Abstract ID: 3.11360 | Accepted as Poster | Talk/Oral | TBA | TBA

This research presents the first up to date rock glacial inventory of the Spiti Basin (SB) in north-western Himalaya. Rock glaciers (RG) occurs as debris landforms resulting from the past or present downslope flow of frozen ground, marked in the landscape through unique features including a front, lateral margins, and optionally ridge-and-furrow surface topography, often described as the mountain manifestation of permafrost. The study area, located in the Trans-Himalayan belt north of the Pir Panjal Range, features Neoproterozoic-Cretaceous rocks. Characterized by bedrock benches, rock outcrops, and glacial-fluviatile deposits, it’s a high altitude desert at ̴ 3000 meters above sea level (m asl), with minimal annual precipitation of about 50 mm. Here we mapped RG’s using high resolution Planet scope (<3m) and Google Earth (GE) datasets for the year 2023. The results indicate SB includes 605 RGs with a total area of 144.87 ± 3.35 km2. The frontal elevation of the lowest RG is ̴ 3920 m asl whereas the highest RG is located at an mean elevation of ̴ 5987 m asl. Interestingly majority of the RGs has a southerly aspect (178.88 degrees south). The mean slope of the RGs is found to be ̴ 20.46 degrees. The upslope connection of the RGs are mostly Talus (51%) followed by Glacier (21%) and Debris (18 %) connections. We presume, topography and climatic factors are pivotal in influencing the formation and dynamics of RGs.