Theory 60/Mountain & Alpine/Rock glaciers
Rock Glaciers Need Ice
The claim
Rock glacier creep occurs above a threshold in ice content, below which the debris behaves as a rigid mass.
01Mechanism
Deformation requires ice to connect the debris; below the threshold, friction between clasts dominates and movement stops.
02Prediction
Creep should track ice content.
03Refutation
Creep tracking slope angle would remove ice.