A Study of Glacier Flow for an Open-Pit Mine: An Exercise in Applied Glaciology

As part of the feasibility study for the development of an open-pit mine at the edge of the Greenland ice sheet, a study is made of the ice flow toward the proposed pit. The flow is analyzed by considering the two-dimensional flow along seven cross-sections. The most favorable profile is determined...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Glaciology
Main Author: Colbeck, S. C.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1974
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000023182
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000023182
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Summary:As part of the feasibility study for the development of an open-pit mine at the edge of the Greenland ice sheet, a study is made of the ice flow toward the proposed pit. The flow is analyzed by considering the two-dimensional flow along seven cross-sections. The most favorable profile is determined for each cross-section and its flow calculated. The excavation necessary to expose the ore is 106 × 10 6 m 3 of ice. 66 × 10 6 m 3 of ice will have to be removed in order to establish favorable profiles and an additional 7.9 × 10 6 m 3 of ice will have to be removed each year in order to prevent the glacier from thickening and advancing into the mine. Many other glaciological problems must be considered, and field work continues in order to provide more information about the area.