Rock Glacier Inventory for Norway and Svalbard

A 1990s-era regional-scale inventory documents rock glacier features across mainland Norway and the Svalbard archipelago. The dataset is not a complete catalog but aggregates information from coarse geomorphological mapping and cites specific studies, including detailed work near Ny-Ålesund and Longyearbyen. It categorizes features by activity and location, reporting at least 150 rock glaciers in mainland Norway and at least 500 on Svalbard.

Use Cases

• Mapping regional permafrost distribution based on rock glacier activity classifications.
• Studying post-glacial landscape evolution using the location and type of relict rock glaciers.
• Comparing rock glacier formation processes between coastal and inland regions of northern Norway.
• Assessing geohazards linked to tectonic activity and isostatic uplift using rock fall evidence.

Strengths

• Cites specific peer-reviewed studies (Sollid and Sorbel 1992; Kristiansen and Sollid 1986) for population counts.
• Provides detailed qualitative classification of rock glaciers by type, activity, and geographic setting.

Limitations

• Explicitly stated to be an incomplete database, averaged on a regional scale.
• Conflicting metadata: one source lists a last update in 2026, another in 1997, suggesting unresolved provenance.
• Column names and specific data structure are unknown.

Provenance

Source

NSIDCV0, with partial cooperation from ETH-Zurich for detailed investigations.

Collection Method

Compiled from coarse geomorphological mapping and existing detailed studies.

Time Range

null

Freshness

1997-12-31 (based on the most specific date provided, though a 2026 date is also listed as a conflict)

Geography

Mainland Norway (specifically Rondane and northern coastal/inland areas) and Svalbard (central and western Spitsbergen).