Water Expulsion and Pingo Formation in a Region Affected by Subsidence

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Author: Bostrom, R. C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1967
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Arctic; Northwest Territories; Mackenzie River; Journal of Glaciology; Mackenzie river; permafrost
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000019791; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000019791

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.