse bedrock rubble; the distal
slopes are steep (Fig. 2) and exhibit small lobes
that are detaching themselves from the main
ridge by downslope creep, indicating either
reactivation or degradation of the ice-core.
Both the rock glacier lobes and the
glacierette have not been previously reported
despite the mapping of Skálabjörg ridge in
1904 and 1951 and recent air photographs in
1961. The east facing location of these forms is
depicted as ice free on both maps of 1904 and
1951 and lies outside the maximum late
Neoglacial stand of the Esjudalur tributary of
Breidamerkurjökull reached in 1844 (Sigbjarn-
arson 1970). There can be no question there-
Fig. 4. Rock glacier lobe
3. Note arrowed figure for
scale.
Mynd 4. Nœrmynd af grjót-
jökulstungu merktri 3. Örin
bendir á mann.
JÖKULL 28. ÁR 55