Water Expulsion and Pingo Formation in a Region Affected by Subsidence

Abstract Geophysical evidence indicates that the delta area of the Mackenzie River, Northwest Territories, is affected by tectonic subsidence. Pingos are of sparse occurrence in the Arctic as a whole but they occur in hundreds in the Mackenzie River delta. In a region of subsidence, as recent sedime...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Author: Bostrom, R. C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1967
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000019791
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000019791
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Summary:Abstract Geophysical evidence indicates that the delta area of the Mackenzie River, Northwest Territories, is affected by tectonic subsidence. Pingos are of sparse occurrence in the Arctic as a whole but they occur in hundreds in the Mackenzie River delta. In a region of subsidence, as recent sediments pass through the base of permafrost, compaction becomes possible. The resulting water expulsion produces an artesian head responsible for building pingos.