Basal flow rate of Changme-Khangpu glacier, Sikkim Himalaya based on32Si and210Pb chronology

Abstract

Using environmental radioisotopes silicon-32 and lead-210, the radiometric ages of ice at the surface and at 5 m depth at the snout of the Changme-Khangpu (ck) glacier have been calculated to be 100 and >650 years respectively. Based on i) these age estimates, ii) a net uniform accumulation rate of 0·7 m/yr of ice in the accumulation zone; and iii) applying a simple ice flow model assuming melting of ice of 1 cm/yr at the base of the glacier, it is demonstrated that the average basal flow rate of the ck glacier is much smaller (at least by a factor of three) than that of 40 m/yr estimated for the surface ice. This observation is in good agreement with the earlier work on basal flow rates and indicates that the deeper ice near the bed rock travels much slower than the surface ice. © 1985 Indian Academy of Sciences.