Present and postglacial rates of uplift for glaciated northern and eastern North America derived from postglacial uplift curves

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Author: Andrews, J. T.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1970
• Subjects: Hudson Bay; Ice Sheet; Southampton Island
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e70-069; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e70-069

Average rates of postglacial uplift reach a maximum value of nearly 4 m 100 y −1 over southeastern Hudson Bay, and another high cell, with rates of about 2.5 m 100 y −1 , lies between Bathurst Inlet and Southampton Island. Current rates of uplift are underestimated if exponential curves are fitted solely to dated raised marine deposits without considering the amount of future recovery. Rates of rebound are, instead, derived from A/t where A is uplift in the first 1000 y since deglaciation, and t is time since deglaciation. For the northwest margin of the former ice sheet coefficients of determination for rate of uplift, at specific times, as a function of distance are [Formula: see text]. Maps of rates of uplift for northern and eastern North America are presented for 8000 y B.P., 6000 y B.P. and the present day. They reveal the existence of three uplift centers and show that rates of uplift declined from a maximum of 10 to 12 m 100 y −1 , immediately following deglaciation, to a current maximum of about 1.3 m 100 y −1 . Agreement is satisfactory when calculated rates of uplift are compared with those derived from geological observations, radiocarbon dates, and from water-level records. A final map shows isochrones on the uplift rate of ~1 m 100 y −1 . The rate dropped to this value about 10 000 y ago on the outer northwest and southeast coasts, whereas the value might not be reached for another 2000 y in southeastern Hudson Bay.