Characteristics of Permafrost and Periglacial Environments in the Andes

TROMBOTTO LIAUDAT, DARIO; PASTORE, SILVIO; PECKER MARCOSIG IVANNA

Whitehorse

Congreso; ICOP 2024; 2024

Periglacial environments in the Andes have been studied for decades, with much of the focus being on the presence of permafrost with pioneering works dating back nearly 100 years. However, later investigations shifted towards studying periglacial processes and mapping landforms, with limited deep ground temperature data that hindered an assessment of permafrost temperatures at depth throughout the Andes. Mining projects in the high Andes, through the regulatory requirement of developing environmental baseline studies and impact assessments, provide an opportunity to collect unique data on ground temperatures. Although such data have typically not yet been recorded for several years and some are not continuous, these data are believed to provide valuable information on the thermal state of the Dry Andes.