The Little Ice Age advance in the Central Andes (35ºS), Argentina.

LYDIA E. ESPIZUA AND PIERRE PITTE

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

Elsevier

Año: 2007

Abstract The Little Ice Age (LIA) has been studied in El Azufre and El Peñón valleys at 35ºS and in Las Choicas and Las Damas valleys at 34º55´S in the headwater of the Rio Grande basin in the Central Andes of Argentina. The glaciers presents well preserved moraines attributed to LIA maximum advance. Based on moraine morphology stratigraphic relationships, minimum radiocarbon ages obtained from peat on the glacial deposits and the proximity to the active glaciers, the LIA maximum advance occurred during cal. yr 1550 and 1720 AD, and a posterior re-advance occurred around cal. yr 1830 AD. The present glaciers at 33°S and 35°S show a marked retreat in the 1894-2007 period. Minor re-advances occurred in the 80s and 90s. Key Words: Little Ice Age; glacier fluctuations; Central Andes; Mendoza; Argentina.