Hostname: page-component-54dcc4c588-r5qjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-08T19:14:45.462Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Morphological characteristics and factors influencing ice-free cirques in the Qilian Mountains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2025

Hang Cui  and
Tao Jing
Hang Cui*
Affiliation:
School of Geographic Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, HA, China North-South Transitional Zone Typical Vegetation Phenology Observation and Research Station of Henan Province, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang, HA, China
Tao Jing
Affiliation:
Qinghai Province Key Laboratory of Physical Geography and Environmental Process, College of Geographical Science, Qinghai Normal University, Xining, QH, China
*
Corresponding author: Hang Cui; Email: cuihang071987@163.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Cirques are classic glacial erosion landforms, and studying their morphological development provides valuable paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental insights. However, research on cirques on the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges has focused primarily on the southern, eastern, and northwestern plateau, with limited attention given to the northeastern region, hindering comparative analyses between different regions. In this study, 1132 ice-free cirques in the Qilian Mountains on the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau are examined, and their spatial distribution patterns and influential factors are analyzed. The results show that the cirques’ aspect in the Qilian Mountains is predominantly north-facing. Influenced by climate and lithology, the size of the cirques gradually increases from east to west, and the elevation parameters of the cirques are significantly affected by aspect.. The cirques in the western section are shaped primarily by lateral erosion, whereas those in the central section experience more balanced erosion, and those in the eastern section are controlled primarily by longitudinal erosion. A comparison with existing cirque morphological data from other regions of the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountain ranges reveals that the formation of cirques is affected by both climatic and non-climatic factors, and their formation ages are difficult to determine.

Keywords

Qilian MountainsCirquesGlacial processesPaleoclimate

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , First View , pp. 1 - 18
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Quaternary Research Center.

