MINERALOGY AS AN INDICATOR OF LONG-TERM CURRENT FLUCTUATIONS IN BAFFIN BAY

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Author: Marlowe, J. I.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1966
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Baffin Bay; Baffin
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e66-015; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e66-015

A study of core samples from Baffin Bay indicates that gravel and coarse sand occur in all parts of the bay. Fragments in this size range are considered to have been transported into the area by floating ice. This coarse-grained sediment is rich in granitic detritus, but samples from an area within approximately 200 km of the Canadian coast also contain limestone fragments. The distribution of limestone fragments on the bottom coincides closely with the track of the Baffin Land current, in which icebergs originating in areas of limestone outcrop move southward through the bay. The distribution of limestone detritus in subbottom samples, however, suggests that the Baffin Land current has in the past flowed over a wider area than it does at present.