Verendrye valley and the Glidden esker, Saskatchewan: subglacial and ice-walled features in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canada

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Author: Christiansen, E. A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1987
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Canada; Glacial Lake; glacier*
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/e87-014; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/e87-014

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.