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Anderson, B., Mackintosh, B., 2006. Temperature change is the major driver of late-glacial and Holocene glacier fluctuations in New Zealand. Geology 34, 121–124.10.1130/G22151.1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barr, I.D., Ely, J.C., Spagnolo, M., Evans, I.S., Tomkins, M.D., 2019. The dynamics of mountain erosion: cirque growth slows as landscapes age. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 44, 2628–2637.10.1002/esp.4688CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barr, I.D., Spagnolo, M., 2013. Palaeoglacial and palaeoclimatic conditions in the NW Pacific, as revealed by a morphometric analysis of cirques upon the Kamchatka Peninsula. Geomorphology 192, 15–29.10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.03.011CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barr, I.D., Spagnolo, M., 2015. Glacial cirques as palaeoenvironmental indicators: their potential and limitations. Earth-Science Reviews 151, 48–78.10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.10.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, F., Yu, Z., Yang, M., Ito, E., Wang, S., Madsen, D.B., Huang, X., et al., 2008. Holocene moisture evolution in arid central Asia and its out-of-phase relationship with Asian monsoon history. Quaternary Science Reviews 27, 351–364.10.1016/j.quascirev.2007.10.017CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, X., Wang, J., Zou, L., Yao, P., Lei, M., Liao, J., 2023. Ice flux of alpine glaciers controls erosion and landscape in the Nianbaoyeze Shan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Mountain Science 20, 1884–1899.10.1007/s11629-022-7769-8CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delmas, M., Gunnell, Y., Calvet, M., 2014. Environmental controls on alpine cirque size. Geomorphology 206, 318–329.Google Scholar
Dou, J., Mou, J., Zhang, Q., 2022. Cirque floor altitude of the Gangdise Mountains and its controlling factors. Frontiers in Earth Science 10, 900141.10.3389/feart.2022.900141CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, I.S., 2006a. Allometric development of glacial cirque form: geological, relief and regional effects on the cirques of Wales. Geomorphology 80, 245–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, I.S., 2006b. Local aspect asymmetry of mountain glaciation: a global survey of consistency of favoured directions for glacier numbers and altitudes. Geomorphology 73, 166–184.Google Scholar
Evans, I.S., 2021. Glaciers, rock avalanches and the “buzzsaw” in cirque development: why mountain cirques are of mainly glacial origin. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 46, 24–46.10.1002/esp.4810CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, I.S., Cox, N.J., 2005. Global variations of local asymmetry in glacier altitude: separation of north–south and east–west components. Journal of Glaciology 51: 469–482.Google Scholar
Fick, S.E., Hijmans, R.J., 2017. WorldClim 2: new 1-km spatial resolution climate surfaces for global land areas. International Journal of Climatology 37, 4302–4315.10.1002/joc.5086CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Haynes, V.M., 1998. The morphological development of alpine valley heads in the Antarctic Peninsula. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 23, 53–67.10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199801)23:1<53::AID-ESP817>3.0.CO;2-O3.0.CO;2-O>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ipsen, H.A., Principato, S.M., Grube, R.E., Lee, J.F., 2018. Spatial analysis of cirques from three regions of Iceland: implications for cirque formation and palaeoclimate. Boreas 47, 565–576.Google Scholar
Jia, T., Fu, P., Qin, C., 2024. Applicability of the longitudinal profile-based cirque classification—a test with large cirque datasets in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 49, 4709–4723.Google Scholar
Karger, D.N., Conrad, O., Böhner, J., Kawohl, T., Kreft, H., Soria-Auza, R.W., Zimmermann, N.E., Linder, H.P., Kessler, M., 2017. Data Descriptor: climatologies at high resolution for the earth’s land surface areas. Scientific Data 4, 170122.10.1038/sdata.2017.122CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Khandsuren, P., Seong, Y.B., Rhee, H.H., Lee, C.-H., Sarikaya, M.A., Oh, J.-S., Sandag, K., Yu, B.Y., 2023. Asynchronous glacial dynamics of Last Glacial Maximum mountain glaciers in the Ikh Bogd Massif, Gobi Altai mountain range, southwestern Mongolia: aspect control on glacier mass balance. The Cryosphere 17, 2409–2435,10.5194/tc-17-2409-2023CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, S., Zhang, Q., Wang, J., 2022. Cirques of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau and their links to climatic and non-climatic factors. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, 13104.10.3390/ijerph192013104CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, Y., Evans, I.S., Spagnolo, M., Pellitero, R., Barr, I.D., Ely, J.C., 2024. ACME2: an extended toolbox for automated cirque metrics extraction. Geomorphology 445, 108982.10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108982CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y., Zhao, Z., 2022. AutoCirque: an automated method to delineate glacial cirque outlines from digital elevation models. Geomorphology 398, 108059.10.1016/j.geomorph.2021.108059CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, Y., Zhao, Z., Evans, I.S., 2023. Cirque morphology and palaeo-climate indications along a south-north transect in high mountain Asia. Geomorphology 431, 108688.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meng, H., Zhang, Q., Yi, C., Wang, N., Zhang, L., 2025. Cirque morphology of the Haizishan Plateau, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Catena 249, 108675.Google Scholar
