The return periods of Karakoram glacier surges are poorly quantified. Here, we present evidence of an historic surge of the Khurdopin Glacier that began in the mid-1970s and peaked in 1979. Measured surface displacements reached >5 km aĝ̂'1, two orders of magnitude faster than during quiescence. The Khurdopin Glacier next surged in the late 1990s, equating to a return period of 20 years. Surge evolution in the two events shows remarkable similarity suggesting a common trigger. Surge activity in the Karakoram needs to be better understood if accurate mass balance assessments of Hindu-Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya glaciers are to be made. ©Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License.
CITATION STYLE
Quincey, D. J., & Luckman, A. (2014). Brief communication: On the magnitude and frequency of Khurdopin glacier surge events. Cryosphere, 8(2), 571–574. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-571-2014
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