LGGE Universite Grenoble-Alpes

The first studies of the friction at the base of glacier were done by the pioneers Weertman and Lliboutry in the 1950s, who proposed theories under assumptions that have not been questioned for decades. Among these assumptions, the most questionable are the 2d geometry of the bumps, the pure sliding at the ice-bed interface and the hypothesis of stationary water pressure. In this seminar, I will present recent works using local modelling of basal friction with the finite element method that explore the validity of the proposed friction laws when these assumptions do not hold any more.