Paleoglaciated Landscapes in Simen and Other High-Mountain Areas of Ethiopia

N/ACitations
Citations of this article
7Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

In the present-day Ethiopia, glaciated landscapes do not exist, but paleoglaciated landscapes have been documented on a few mountain tops, which have altitudes higher than about 4,350 m asl in northern Ethiopia (Simen Mountains) and about 4,100 m asl in southern Ethiopia (Arsi and Bale Mountains). Glaciers were associated with the Late Pleistocene cold stages and reached as far down as 3,760 m asl in northern and 3,200 m asl in southern Ethiopia. Bale Mountains had the most extensive Late Pleistocene glaciation, covering over 190 km2, followed by Arsi Mountains (about 85 km2). In Simen, the Late Pleistocene glaciers covered merely 13 km2. In addition, paleo-periglacial slope deposits are found on all above-mentioned paleoglaciated mountains and in further mountain systems which did not host glaciers. This allows the reconstruction of the Late Pleistocene paleoclimate as being about 8 °C colder than at present (2014), much more dry, and probably without monsoon, at least in northern Ethiopia. Most probably in the Early Holocene, the re-emergence of monsoonal rains led to a strong erosion phase, which was followed by an extended stable phase with soil formation, building up about 70-cm-deep A-horizons (Andosol) on the paleo-periglacial slope deposits. These soils have been heavily degraded due to human-induced soil erosion up to about 3800 m asl since agriculture started several decades to millennia ago.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Hurni, H. (2015). Paleoglaciated Landscapes in Simen and Other High-Mountain Areas of Ethiopia. In World Geomorphological Landscapes (pp. 139–146). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8026-1_6

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free