Mîndrescu, M., Evans, I.S., 2014. Cirque form and development in Romania: allometry and the buzzsaw hypothesis. Geomorphology 208, 117–136.10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.11.019CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mîndrescu, M., Evans, I.S., Cox, N.J., 2010. Climatic implications of cirque distribution in the Romanian Carpathians: palaeowind directions during glacial periods. Journal of Quaternary Science 25, 875–888.10.1002/jqs.1363CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murari, M.K., Owen, L.A., Dortch, J.M., Caffee, M.W., Dietsch, C., Fuchs, M., Haneberg, W.C., Sharma, M.C., Townsend-Small, A., 2014. Timing and climatic drivers for glaciation across monsoon-influenced regions of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen. Quaternary Science Reviews 88, 159–182.10.1016/j.quascirev.2014.01.013CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oerlemans, J., 2001. Glaciers and Climate Change. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp. 41–52.Google Scholar
Oerlemans, J., 2005. Extracting a climate signal from 169 glacier records. Science 308, 675–677.10.1126/science.1107046CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oliva, L., Cioccale, M.A., Rabassa, J.O., 2020. Morphometry and spatial distribution of glacial cirques in the Western Fuegian Andes of Argentina, southernmost South America. Andean Geology 47, 316–350.10.5027/andgeoV47n2-3188CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olyphant, G.A., 1981. Allometry and cirque evolution. Geological Society of America Bulletin 92, 679–685.10.1130/0016-7606(1981)92<679:AACE>2.0.CO;22.0.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paul, O.J., Dar, R.A., Romshoo, S.A., 2022. Cirque development in the Pir Panjal Range of North Western Himalaya, India. Catena 213, 106179.10.1016/j.catena.2022.106179CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pedraza, J., Carrasco, R.M., Villa, J., Soteres, R.L., Karampaglidis, T., Fernández-Lozano, J., 2019. Cirques in the Sierra de Guadarrama and 7 Somosierra Mountains (Iberian Central System): shape, size and controlling factors. Geomorphology 341, 153–168.10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.05.024CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pelto, M.S., 1992. Equilibrium line altitude variations with latitude, today and during the late Wisconsin. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 95, 41–46.10.1016/0031-0182(92)90164-ZCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, S.C., 1989. Some geological implications of average quaternary glacial conditions. Quaternary Research 32, 245–261.10.1016/0033-5894(89)90092-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Porter, S.C., 2001. Snowline depression in the tropics during the Last Glaciation. Quaternary Science Reviews 20, 1067–1091.Google Scholar
Ruiz-Fernández, J., Poblete-Piedrabuena, M.A., Serrano-Muela, M.P., Martí-Bono, C., García-Ruiz, J.M., 2009. Morphometry of glacial cirques in the Cantabrian Range (Northwest Spain). Zeitschrift fur Geomorphologie 53, 47–68.10.1127/0372-8854/2009/0053-0047CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shi, Y., Zhao, J., Wang, J., 2011. New Understanding of Quaternary Glaciations in China. [In Chinese with English abstract.] Shanghai Popular Science Press, Shanghai.Google Scholar
Su, Z., Zhao, J., Zheng, B., 2014. Distribution and features of the glaciers’ ELAs and the decrease of ELAs during the Last Glaciation in China. [In Chinese with English abstract]. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology 36(1), 9–19.Google Scholar
Sun, X., Shen, S., Leptoukh, G.G., Wang, P., Di, L., Lu, M., 2012. Development of a Web-based visualization platform for climate research using Google Earth. Computers & Geosciences 47, 160–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turnbull, J.M., Davies, T.R.H., 2006. A mass movement origin for cirques. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 31, 1129–1148.10.1002/esp.1324CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walder, J.S., Hallet, B., 1986. The physical basis of frost weathering-toward a more fundamental and unified perspective. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 18, 27–32.10.1080/00040851.1986.12004060CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallick, K.N., Principato, S.M., 2020. Quantitative analyses of cirques on the Faroe Islands: evidence for time transgressive glacier occupation. Boreas 49, 828–840.10.1111/bor.12458CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, J., Kassab, C., Harbor, J.M., Caffee, M.W., Cui, H., Zhang, G.L., 2013. Cosmogenic nuclide constraints on late Quaternary glacial chronology on the Dalijia Shan, northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Quaternary Research 79, 439–451.10.1016/j.yqres.2013.01.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welch, B.L., 1951. On the comparison of several mean values: an alternative approach. Biometrika 38(3–4), 330–336.10.1093/biomet/38.3-4.330CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, J.W., Chen, F.H., Holmes, J.A., Li, H., Guo, X.Y., Wang, J.L., Li, S., Lü, Y.B., Zhao, Y., Qiang, M.R., 2011. Holocene monsoon climate documented by oxygen and carbon isotopes from lake sediments and peat bogs in China: a review and synthesis. Quaternary Science Reviews 30, 1973–1987.10.1016/j.quascirev.2011.04.023CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhang, Q., Dong, W., Dou, J., Dong, G., Zech, R., 2021. Cirques of the central Tibetan Plateau: morphology and controlling factors. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 582, 110656.Google Scholar
Zhang, Q., Fu, P., Yi, C., Wang, N., Wang, Y., Capolongo, D., Zech, R., 2020. Palaeoglacial and palaeoenvironmental conditions of the Gangdise Mountains, southern Tibetan Plateau, as revealed by an ice-free cirque morphology analysis. Geomorphology 370, 107391.10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107391CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhu, L., Lu, X., Wang, J., Peng, P., Kasper, T., Daut, G., Haberzettl, T., et al., 2015. Climate change on the Tibetan Plateau in response to shifting atmospheric circulation since the LGM. Scientific Reports 5, 13318.Google ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: File

Cui and Jing supplementary material

Cui and Jing supplementary material
Download Cui and Jing supplementary material(File)
File 1.5 MB