Ice-Rafted Sediments as a Cause of Some Thermokarst Lakes in the Noatak River Delta, Alaska

Irregular, barren polygonal sheets of mud scattered over the landscape of the western portion of the Noatak River Delta are derived from lake-bottom sediments, ice-rafted during flooding. The evidence suggests that the sheets of mud change the albedo and the thermal regime of the soil, induce the de...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Author: Ugolini, F. C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1975
Subjects:
Thermokarst
Alaska
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.188.4183.51
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.188.4183.51
Description
Summary:Irregular, barren polygonal sheets of mud scattered over the landscape of the western portion of the Noatak River Delta are derived from lake-bottom sediments, ice-rafted during flooding. The evidence suggests that the sheets of mud change the albedo and the thermal regime of the soil, induce the development of thermokarst, and lead to the formation of ponds and lakes. The angular perimeters, especially of the small ponds, support the suggested mode of formation.

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