Role of rock glaciers and other high-altitude depositional units in the hydrology of the mountain watersheds of the Northern Patagonian Andes.

Mountain depositional landforms are important units for freshwater supply in regions with water deficits and significant droughts during the summer season. In the Northern Patagonian Andes, the cold climatic events during the Pleistocene period left a large number of glacial and periglacial depositional landforms, among which a glacial cirque called La Hoya stands out. An analysis of geomorphological landforms, climatic data, soil temperature, flows in springs and streams, electrical conductivity measurements, and stable isotope determination of water, were made to study the hydrological role of these depositional mountain landforms.