Movement of Foxfonna rock glacier in Svalbard between 2017-2019

Abstract: The movement of a rock glacier located at the bottom of the Foxfonna glacier, Svalbard, Norway, was studied through the use of photogrammetry and feature tracking software, between the years of 2017-2019, as well as elevation changes between 2009 and 2019. This could aid in further knowledge about the rapid velocity changes of rock glaciers in a continuous permafrost environment. It was found that the front part of the rock glacier moved approximately 2m between 2017 and 2018, and up to 2.5m/y between 2018-2019. The elevation changes showed a large accumulation of mass in its frontal area over the years, where some features have moved around 20m since 2009. Further south on the upper part of the rock glacier, movement changes were few, but elevation changes still occurred. Factors, such as icing, internal hydrology, permafrost changes, that could influence the movement of the rock glacier have been discussed and suggestions for future studies, including ground penetrating radar (GPR) and temperature measurements, have been made.