Verendrye valley and the Glidden esker, Saskatchewan: subglacial and ice-walled features in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada
Verendrye valley is more than 100 km long, about 1 km wide, and at least 225 m deep. Southward, the valley grades into the Glidden esker, the surface of which rises about 280 m above the lowest point in the valley. The sediments in the valley and esker are 205 and 75 m thick, respectively, and form...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
1987
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e87-014 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e87-014 |
Summary: | Verendrye valley is more than 100 km long, about 1 km wide, and at least 225 m deep. Southward, the valley grades into the Glidden esker, the surface of which rises about 280 m above the lowest point in the valley. The sediments in the valley and esker are 205 and 75 m thick, respectively, and form a fining-upward sequence from sand and gravel at the base to silt with sand interbeds in the upper part of the sequence, which, in turn, is covered by a blanket of glacial lake clay.The concave-upward longitudinal profile of Verendrye valley, the genetic relationship between Verendrye valley and the Glidden esker, and the age of the features indicate the valley and esker were formed by a subglacial stream during the last deglaciation 15 500 – 14 000 years ago. The fining-upward sequence of sediments in the valley and esker suggests the sub-glacial valley formed time transgressively by headward erosion while the glacier margin remained stationary at the Glidden esker. |
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