First rock glacier inventory of the Peruvian Andes: distribution, classification and climatic characterization

The contours of the Rock glaciers (RGs) were manually digitized, identifying a total of 2271 (967 active, 507 inactive, 311 intact and 486 relict) covering 109.1±1.5 km2 and distributed in 15 of the 20 cordilleras of Peru. The Minimum Altitude Front (MAF) of RGs is 4339 m a.s.l., while most of them are between 4800 to 5000 m a.s.l. For the Southwest zone (Z-IV) where 94% of the RGs are located, the Binary Logistic Regression Model (BLRM) shows that MAAT and slope are the variables that have the greatest influence on the presence of 76.5% RGs evaluated.  While in the North (Z-I), Central (Z-II) and Southeastern (Z-III) zones, the topoclimatic variables analyzed did not show statistical significance.  This first inventory represents an important input for modeling the spatial distribution of permafrost in the Peruvian Tropical Andes.