Periglacial landforms and deposits from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Holocene in the Visogno and Spluga valleys (Central Italian Alps)

We present the geomorphological mapping of the Visogno and Spluga valleys in the Central Italian Alps, including the morphometric and activity analysis of local rock glaciers, aimed at understanding the response to ongoing climate change. The onset of geomorphic processes controlling the evolution of local landscape dates to the Last Glacial Maximum, under glacial conditions, and continued under warmer conditions in the Holocene. The latter phase promoted glacial retreat and favoured the onset of periglacial and paraglacial processes. Our survey identifies 19 rock glaciers, predominantly SE-facing aspects, 11 relict and 8 transitional occurring above the 2200 m threshold suggested in regional inventories as the altitude limit for permafrost. These results highlight the importance of transitional rock glaciers as potential freshwater reservoirs under ongoing climate warming, emphasising the need for their monitoring as these features are out of equilibrium in the extant climate and likely to undergo rapid changes soon.