ABSTRACT

The Polish geomorphologist Walery von Lozinzki first used the term ‘periglacial’ in 1909 to describe frost weathering conditions in the Carpathian Mountains of Central Europe. In 1910, the idea of a ‘periglacial zone’ was established at the Eleventh Geological Congress in Stockholm

to describe climatic and geomorphic conditions in areas peripheral to Pleistocene ice sheets and glaciers. This periglacial zone covered tundra regions, extending as far south as the latitudinal tree-line. In modern usage, periglacial refers to a wider range of cold but non-glacial conditions, regardless of their proximity to a glacier. It includes regions at high latitudes and below the

altitudinal and latitudinal tree-lines: polar deserts and semi-deserts, the High Arctic and ice-free areas of Antarctica, tundra zones, boreal forest zones, and high alpine periglacial zones, which extend in mid-latitudes and even low latitudes. The largest alpine periglacial zone is the QinghaiXizang (Tibet) Plateau of China. Peri glacial envir - onments characteristically experience intense frosts during winter months and snow-free ground during summer months. Four distinct climates produce such conditions – polar lowlands, sub - polar lowlands, mid-latitude lowlands, and highlands (Washburn 1979, 7-8).