Application of geomatic techniques to monitoring of the dynamics and to mapping of the Veleta rock glacier (Sierra Nevada, Spain)

摘要

The highest peaks in the Iberian Peninsula and the southernmost active rock glacier in Europe can be found in Sierra Nevada. Its formation is recent and it is associated with the process of the deglaciation that the Corral del Veleta underwent at the end of the Little Ice Age. The rock glacier was formed from an accumulation of heavy boulders in a permafrost environment. At present, the rock glacier shows activity. In order to calculate the annual movement, 14 rods were initially placed on its surface in the year 2001. The dynamic monitoring of the rods was carried out using two geomatics methods: 1) a geodetic survey using a total station, and 2) the application of a precise global positioning system (GPS). The results have shown generalized activity over the entire rock glacier, although sites showing vertical displacement (sinking) predominated over those showing horizontal displacement (advance). For the mapping of the entire rock glacier, close range photogrammetry was used.