Formation of a regenerated glacier in the headwaters of the Madi River, Central Himalaya, Nepal

Abstract

glaciers and the resulting debris flows and floods have been recorded since the 18th century as disasters that have claimed many lives, including a catastrophe in Peru in 1970 that killed 18,000 people. In central Nepal, the left tributary of the Madi River, which has its source in the southern foothills of the Annapurna massif, experienced a flood in 2003, possibly caused by a glacier collapse. In the headwaters of the Madi River, the Kapche Glacier, a regenerating glacier, was formed at the bottom of the valley at an altitude of 2,500 m due to frequent glacier collapses. This altitude is about 2000 m lower than the general distribution altitude of glaciers in the Nepal Himalaya, and is unique in the Himalaya as a whole. Various satellite images and field surveys have revealed that glacial lakes have appeared on the downstream side of Kapche Glacier since 2008, and that avalanche recharge is concentrated from November to June, with significant thinning of the ice body and appearance of crevasses in other seasons. These details will be reported in this presentation.

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